معرفی
Jan Štemberk is Associate Professor (docent) of Economic and Social History at the Faculty of Humanities, Charles University in Prague, where he teaches and conducts research in the Department of Historical Studies. Holding advanced degrees in both History and Law, he specialises in the history of tourism, travel, transport and leisure in the Czech lands and Czechoslovakia from the late 19th to the 20th century.
Education and Academic Career
- 2000 – MA, Two-field History, Faculty of Arts, Charles University, Prague
- 2003 – MA, Section of Law, Faculty of Law, Charles University, Prague
- 2004 – PhD, Economic and Social History, Faculty of Arts, Charles University, Prague
- 2011 – Habilitation as Associate Professor of Economic and Social History, Faculty of Arts, Charles University, Prague
Research Focus
Professor Štemberk’s work explores how modern societies have organised mobility and leisure. His investigations centre on:
- The evolution of automobile and railway transport in Central Europe
- The institutional, legal and technological frameworks governing travel and tourism
- The social and cultural dimensions of leisure practices under state-socialist and wartime regimes
He combines archival legal analysis with social-historical perspectives, producing both monographs and policy-oriented studies.
Selected Publications & Trends
Across more than fifty scholarly outputs, Štemberk consistently addresses the intersection of law, technology and everyday life. His monographs trace the regulation of motor traffic from the Habsburg Empire through the First Republic to the Protectorate era, while comparative articles illuminate tourism networks in Nazi-dominated Europe. Recent work broadens the lens to post-1945 leisure movements and the environmental implications of mass mobility in Czechoslovakia.
Research Grants & Leadership
- 2018–present: Principal Investigator, Czech Century of Motorism (NAKI II, Ministry of Culture)
- 2016–2018: Co-Investigator, Under the Supervision of the Third Reich: Tourism 1939–1945 (Czech Science Foundation)
- 2015–2017: Research-team member, “Small” and “Big” History of Czech(oslovak) Travel and Tourism (GAČR)
- 2007–2009 & 2005–2007: Earlier GAČR and Ministry of Education projects on tourism limits, regional identity and professional training
Public Engagement
Professor Štemberk frequently contributes to public history initiatives. He has given interviews to Týden magazine and Czech Radio on the history of tourism and road regulations, helping disseminate academic findings to broader audiences.
