Palacký, Rieger and Fennomans - Relations between national movements in Finland and Czech lands in second half of the 19th century
Abstract
There can be found several parallels and analogies between the development of Czech and Finnish national emancipation, which were not hiddedn to the main personalities of both national movements. Simultaneously there were also mutual contacts between Czech and Finnish revivalists, which were helping them in better knowledge and understanding of other nation.
One of the most interesting and important was the visit of young Finnish journalist and pedagogue Anton Almberg (Antti Jalava) in Prague in the autumn 1874. He managed, during his three months stay, to establish friendly relations with many leading personalities among the Czech cultural and political circles, like Vojta Náprstek or František Palacký and František Ladislav Rieger.
In their conversations was even mentioned the possibility of mutual cooperation, which was by Almberg's Finnish friends not seen very positive way. Although many Fennomans saw Czech national movement as one of the possible examples worth to follow, the leading figures of fennomany party were against any particulat cooperation, mainly because their contacts with Magyars.