Few researchers are as fortunate as those for whom half the work has already been done by diligent predecessors. In the investigation into Prince Schwarzenberg’s death, an official commission was established, whose efforts proved remarkably thorough. I have become acquainted with its original materials only through reliable secondary sources, yet the information they convey is consistent, internally coherent, and perfectly aligned with other documents and testimonies. Altogether, they bear the stamp of careful and trustworthy scholarship.
One telling example is the sketch of the shooting site – a precise, detailed, and beautifully proportioned drawing that corresponds perfectly with the map of Brandeis Castle discussed in the previous chapter. Its accuracy leaves little doubt that the commission went beyond merely questioning eyewitnesses; at least some of its members must have examined the site in person.
I find it fascinating that the main landmarks shown on both the map and the sketch – the castle, the bridge across the River Elbe, and the Church of St Wenceslaus – still stand today. To trace them in the modern townscape of Brandýs nad Labem is an added pleasure, bridging past and present in a most tangible way.
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Solid points all around.