Images of the Other in the German Travel Accounts of the 16th and 17th Century

Abstract

This paper points out the image of the Russian in the selected German travel accounts of the 16th and 17th century, through the eyes of the West European well-educated legate seen as a savage, boorish Barbarian. The image of the Russian illustrates the importance of the relationship between the one’s own, civilized (here German) and the other, often barbaric (here Russian) cultural reality.

Key words: Images of the Other / Travel Account / Herberstein, Olearius / Russia of the 16th and 17th Century.