A SHORT REVIEW OF THE FACULTY'S POSTWAR HISTORY

FOCUSING ON THE DEPARTMENT OF THE ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD

After the WWII the school restored its activity in the same way as it functioned before the occupation. At that time the electrical engineering studies were conducted at the University of Civil and Electrical Engineering. Due to a reform the electrical engineering studies became an independent field in 1947, but it was not until the September of 1950 that an independent College of electrical engineering is established. After some changes in its organization in October 1951, the school was officially named The Faculty of Electrical Engineering of the Czech Technical University in Prague.

Over the years the organization of studies was always a subject of changes, which were caused by both inner and outer factors. The inner factors were represented mostly by school's attempt to raise its standards of education, a process sometimes accompanied by enforcing personal ideas of some extra strong individuals. As for the outer factors of the changes, these were mostly the regulations coming from the Ministry of Education. At that time education was constantly being changed by the work of the so-called National Transformation Committees

The Department of the Electromagnetic Field was established in 1971 by merging a part of the Department of the Theoretical Electrical Engineering and the Department of the Electromagnetic Wave Transmission. Another part of the Department of the Theoretical Electrical Engineering was transformed into the Department of Electrical Measuring and part of the faculty joined the newly formed Department of the Circuit Theory.

Organization of Radio-technical Studies has gone through some major changes. The Radio-technical Institute, supervised by professor Stránský was located on the 1st floor of the former German technical school on Husova street No.5. Unfortunately, after the war the Institute had to start with basically no equipment, since the Germans had taken all the best machines with them before the end of the war. However, during the following years the education plan was restored so it could be conducted as it was in the prewar era, including a two-semester extension for radio-technical studies, basically a form of postgraduate studies. In 1951 The Radio-technical Institute suffered after an unqualified decision of the state authorities, that the radio-technical studies should be moved from Prague to Brno to a newly established Military Technical Academy. Although the school administration eventually succeeded in keeping the Radio-technical studies in Prague, professor Stránský who was in charge of building of a radio-technical department in Brno, had to give lectures there as well.

As early as in 1952 the Ministry of Education decided to restore the Radio-technical studies in Prague in much wider range. The following three special fields of studies were about to be introduced: General radio-technical studies, Radiolocation and vacuum technical studies. The problem was that the Czech Technical University did not have enough space for realization of such an extensive project. As it was impossible to find any suitable location in Prague, the Poděbrady castle was picked to be a home for the new independent Faculty of low-tension electrical technology of the Czech Technical University. High frequency electrical technology, radiolocation and operation of radio-electric devices were the three special fields assigned to the Poděbrady faculty during the 1954 national reform of educational plans of studies and special fields. For that reason the faculty was later called the Faculty of Radio-technology. Vacuum technology was moved to Bratislava. The faculty in Poděbrady consisted of two radio-technical departments: Department of General Radio-technology (the head: Doc. Eichler) and Department of applied Radio-technology (the head: doc. Forejt).

While the faculty in Poděbrady started with the first year program, the additional years of the aforementioned fields were still taught in Prague. The department in charge of these studies, which was established in 1954 and lead by professor Stránský, was Department of communication high frequency electrical technology.

New laboratory equipment had to be provided for the department as most of the old machines were moved to Brno. In the summer of 1957 the activity of the Department of communication high frequency electrical technology was finished in Prague. At that time the first students were entering the special fields of studies in Poděbrady. (The first Poděbrady graduates finished their studies in 1958). Professor Stránský's department was changed into an Institute of Radio-technology, which was incorporated into the Department of General Radio-technology in Poděbrady in October 1958. This lasted until the October 1962, when a detached department was built in Prague as a part of Poděbrady root Department of General Radio-technology. Professor Stránský remained as the head of the detached department. In the meantime, during the national reform of the university network in 1959, Poděbrady Faculty of Radio-technology was cancelled and incorporated into the Faculty of Electrical Technology in Prague.

After the construction of the new B2 building in Prague-Dejvice was finished (1964), the Poděbrady departments could be moved to Prague. A process of reorganization came along and the detached Department of General Radio-technology in Prague was changed into the Department of Theoretical Radio-technology (the head: Prof. Stránský). The structure of the Department of General Radio-technology was also changed and the department was renamed the Department of Radio-electronic devices (the head: doc. Eichler). The Department of Applied Radio-technology retained its title (the head: doc. Svárovský).

In 1966 professor Bohumil Kvasil came to the faculty and together with him came another change in the organization of the radio-technology departments. The Department of Radio-electronic devices is cancelled and the Department of Applied Radio-technology is divided into three relatively independent cabinets:

• kabinet radioelektronických zařízení (the head: doc. Eichler)
• kabinet radioelektronických soustav (the head: doc. Svárovský)
• kabinet elektromagnetických vln (the head: doc. Tysl)

The school year 1969-70 brings another reorganization of departments. The newly established departments in the Radio-technical field are:

• katedra základů elektroniky (the head: doc. Donocik)
• katedra šíření elektromagnetických vln (the head: prof. B. Kvasil)
• katedra radioelektronických systémů (the head: doc. Svárovský)
• katedra radioelektronických zařízení (the head: doc. Eichler)
• katedra zvukové techniky a vibrací (the head: prof. Merhaut). Teaching of television included.

In the school year 1971-72 the Departments of Theoretical Electrical Technology and Electromagnetic Wave Transmission were cancelled and the following departments were introduced:

• katedra elektromagnetického pole (the head: prof. Haňka)
• katedra měření (the head: prof. Fajt) a
• katedra teorie obvodů (the head: prof. J. Kvasil).

Due to his age, professor Haňka, the head of the department, retired in the school year 1974-75. Professor Tysl became the new head of the Department of the Electromagnetic Field, who resigned for the same reason as his predecessor in 1986.The next head of the department was professor Prokop. Unfortunately, his career ended as early as 1991 when he unexpectedly passed away. In 1991, doc. Novotný became the head of the department. He stayed in the position until 1997, when he retired. Since 1997 the head of the department is doc. Miloš Mazánek.

Many thanks to professor Tysl, the author of this historical overview.