Sigrid Novak

My Travels 1805-1812: Travel Journal of the Clothshearer Johann David Scholtz Sigrid Novak

My Travels 1805-1812, is the authentic chronicle of a Prussian journeyman who crisscrossed Europe on foot during the turbulent years of the Napoleonic Wars: from Berlin to Budapest, from Paris to Venice. In vivid accounts the young craftsman portrays the lives and customs of common folks and his experiences among them. With the support of a Fulbright grant Dr. Sigrid Novak researched the manuscript, annotated it, added illustrations and 7 maps; as well as three pertinent essays: 1. Guilds, their history and social importance; 2. Clothshearing: a very ancient craft; 3. Wanderschaft: the obligatory Foot Journey. Drs. Richey and Sigrid Novak collaborated on the English translation of the German manuscript. The journal by Johann David Scholtz was written during his journeyman years as a clothshearer and records his six-year foot journey throughout Central Europe. The document offers unique insights not only into the personal and professional progress of an extraordinary young craftsman. It also presents an authentic depiction of daily life and the living conditions of common men and women during a critical period in Central European history. This remarkable journey took place during the Napoleonic Wars and describes not only the many hardships created by these for the journeyman, but it also records the often devastating effects of war on towns and on common folks. These reports are noteworthy because they challenge the traditional view of history, which focuses mostly on major political events, on kings and on battles, victors and vanquished. For some 500 years the world of skilled labor was organized throughout Europe by powerful guilds, which determined most aspects of an artisan's life. A craftman's social station depended on his level of training: he started as an apprentice, then became a journeyman and finally could qualify himself as a master craftsman. As the name implies, the "journeyman" had to leave his hometown and journey and work for several years abro