Abstract
Th e use of long-term homogeneous climatological series is a necessary assumption for the correct analysis of climate variability in the period of instrumental observations. Great attention has been devoted to analysis of long-term series in the Czech Lands (mainly Prague-Klementinum and Brno), but the majority of them are based on data that have not previously been homogenised.
Instrumental meteorological measurements in the Czech Lands have quite a long tradition, beginning with measurements taken by Johann Karl Rost at Zákupy in the years 1719-1720 and continuing with measurements by Josef Stepling in Klementinum in the year 1752 and František Alois Mag of Magg in Telè in the 1771-1775 period, bringing the process to the point of continuous systematic measurements in Prague-Klementinum, which started in 1775. Klementinum played an important role as a scientifi c centre in the further development of meteorology in Bohemia, and more early instrumental measurements from various places added to its work at the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century, allowing compilation of long-term observation series of air temperature and precipitation for several selected stations.
The I. R.
Patriotic-Economic Society in Bohemia and the I. R.
Moravian-Silesian Economic Society also made signifi cant contributions to the development of meteorological observations in the fi rst half of the 19th century.