About the Project

Czech composer, conductor, author of the first Czech opera and also author of the song "Where is my home", which became the Czech national anthem, František Škroup, is a personality that definitely deserves our attention.

Unfortunately, in recent years I have had the feeling more and more often that he is slowly being forgotten. I work as a college teacher, and when I asked young people who he was, most of the time none of them could answer me. I couldn't believe that today's young generation wouldn't associate this name with anything. Out of curiosity, I became interested in how many books were written about František Škroup in our country.

Considering that he is the author of the Czech national anthem and also the first Czech opera, one extensive biography (the author is Josef Plavec, published in 1941) and several smaller books aimed more at children or teenagers, it is certainly not much. In addition, I was very interested in the fact that only a few sentences were ever written about his work in the Netherlands - that he went to Rotterdam in 1860 to build an opera house and died there in 1862. You could still mostly read that he is buried in the cemetery in Rotterdam, in the Crosswijk district.

Because I lived in Rotterdam as a young student for a time, I have a deep connection to the city and I speak Dutch, I got the urge to map Škroup's Rotterdam story. What was his life like in a faraway land? What was he experiencing and dealing with? What were his days like? Where in the city did he live? How was his collaboration with the German Rotterdam Opera? Did he have a friend in Rotterdam or was he all alone? What was his reputation, and was he successful there? I had many questions, but the most important thing was that I was interested in his human story.

Škroup went to Rotterdam because he was no longer able to support his family in Prague. After more than thirty years of work in the Stavovské theater, he was retired (essentially without his consent), and from that moment on, he fell on hard times. He tried to run his own music school, but he didn't have enough students to support him. By leaving the theater, he lost his social status and very quickly fell lower and lower in Czech society. He was no longer able to secure a place for his students in the theater near the opera, so they preferred to attend courses at competitors who were able to do so. He ran the Žofín Academy for a while, which sounds pompous, but today we could compare it to a basic art school for adults. In addition, he took every offer to conduct concerts. He tried to make extra money wherever he could. However, it was not enough to support a family with six minor children. The offer came straight from Rotterdam at five minutes to twelve!

Until the moment of Škroup's departure, the story has no blind spots. Then, it's as if an imaginary gate closes and you won't read much more anywhere. I decided to change it.

For two and a half years I sat in the archives and researched. I can say with a clear conscience that I have read everything that was written about František Škroup in the Czech Republic, including bachelor's and diploma theses. I know a lot (maybe everything) about his legacy, which is managed by the Czech National Museum through the Czech Museum of Music. I was in his birthplace in Osice and viewed and read everything that is preserved in the František Škroup Memorial Hall there. I interviewed the Osice chronicler, Ing. Oldřich Zelený. I communicated several times with the administrator of Škroup's estate, Markéta Kabelková, Ph.D. Subsequently, I went to Rotterdam and researched further in the archives of the city of Rotterdam. I read periodicals and spoke to people who are considered to be experts on Škroup in the Dutch territory. I read what was written about him both in the Dutch press of the time and in books published in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. I mapped his story day by day, week by week, and month by month.

I verified every detail. I communicated with archives, libraries, conservatories, philharmonics, various types of museums, both in the Czech Republic and in the Netherlands, as well as in Germany, with Czech and German railways, Dutch universities and their experts. There were many people who helped me on my way to reconstruct Škroup's Rotterdam story. Without them, I would never have been able to complete the project. I would not have had accurate and verified information, and I would not have progressed in my work.

A big thank you also goes to all my beta readers whose feedback helped create a better book and especially to the editor Věra Fleknová. They all deserve my thanks and I hope I haven't forgotten anyone. If so, I'm sorry. My thanks definitely goes to everyone who helped me on my journey, be it big or small advice and especially to those who really gave me a lot of time:

Individuals:

Baptist Vincent, PhD student at Erasmus University Rotterdam, Netherlands;
Beta readers: Ďurďová Miroslava, Flídrová Dana, Pluskal Václav, Prokešová Jana, Skalická Lenka;
Dwarswaard Marieke, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, The Netherlands;
Fellner Dominik, choir master and conductor;

Jahoda Martin, curator of collections, Postal Museum, Prague;
Kabelková Markéta, administrator of Škroup's estate;
Karlík Martin, author of translations from German;
Kosmálová Lada, State District Archive Teplice;
Plaisier Kees, Rotterdam, Netherlands;
Schenk Hana, Director, Czech Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands;
Šindlerová Tereza, Czech Philharmonic, Prague;
Zelený Oldřich, chronicler of the village of Osice.

Organizations:

Bibliotheek Rotterdam, Netherlands;
City Archives of The Hague (Collection Nederlands Muziek Instituut), The Netherlands;
Czech Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands;
Czech Museum of Music, Prague;
Embassy of the Czech Republic, Netherlands.
German Railway Museum in Nuremberg, Germany;
Municipal Archives of the City of Rotterdam (and all its incredibly helpful staff), The Netherlands;
Municipal Library, Prague;
Museum of Communication in Frankfurt, Germany;
Museum Rotterdam, Netherlands;
National Library of the Czech Republic, Prague;
National Museum, Prague;
Nationaal Onderwijsmuseum, Dordrecht, Netherlands;
Postal Museum in Prague;
Press Department of Czech Railways;
Research Institute of Czech Television, Prague;
Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, Netherlands;
Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra;
Royal Conservatoire Library, Netherlands;
Royal Library and Study Room, The Hague, Netherlands;

Note: Individuals are listed without academic titles and, like organizations, are listed alphabetically.