Journey from Bohemia to the Holy Land, by way of Venice and the Sea
Encyclopedia
Journey from Bohemia to the Holy Land, by way of Venice and the Sea is a voyages book written by Kryštof Harant
, a Bohemia
n nobleman and published in 1608. The complete title transliterated into modern Czech
is: Cesta z Království Českého do Benátek, odtud do země Svaté, země Judské a dále do Egypta, a potom na horu Oreb, Sinai a Sv. Kateřiny v Pusté Arábii (literally Journey from Bohemia
to Venice
, from here to the Holy Land
, Judea
and to Egypt
, later to Oreb
, Sinai
and St. Catherine mountain
in desert Arabia). The book is probably the first published account of the Near East
by a Czech traveller.
Kryštof Harant z Polžic a Bezdružic (1564–1621) was a renaissance man
with broad range of interests. In year 1598 he went as a pilgrim to the Holy Land
, returning at the beginning of the next year.
The book, written in Czech language and richly illustrated (about 50 woodcut
s by Harant), describes in two parts the travel and the details of visited lands. As a typical example of renaissance
literature it mixes entertainment with knowledge and heavily references religion. Before the journey Harant studied all the available literature describing the region and frequently cites the others in his work. The book gives a very detailed description of religious places and their relation to Christianity, habits of natives and natural and man-made curiosities. It stayed popular for long time and was published last time in year 1854. In 1638 Harant's youngest brother, Jan Jiří, translated the text into German.
and one servant left from Plzeň. On April 19 they arrived to Venice
. Waiting on the ship they visited less expensive Padua
and Ferrara
. On July 12 pilgrims boarded a ship and through the chain of the Greek islands arrived to Jerusalem on September 3. Because Habsburg Empire was at the time in a war with Ottoman Empire
and Harant fought at the war the pilgrims disguised themselves as Italian monks from Venice and later as Polish (both powers being in peace with Ottomans at the time). They visited several locations in Judea and later turned toward Egypt. On October 4 they reached in Cairo
and then visited Sinai peninsula
. When returning Harant was attacked by wandering Arabs who stole everything and stripped him naked. Only by a chance the bandits didn't discover 22 ducat
s, hidden in a coat. From Cairo Harant traveled to Alexandria
and on November 12 boarded a ship back to Venice, with one remaining thaler
and suffering from exhaustion and sickness. The ship arrived to Venice on December 26, 1598 and from here Harant returned to Bohemia.
Kryštof Harant
Kryštof Harant z Polžic a Bezdružic was a Czech nobleman, traveller, humanist, soldier, writer and composer.As a composer he represented the school of Franco-Flemish polyphony in Bohemia...
, a Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
n nobleman and published in 1608. The complete title transliterated into modern Czech
Czech language
Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers; it is the majority language in the Czech Republic and spoken by Czechs worldwide. The language was known as Bohemian in English until the late 19th century...
is: Cesta z Království Českého do Benátek, odtud do země Svaté, země Judské a dále do Egypta, a potom na horu Oreb, Sinai a Sv. Kateřiny v Pusté Arábii (literally Journey from Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
to Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, from here to the Holy Land
Holy Land
The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...
, Judea
Judea
Judea or Judæa was the name of the mountainous southern part of the historic Land of Israel from the 8th century BCE to the 2nd century CE, when Roman Judea was renamed Syria Palaestina following the Jewish Bar Kokhba revolt.-Etymology:The...
and to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, later to Oreb
Oreb
Oreb, a Hebrew Old Testament name meaning raven.By the time of the Judges, the Midianites, led by two princes Oreb and Zeeb were raiding Israel with the use of swift camels, until they were decisively defeated by Gideon. Oreb was slain along with Zeeb...
, Sinai
Sinai Peninsula
The Sinai Peninsula or Sinai is a triangular peninsula in Egypt about in area. It is situated between the Mediterranean Sea to the north, and the Red Sea to the south, and is the only part of Egyptian territory located in Asia as opposed to Africa, effectively serving as a land bridge between two...
and St. Catherine mountain
Saint Catherine's Monastery, Mount Sinai
Saint Catherine's Monastery lies on the Sinai Peninsula, at the mouth of a gorge at the foot of Mount Sinai in the city of Saint Catherine in Egypt's South Sinai Governorate. The monastery is Orthodox and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site...
in desert Arabia). The book is probably the first published account of the Near East
Near East
The Near East is a geographical term that covers different countries for geographers, archeologists, and historians, on the one hand, and for political scientists, economists, and journalists, on the other...
by a Czech traveller.
