Acoustics, particularly as a branch of physics, has long attracted high interest in Bohemia and Moravia, and later in independent Czechoslovakia. Among the many examples, let us mention the inventions of Prof. Strouhal, though his relation to the Czech lands is to the rest of the world. Many of the well known results of Prof. Doppler originated on our territory as well. This tradition was further developed by Prof. Slavik in his activities in the Physical Institute of the Charles University in the thirties and in Physical Institute of SKODA Works where he worked after the Nazi’s closure of Czech universities on 17th of November 1939. His theoretical results in physical acoustics have been applied in many actual realisations.
Appointed professor of the Czech Technical University in Prague (CVUT) and the head of the Department of Physics at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering after the 2nd World War, Prof. J.B. Slavík established a centre for the development of acoustics as a science-profession and a vital centre for the education of acoustic experts. Among his previous assistants (and later important researchers at various institutions) number Prof. O. Taraba and Prof. Jiri Tichy (at present professor of the State University of Pennsylvania and ASA president in 1994-95), and later Dr. Ing. J. Nemec (State Research Institute for Machine Construction), Assc. Prof. V. Chalupova (CVUT, Faculty of Electrical Engineering) and Dr. P. Urban (Motor Vehicle Research Institute). A further centre of acoustic science and research originated in 1949 in the Research Institute of Sound, Visual and Reproduction Technology particularly in the domain of room acoustics, under Prof. F. Kolmer, in the National Research Institute for Machine Design, under Dr. J. Nemec, in the Research Institute for Building Construction under Dr. K. Mouric and others. It speaks to the extreme credit of Prof. Slavik that he was able to interconnect, assist and influence the scientific capacity of all these areas of acoustics. Each of the previously-mentioned acoustic experts was a graduate of Prof. Slavik’s department, and each greatly valued the Department of Physics as his Alma mater. Excellent cases of mutual collaboration include the co-operation of physical acoustic experts with otorhinolaryngology experts associated with Prof. K. Sedlacek and with hygiene experts associated with Prof. J. Havranek, who was active in the hygienic and social aspects of acoustics.
Electro-acoustics began to develop separately under Prof. Strnad in the city of Brno. Later, in the sixties, a Department of Electro-acoustics was established at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of the Czech Technical University in Prague, under the management of Prof. Josef Merhaut. Substantial influence was maintained by his predecessor Prof. Z. Holub and his collaborators Prof. Z. Skvor and Assc. Prof. K. Dusek.
Since the fifties, Czech acoustics lacked a formal independent organisational centre. Whereas in most countries such centres developed as acoustic societies, in the communist countries the organisations only appeared, at a later date, as commissions of the Academies of Science. In the former Czechoslovakia, an Acoustic Commission originated in 1959 under the presidium of the Czechoslovak Academy of Science. Later, an Electro-Acoustic Commission was also formed. The very first chairman of the Acoustic Commission became Prof. J. B. Slavik, and after his death in 1963 was succeeded by Prof. F. Kolmer. The chairman of the Electro-Acoustic Commission became Prof. Strnad, and after his death Prof. J. Merhaut. In the sixties, both commissions fused and the united Acoustic Commission established sub-commissions for electro-acoustics, ultra-sound, engineering acoustic, psycho-acoustics and physiologic acoustics (including acoustics of music and speech).
The main task of the Acoustic Commission was to support of science and engineering and represent Czech acoustics in the international field. During the years of its activity, the Acoustic Commission organised co-operation with the Czechoslovak Science and Engineering Society (see below). Thirty acoustic conferences with international participation extended the number of acoustic experts around Prof. Slavik and Prof. Merhaut to some 400 specialists active in many Czechoslovak organisations and made the Acoustic Commission a worthy partner for other acoustic societies and international organisations.
In 1960, a Committee for Environmental Technology at the Czechoslovak Science and Engineering Society was established, bringing together most of the cca. 400 acoustic experts active in state and industrial research and development organisations. In this commission, the acoustic experts organised training for new engineers and seminars for experienced experts.
The Czechoslovak Acoustic Society was established in 1990, consisting of most of the acoustic experts previously organised in the Czechoslovak Science and Engineering Society. The Czechoslovak Academy of Science was throughly reorganised aftef the dissolution of Czechoslovakia into independent states. At the end of 1992 the Acoustic Commission was transferred from the Academy to the newly-established Czech Acoustic Society. The Czech Acoustic Society has henceforth assumed and met all the international obligations of the former Acoustic Commission.