Tomas Cerny: The Forgotten Man

Tomáš Černý (1840-1909), a now almost forgotten lawyer, politician and falconer, was involved in Prague public life from his youth and was at the birth of the Prague Falcon and other Czech associations, to which he provided free legal assistance and participated in the creation of their statutes. After the death of Jindřich Fügner, he saved the debt-ridden Sokol unity, and for ten years he served as a respected, principled and esteemed mayor of the Prague Sokol. Throughout his life he was a friend, legal advisor and counselor to the widow of the first Sokol mayor Kateřina Fügnerová, her daughter Renáta and the first Sokol chief Miroslav Tyrš. His more than twenty years of activity in the Prague City Council culminated in his election as Mayor of Prague, and Černý's inaugural mayoral speech made history. After leaving this office, Tomáš Černý, as a member of the provincial parliament, contributed to the establishment of the Provincial Bank, which contributed to the independence of the Czech economy. The publication presents the personal and professional life of Tomáš Černý, documents the surviving relics stored in the Department of the History of Physical Education and Sport of the National Museum, including unpublished correspondence.