Harmonious Arcadia or Black Country? Industrialization of 19th Century Moravia and Silesia in Visual Culture
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| Year of publication | 2023 |
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| Description | In the 19th century, parts of Central Europe witnessed a massive onset of industrialisation. The foundations of this boom were laid in the first half of the century, but the gears of industrial companies were set in motion at the end of the century. Moravia and Silesia became the leading regions of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in terms of coal, cast iron, steel and engineering products production. The coal region on the border of these two provinces witnessed a dramatic transformation of the landscape associated with massive urbanisation, changing demographics and social structures. This paper aims to question how the transformation of the formerly sleepy rural province into a black land of mining towers, heaps and smoking chimneys was mirrored in various visual and written media. How the representation of the industrial companies or their owners differed from the view of the bourgeoisie, and perhaps we can at least suggest how industrialisation was inscribed in the visual context of those who experienced it most harshly - the workers themselves. |
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