Krkonoše byly a stále zůstávají velkým fotografickým tématem. Fotografie Krkonoš patří k těm nejstarším v historii fotografie v českých zemích, neboť vedle Prahy a lázeňských měst Karlových Var a Teplic byly právě Krkonoše tím regionem, na který fotografové soustřeďovali svou značnou pozornost. Zároveň je pro středoevropský prostor typické, že se jednalo jak o fotografy mluvící česky, tak německy. Naše kniha chce upozornit na počátky fotografování v Krkonoších, tedy i na dobu před rozmachem pohlednice a amatérské fotografie, a uvádí vedle sebe nejvýznamnější autory české i slezské, a to až do roku 1918. Kniha se snaží zachytit také vývoj v přístupu fotografů. Je tedy knihou o fotografech a fotografování, nikoli pouze o místopisu Krkonoš.
Kniha obsahuje český, anglický a německý text.
Krkonoše in the oldest photographs
Krkonoše have been and still remain a sizeable photographic subject. Photographs of Krkonoše belong to the oldest ones in the history of photography in the Czech lands, because next region where photographers concentrated their considerable interest. In addion, as is so typical for the Central Europen territory, they were photographers who spoke not only Czech but also German.
As result of an encounter of various photographic influences are Krkonoše very interesting from the historical perspective and deserve a first-rate attention in our intended edition. A book, containing 62 photographs from the period lasting almost half a century, has to be in a first place an inspiration for further more comlex exploration and for a search of other photographic evidence. Let´s remind ourselves that a charming book Album from old Krkonoše from 1982 brought many unique views, especially of an amateur character and from the times when photography was becoming a hobby. Missing are however not only references of Silesian or German authors, but also about the first great Czech authors – J. Eckert, J. Langhans or F. Krátký, who photographed Krkonoše already during the eighties of the 19th century. From another point of view perceives the pictorial testimony from the highest Czech mountains Album from old Krkonoše postcards, published in 1999. Our book has a different aim than both of the Czech publications mentioned: it wants to show the beginnings of photography in Krkonoše, therefore also in the time before the expansion of postcards and amateur photography and wants to introduce both the most significant Czech and Silesian authors, and from the period before 1918. At the same time it wants to point out the development in the photographers´approach. It is therefore a book about photographers and photographing, not only about the Krkonoše scenery.