"The stretch of road from Mainz to Oppenheim is the one that suits my taste best." Mobility and its Significance in the Lives of the Elite, as Exemplified by Count Franz Joseph of Zierotin's Journey to Frankfurt am Main in 1790

Bibliographic Data

ID21808780
AuthorsIlona Matejko-Peterka (corresponding author)
Year2026
Volume26
Issue2
Pages336-357
Publication date2026-03-28
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueOpera Historica (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1805-790X • E-ISSN: 2694-720X
PublisherUniversity of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice (PUBLISHER • CZ)
DOI10.32725/oph.2025.014
OpenAlexW7141226835
LanguageEN
References cited4

The article aims to shed light – through an analysis of the travel diary of Count Franz Joseph of Zierotin to Frankfurt am Main in 1790, whose main purpose was to participate in the coronation of Leopold II as Holy Roman Emperor – on the issue of travel by the nobility during this period and the impact of this mobility on their lives. After a brief outline of this nobleman’s profile and a characterization of his travel diary in terms of its cognitive value, the main focus is placed on educational strategies and ways of gaining life experience by young members of the nobility through traveling. As the research conducted demonstrates, the journey undertaken by Franz Joseph of Zierotin in 1790 was an important element of his educational process. It not only enabled him to acquire new knowledge and practical life experience but also served to develop his aesthetic and social sensitivity and build a network of social contacts. Addressing this topic thus allows, on the one hand, a reconstruction of this nobleman’s interests and way of perceiving reality, serving as a micro-probe into the mentality of people of that time, and, on the other hand, to show the impact of traveling on his education and life experience

Criticism · Taste · Central European and Russian historical studies · Central European national history · European Political History Analysis

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access