THE CZECH DIASPORA IN ST. PETERSBURG AT THE TURN OF THE 19th – 20th CENTURIES: A STATISTICAL OVERVIEW

Abstract

The article analyzes the problem of resettlement of Czechs to the Russian capital in the pre-revolutionary period. On the basis of published sources and archival materials, the author shows the process of formation of the Czech diaspora in St. Petersburg and its place among other immigrant communities. The study shows a gradual and steady growth of this diaspora, which from 1869 to 1910 got 5.5 times bigger. On the eve of the First World War, every fourth Austro-Hungarian citizen who lived in this city was Czech. Most of the immigrants stayed there for a long time, which shows the permanent composition of the resettlement community. For the first time, the demographic, gender and socio-professional structure of the Czech resettlement community in the city on the Neva is considered in detail. The predominance of people of working age among the migrants, mainly young, was established, which indicated the labor nature of Czech immigration. This was also evidenced by gender disparities, which consisted in a noticeable excess of the number of men over the number of women. On the basis of population censuses, the socioprofessional composition of the Czech community in St. Petersburg was determined. Czechs acted primarily as qualified specialists and skilled workers. Most of them were employed in industrial and craft enterprises - as technicians, engineers, qualified specialists and office workers, some Czechs were owners and managers of those enterprises. A number of Czechs were employed in trade and services. Separate groups of immigrants were teachers, musicians and artists. The permanent nature of the residence of Czechs in St. Petersburg and the steady growth of their number testified to their successful adaptation. This was also facilitated by the activities of the Czech Auxiliary Union, which played the role of the organizational center of the Czech diaspora. The successful integration of Czechs into Russian society was evidenced by numerous facts of their transfer to Russian citizenship and the acceptance of Orthodoxy. However, the majority of immigrants, for various reasons, retained their former citizenship and religion.