Pražské ptactvo 1800 - 2020

The book The Birds of Prague 1800-2020 (Birds - the City - the Story of a Hero) is intended for both the professional and general public and connects seemingly disparate areas: it bears witness to an extraordinary personality in the fight against two totalitarianisms and presents a remarkable ornithological work. In a sense, several books are included in one volume at once:

The centrepiece is the prized and in many ways pioneering work Prague Birds, in which ornithologist Veleslav Wahl (1922-1950) documented and commented on the status and habitat of birds in the capital in the mid-1940s. Among other things, Wahl's approach to bird conservation, which appealed for targeted care of the environment, was extremely prescient for its time and is particularly relevant today. The chapters of the original Birds of Prague have been significantly supplemented and updated for the present edition with new texts reflecting changes in the avifauna of Prague since Veleslav Wahl's time.

Another substantial part of the book focuses on the extraordinary life of Veleslav Wahl and his heroic civic attitudes, which have not received the attention they deserve. Wahl was not only a prominent ornithologist, but also an active member of the domestic anti-Nazi and later anti-Communist resistance; he was sentenced to death by the totalitarian Communist judiciary in 1950 for alleged treason and espionage.

The pictorial layer of the book is also important. The texts on birds are accompanied by new drawings by Jan Hošek, older illustrations by Karel Svolinský and a selection of pictures by Wahl himself, photographs of Prague localities taken by Karel Cudlín for this publication, and a number of archival photographs, documents and other sources.

The editorial plan of the book is based on Wahl's will, which he wrote the day before his execution. It seeks to repay the debt to his ornithological work and his civic courage, and to be a source of instruction, reinforcement and joy for young and older readers in the 21st century

Czech edition.