English Translation

34 - 3 - Czechoslovak Republic. The internal division was joined to the external pressure, and it was necessary intrepid and uncompromising men to present the threateningly growing dangers. To them belonged, yes, their leader was Erich Gierach. At all times of its existence, Prague's German Charles University had great national significance, none of which had a greater status than in the two decades i918 - l938; it was at this time one of the most important, of course also one of hotly controversial, most threatened posts of Sudeten German. And this so contested, so threatened position held, to have received German, German to the outside and inward, that is the great merit of precisely also Gierach as a Prague professor. Such attitude had to awaken him opponents, national opponents, political opponents; it is of course that his opponents were all Jews in all facults. Nor can it be denied that he had gegney in the ranks of the German professors, even those of his colleagues who were not on the liberal side; that is understandable with such a sharp personality with such hard edges. But this is not capable of contributing to the weight of the fact that he has consistently and uncompromisingly always stood up for the cleanness of the teaching body, namely the philosophical faculty. Of course, his attitude had the effect that the otherwise so popular turn was not taken into account by him when it was his turn to be elected rector: his election was not to be enforced among those who held it at that time. Even this would make the award of the Ei-chendorff Prize to him as a reparation of an injustice which once occurred to him against all his merit and his importance, as an honorable recognition after undeserved infirmity, appear twice justified. Apart from this motive, however, the proposal to award the Eichendorf Prize to Erich Gierach is in line with the requirements of point 3 of the Foundation's Statute, which requires extraordinary achievements in the popular far-reaching. From the folk studies of the Sudeten Germans, Gierach's name is not to be forgotten, especially because he set it in motion in some respects or yet keeps it going. At the end of the stately volume, a 13-page incomprehensive list of his writings is given. This shows the side-by-sideness of his research and journalistic work in the scientific field, as well as in the national and political fields of struggle, as in intellectual popular struggles (not only in language and poetry science, but also in history). With the beginning of his work after the world wars, it is the Germanic people to whom he turns in many ways and which he treats again and again in the subsequent period. The list includes his work, which is laid down in print; it holds the titles of his great scientific works and editions, such as the extensive manuscript of the Martian Book of the Klosterneuburg or its adaptation of the 12th century. In addition to the titles of his many other treatises and essays, the index also includes the complete dictionary on the works of Hartmann von Aue, which is currently in print. An essay from the year l92o deals with the swastika, another from l938 presents the Germanic in the Sudetenlanden in the National Socialist monthly booklets, another in the "race" the "Germans and Sarmatians on the St. Mark's Column". If one wanted to highlight from the series of his works those, which are especially important for the popular research, then would be among others. from a row of the SudetenGerman local name book founded by him to name the local names of the districts of Frieberg and Reichenberg (l932,1935). - 4: -