Vydavateľstvo Obzor

Vydavateľstvo Obzor (also known as Vydavatelství Obzor, národní podnik) was a significant Slovak publishing house based in Bratislava. It operated from 1965 to 2005, and its name was standardized as Vydavatelství Obzor, národní podnik in 1968; between 1965 and 1968 it was called Obzor, vydavatelství knih a časopisů, n. p. The publisher was a state enterprise of socialist Czechoslovakia and played a central role in producing encyclopedic, popular-science, legal, educational-political, art-science and regional literature, as well as publications for the Union of Czechoslovak-Soviet Friendship (SČSP). Around 1980, Obzor published roughly 100 book titles per year with a total print run of about one million copies, 47 magazines covering all fields (about 20 million copies annually) and two daily newspapers. Its book output included classic field encyclopedias such as the Malé encyklopédie Vydavateľstva Obzor (from 1967) and the Encyklopédie Vydavateľstva Obzor (from 1983), the popular-science series Malá moderná encyklopédia (from 1958, originally under Osvěta, until 1991), the Encyklopédia osvetového pracovníka (1972–1989), nature atlases, monographs on world states, synthetic works on Slovak history and culture, practical illustrated family books, legal literature, regional publications about Bratislava and the Western Slovak region, calendars, non-fiction series such as Periskop, Postavy a osudy, Svetom and Dukla, and fiction in the Jantár series (Soviet authors, in cooperation with SČSP). Its periodical portfolio included the dailies Ľud and Sloboda, the encyclopedic magazine Pyramída, popular magazines such as Svet socializmu, Výber, Zdravie, Populár, Príroda a spoločnosť, Lišiak, Horizont, Film a divadlo and Eva, specialized journals such as Biochémia clinica bohemoslovaca, Lekársky obzor, Osveta, Farmaceutický obzor, Naše liečivé rastliny, KOZMOS, Otázky žurnalistiky, Poľovníctvo a rybárstvo, Rehabilitácia and Ropa a uhlie, as well as Hungarian-language magazines including Hét, Népegészég, Népmüvelés, Szovjetbarát, Természet és társadalom and Tüzoltó. The history of the enterprise is tied to the earlier Vydavatelství Osvěta: in 1959 part of Osvěta was moved from Martin to Bratislava, and this Bratislava branch eventually became the independent Obzor publishing house in 1965. After the fall of communism and the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, the state publishing model changed, and Obzor ceased operations in 2005. Today the name survives in the commercial register as Vydavateľstvo Obzor, s. r. o., listed in online business directories.

The origins of Vydavateľstvo Obzor lie in the state publishing system of post-war Czechoslovakia. In 1959, part of the Vydavatelství Osvěta (Osvěta Publishing House) was relocated from Martin to Bratislava. This Bratislava branch initially continued under the Osvěta name, publishing titles such as the Malá moderná encyklopédia series from 1958, Dejiny slovenskej literatúry (1962, 1964, 1984), Dejiny svetovej literatúry (1963) and Súpis pamiatok na Slovensku (1967–1969). In 1965, the Bratislava operation became an independent state enterprise under the name Obzor, vydavatelství knih a časopisů, n. p. (Obzor, publisher of books and magazines). In 1968 the name was standardized as Vydavatelství Obzor, národní podnik. The publisher was based in Bratislava and operated as a national enterprise within socialist Czechoslovakia, closely tied to the ideological and educational goals of the state, including cooperation with the Union of Czechoslovak-Soviet Friendship (SČSP). Obzor developed a broad and structured publishing program. From 1967 it issued the Malé encyklopédie Vydavateľstva Obzor (small field encyclopedias in chemistry, physics, biology, mathematics, health and other subjects). From 1983 it added the larger Encyklopédie Vydavateľstva Obzor, covering topics such as the Earth, Slovak writers, archaeology and astronomy. The popular-science series Malá moderná encyklopédia, begun in 1958 under Osvěta, continued under Obzor until 1991. The Encyklopédia osvetového pracovníka (1972–1989) served adult education and cultural enlightenment workers, produced with the Osvětový ústav and the Research Institute of Culture. Other notable series included Obrázky z prírody (nature atlases and illustrated guides), Svet v kocke (monographs on world states), Populárne monografie (synthetic works on Slovak history, nature, people and culture, including the multi-part Slovensko), Rodina a spoločnosť (practical illustrated family books), the unfinished Ako to bolo series on Slovak history, legal editions Zákonníky, Vysokoškolské učebnice and Právo a spoločnosť, regional editions Fontes (on Bratislava) and Náš kraj (on the Western Slovak region), and calendars such as Kultúrnopolitický kalendár and Priateľ rodiny. Non-fiction series included Periskop (from 1967), Postavy a osudy (biographies, from the early 1970s), Svetom (travelogues) and Dukla (anti-war works with the Slovak Union of Anti-Fascist Fighters). Fiction was published in the Jantár series, featuring Soviet authors, in cooperation with SČSP. In the periodical field, Obzor published the dailies Ľud and Sloboda and a wide range of magazines: the encyclopedic Pyramída; popular titles such as Svet socializmu, Výber, Zdravie, Populár, Príroda a spoločnosť, Lišiak, Horizont, Film a divadlo and Eva; specialized journals including Biochémia clinica bohemoslovaca, Lekársky obzor, Osveta, Farmaceutický obzor, Naše liečivé rastliny, KOZMOS, Otázky žurnalistiky, Poľovníctvo a rybárstvo, Rehabilitácia and Ropa a uhlie; and Hungarian-language magazines Hét, Népegészég, Népmüvelés, Szovjetbarát, Természet és társadalom and Tüzoltó. Around 1980, at its peak, Obzor was producing approximately 100 book titles per year (about 1 million copies), 47 magazines (about 20 million copies annually) and two dailies. After the Velvet Revolution of 1989 and the subsequent dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993, the state publishing system was dismantled and publishing shifted to a market model. Obzor continued for a time but eventually ceased operations in 2005. The name later appeared in the commercial register as Vydavateľstvo Obzor, s. r. o., a successor or similarly named private company listed in online directories.

• 2005

  Vydavateľstvo Obzor ceased operations.

• 1991

  Malá moderná encyklopédia series ended.

• 1983

  Launch of Encyklopédie Vydavateľstva Obzor series.

• 1972

  Start of Encyklopédia osvetového pracovníka series (until 1989).

• 1968

  Name standardized as Vydavatelství Obzor, národní podnik.

• 1967

  Launch of Malé encyklopédie Vydavateľstva Obzor series.

• 1965

  Bratislava branch became independent state enterprise Obzor, vydavatelství knih a časopisů, n. p.

• 1959

  Part of Vydavatelství Osvěta moved from Martin to Bratislava.

State publishing house for encyclopedic, educational and popular-science literature in socialist Slovakia.

• 1967

  Malé encyklopédie Vydavateľstva Obzor

• 1983

  Encyklopédie Vydavateľstva Obzor

• 1958

  Malá moderná encyklopédia

• 1972

  Encyklopédia osvetového pracovníka

• Pyramída magazine

• Ľud daily

• Sloboda daily

1. 1Vydavateľstvo Obzor – Wikidatawikidata.org
2. 2Vydavateľstvo Obzor – Czech Wikipediacs.wikipedia.org
3. 3Vydavateľstvo Obzorcs.wikipedia.org