Collection of Russian, Ukrainian and Belorussian émigré periodicals 1918-1945
Documentary heritage submitted by Czech Republic and recommended for inclusion in the Memory of the World Register in 2007.
The collection of Russian, Ukrainian and Belorussian émigré periodicals (newspapers and journals) preserved by the Slavonic Library represents, in the global contex,t a unique set of materials originating from the Interwar period. The collection represents the heritage of the members of the so called first wave of Russian emigration, who, following their departure from Bolshevik Russia, settled all over the globe. The size of this emigration and the scale of its activities led to a specific cultural phenomenon called “Russia outside Russia”. A new émigré culture was established, separated from its original roots on the territory of the Russian Empire, yet preserving for long years the original traditions and cultural values. This culture developed as a mirror of the Soviet culture – parallel with it but without the limits imposed on the Soviet cultural elite.
The interwar Czechoslovakia was one of the key world cultural centres of this emigration and due to the financial support of the Czechoslovak government it represented the world main depository of archival collections and published items. The collection of the Slavonic Library thus contains items published in all the important centres of émigré life all over the world reflecting the richness of the cultural tradition of “Russia outside Russia”. Among all the research institutions of the world, the collection offers to the researchers the richest and most comprehensive source for study of this cultural tradition, which is reflected in the strong interest of the scientific community in the collection.