Mlynář Martin Fiala jinak Kocour – Smolová Věra (2021)

Mapping the previously unknown history of Příbram and its surroundings based on the study of preserved archival sources, focusing on crafts, culture, economy, the architectural development of the town of Příbram, mining and processing of silver and iron ore, the course and consequences of two plague epidemics in 1680/81 and 1713/14, military conflicts with the Turks, struggles with water shortages, the history of milling and mills around Příbram, the history and management in Brdy, the lives of burghers, serfs, and nobility, and the construction and functioning of the Holy Mountain. The memoirs are narrated by the Baroque free miller Martin Fiala, also known as Kocour, who lived from 1652 to 1722, and about whom an extraordinary amount of documents has survived due to his tumultuous fate. The book introduces readers to the development and life of Czech society after the Thirty Years' War, specifically after the Battle of White Mountain, which recently marked its 400th anniversary. The Baroque era significantly influenced culture and shaped the landscape in which we still live, often without realizing it.