Krátká zpráva o cestě Šimona Aloise Tudecia de Monte Galea (2025)

This Czech-language book presents the travel memoir of Šimon Alois Tudecius de Monte Galea (c. 1633–1700), a respected university dean, researcher and physician. More than three centuries ago, before completing his studies, Tudecius spent over two years as a volunteer in the papal fleet and later served as a nobleman’s tutor during journeys through the Italian peninsula. He recorded these adventurous experiences in almost sixty pages of a small notebook originally intended for the statutes of the Medical Faculty of Charles-Ferdinand University. His engaging account is difficult to classify and highly unusual among travel writings of its period, particularly because an author from inland Europe describes a sea voyage through exotic surroundings. Tudecius recounts numerous subjects and experiences, from the ports of southern Spain to the turbulent, sunlit shores of the Dardanelles. He also explains where and when he first conceived the idea of studying medicine and describes his early encounters with problems that he later examined more deeply in his research. Filled with suspense and danger, the text resembles an adventure novel and does not lack a happy ending.