Centre for Legal History Studies

Activities of the Centre

A joint undertaking of the Institute of History of the Czech Academy of Sciences and the Faculty of Law of Charles University, the Centre for Legal History Studies, which commenced its activities on 1 January 2007, specializes in research on the history of constitutional law and dissemination of relevant sources. The core work published by the centre is entitled Zápisy ze schůzí československé vlády v Londýně 1940–1945 [Meeting Minutes of the Czechoslovak Government in London 1940–1945], an extensive project begun in 2008 and completed in 2016 that oversaw the publication of five parts in seven volumes spanning approximately 5,000 pages. A critical edition presenting important sources has been published – 185 stenographic records from meetings of the Czechoslovak government in exile in London complete with accompanying documents that shed light on current topics important for research on international relations and Czechoslovak political, economic, social, and cultural history. Work is underway on a book series entitled Dokumenty československé zahraniční politiky 1938–1945 [Documents of Czechoslovak Foreign Policy 1938–1945]. The centre also publishes memoirs of prominent politicians, lawyers, and diplomats (a multivolume memoir of Juraj Slávik is currently being prepared) as well as books in other series. In addition to these activities, the centre publishes syntheses examining key questions in the legal history of Czechoslovakia and Europe. It also devoted much attention to events organized on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the founding of Czechoslovakia and played an important role in 2020 in preparing a conference, held in the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, on the creation of the Czechoslovak Constitution of 1920.

Centre for Legal History Studies / Faculty of Law, Charles University (cuni.cz)

Director

Prof. JUDr. Jan Kuklík, DrSc. (Faculty of Law, Charles University)

Deputy director

doc. PhDr. Jan Němeček, DrSc.

Contact address

Institute of History of the Czech Academy of Sciences
Prosecká 809/76
190 00 Praha 9
email: nemecek@hiu.cas.cz

Collaborators

doc. Mgr. Jaroslav Šebek, Ph.D. (Institute of History, Czech Academy of Sciences)