Kryštof Harant z Polžic a Bezdružic (1564–1621) was a renaissance man
Polymath
A polymath is a person whose expertise spans a significant number of different subject areas. In less formal terms, a polymath may simply be someone who is very knowledgeable...
with broad range of interests. In year 1598 he went as a pilgrim to the Holy Land
Holy Land
The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...
, returning at the beginning of the next year.
The book, written in Czech language and richly illustrated (about 50 woodcut
Woodcut
Woodcut—occasionally known as xylography—is a relief printing artistic technique in printmaking in which an image is carved into the surface of a block of wood, with the printing parts remaining level with the surface while the non-printing parts are removed, typically with gouges...
s by Harant), describes in two parts the travel and the details of visited lands. As a typical example of renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
literature it mixes entertainment with knowledge and heavily references religion. Before the journey Harant studied all the available literature describing the region and frequently cites the others in his work. The book gives a very detailed description of religious places and their relation to Christianity, habits of natives and natural and man-made curiosities. It stayed popular for long time and was published last time in year 1854. In 1638 Harant's youngest brother, Jan Jiří, translated the text into German.
The journey
The journey commenced on April 2, 1598 when Harant, Count Hermann Czernin von und zu ChudenitzCzernin von und zu Chudenitz
The Czernin family is one of the oldest and most important dynasties originating in Bohemia, present-day Czech Republic.- History :The family is descended from the clan of "Drslavice", like several other Bohemian families. The first known bearer of the family name was "Comes" and Camerarius regis ...
and one servant left from Plzeň. On April 19 they arrived to Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
. Waiting on the ship they visited less expensive Padua
Padua
Padua is a city and comune in the Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Padua and the economic and communications hub of the area. Padua's population is 212,500 . The city is sometimes included, with Venice and Treviso, in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area, having...
and Ferrara
Ferrara
Ferrara is a city and comune in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital city of the Province of Ferrara. It is situated 50 km north-northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream of the Po River, located 5 km north...
. On July 12 pilgrims boarded a ship and through the chain of the Greek islands arrived to Jerusalem on September 3. Because Habsburg Empire was at the time in a war with Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
and Harant fought at the war the pilgrims disguised themselves as Italian monks from Venice and later as Polish (both powers being in peace with Ottomans at the time). They visited several locations in Judea and later turned toward Egypt. On October 4 they reached in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
and then visited Sinai peninsula
Sinai Peninsula
The Sinai Peninsula or Sinai is a triangular peninsula in Egypt about in area. It is situated between the Mediterranean Sea to the north, and the Red Sea to the south, and is the only part of Egyptian territory located in Asia as opposed to Africa, effectively serving as a land bridge between two...
. When returning Harant was attacked by wandering Arabs who stole everything and stripped him naked. Only by a chance the bandits didn't discover 22 ducat
Ducat
The ducat is a gold coin that was used as a trade coin throughout Europe before World War I. Its weight is 3.4909 grams of .986 gold, which is 0.1107 troy ounce, actual gold weight...
s, hidden in a coat. From Cairo Harant traveled to Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
and on November 12 boarded a ship back to Venice, with one remaining thaler
Thaler
The Thaler was a silver coin used throughout Europe for almost four hundred years. Its name lives on in various currencies as the dollar or tolar. Etymologically, "Thaler" is an abbreviation of "Joachimsthaler", a coin type from the city of Joachimsthal in Bohemia, where some of the first such...
and suffering from exhaustion and sickness. The ship arrived to Venice on December 26, 1598 and from here Harant returned to Bohemia.
Literature
- Marie Koldinská: Kryštof Harant z Polžic a Bezdružic: Cesta intelektuála k popravišti (Path of intellectual to the gallows), 2004, ISBN 8071855375. The book tries to reconstruct the details of the voyage.