How did historian František Palacký influence thinking about Czech and Czechoslovak history? Can traces of this outlook also be found in Václav Havel? How have ideas about the meaning of history taken shape and evolved under various political regimes? These and other questions will be addressed in a debate among three professors held in connection with the 150th anniversary of the death of “father of the nation” Palacký. 

Miroslav Bednář, Petr Čornej and Milan Hlavačka will take part in the discussion, which will be helmed by historian Michal Macháček. 

The Václav Havel Library and the Faculty of Architecture of the Czech Technical University in Prague have decided to commemorate the unique period of architectural changes and the return of culture to Prague Castle during the presidency of Václav Havel. We have invited personalities who were involved in these changes to varying degrees, and who can comment on them from a professional perspective, to participate in a series of discussions.  

Josef Pleskot, Jaroslav Zima and Ivo Koukol will participate in this edition, helmed by Jana Tichá. 

A two-day Vaclav Havel Library arts marathon featuring workshops, discussions, film…

“Today’s political situation in Slovakia is in some respects similar to conditions during so-called normalisation. People are punished for critical opinions, the rule of law is trampled underfoot...,” says one-time dissident Miroslav Lehký. 

Lehký was born in May 1947 in Brno, but grew up in and lived in Bratislava. He began studying theology in 1968 but was forced to leave due to political interference. He made a living as a programmer, was active in publishing samizdat and organising the underground university and signed Charter 77 (from January 1990 he was one of its spokespersons). After the revolution he worked at the Office for the Documentation and Investigation of the Crimes of Communism, co-founded Slovakia’s Nation’s Memory Institute and worked at the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes. 

The author presents her book Nakam, which focuses on a group of Holocaust survivors led by the poet and resistance fighter Abba Kovner. This organization of “Avengers” (Nokmim) consisted of about fifty young men and women who, after World War II, planned a revenge for the Holocaust. The book is the result of the author’s many years of research, during which she comprehensively documented the group’s activities for the first time.

Reading is not an escape from the world, but a way to understand it. It develops our imagination, ability to concentrate, critical thinking and empathy – skills that are essential to a democratic society. 

How does reading help us understand others, form our own opinions and guard against oversimplification or misinformation? What are the latest findings from research in this area? And why are new reading communities emerging in the age of social media and artificial intelligence?  

Discussion featuring editors from the weekly Respekt and their guests. For more details visit www.vaclavhavel.cz prior to the event.

The Babiš coalition government is systematically attacking public and independent media, non-governmental organisations and civil society. In these times of geopolitical turmoil, this is undermining the country’s ability to defend itself while  giving its supporters a false image of stability. A recent mass demonstration at Prague’s Letná, organized by Million Moments for Democracy, came in response to the ongoing destruction of political culture and democracy. What state are democratic political parties in? What needs to be done to revive them? How does civil society function here? Is it heading toward rebirth or decline? Can we save liberal democracy and the rule of law in the Czech Republic? 

Guests in this edition of the Circus Europe series: journalist and philanthropist Jan Dobrovský, MP and lawyer Eva Decroix and Million Moments for Democracy leader Mikuláš Minář. Historian and philosopher Petr Hlaváček, editor-in-chief of media outlet FORUM 24, will moderate. 

The Broumov Discussions conference is heading to the Václav Havel Library for an evening that will introduce the theme of this year’s 13th edition – and kick off an opening debate on humanity and responsibility. What does it mean at present to be somebody who does not live solely for themselves? How is humanity changing in today’s world, full of technological, geopolitical and social shifts? How can we take responsibility toward ourselves, others and the environment we shape together? 

Throughout the largest Czech book fair, you will find a Václav Havel Library stand in Hall A at the Prague Exhibition Grounds. As part of Book World’s accompanying program, we will be presenting our latest release – a reader of Václav Havel’s key texts entitled V noční tramvaji (On the Night Tram) – on Friday 15 May at 4 p.m. The book will be presented by its editors, Anna Freimanová and Pavel Hájek.

Friend of the Czech Republic, Václav Havel, and many other Czech and Slovak fighters for democracy, William Luers, who passed away a year ago, would have turned 97 on May 15th. During his more than thirty-year-long diplomatic career, Bill Luers held, among other positions, the positions of Assistant Secretary of State for Europe (1976-1977) and US Ambassador to Venezuela (1977-1982). After leaving the Foreign Service, he served as the President of the American Association for Cooperation with the United Nations, engaged in diplomatic efforts for the restoration of US-Cuba relations, and, until his death, functioned as the Director of The Iran Project, which aimed to resolve conflicts between the two countries through diplomatic methods. In the years 1986-1999, he served as the president of the world-renowned Metropolitan Museum in New York City.    

How is it living between two homes, languages and identities? In what ways are Czech and German societies similar, and where do they diverge? And what does this “split” mean in practical life? We invite you to the launch of Dvojité agentky (Double Agents), a new title in Deník N’s Edice N series.  

A discussion with the book’s authors, Zuzana Lizcová and Zuzana Jürgens, will be chaired by its editor, Filip Zajíček. 

In the evening discussion (Fireside Chat), we will look back at the path we have traveled since the fall of the Iron Curtain and analyze the challenges facing the European Union today. Is European integration in crisis, or is it undergoing a necessary transformation? What role does the voice of Prague, Warsaw, or Budapest play in it? We will look at how the electoral dynamics in France and the changes in the political map affect the ambitions of Paris and the stability of the entire European "27".

Does the salvation of Europe now rest on the shoulders of its unwanted child? 

This discussion will explore the topic of authoritarian regimes in the contemporary world and focus on how to recognise them even in environments that at first glance appear democratic. Together with our guests, we will examine how authoritarianism gradually emerges – via the weakening of institutions, the media and the courts – and what role social media and modern technology play in this process. We will present concrete examples from real life as well as the personal experiences of people living in authoritarian countries, including impacts on everyday life. At the same time, we will explore whether and where we see similar trends today, and how to better navigate them.  

Organised by the association Díky, že můžem (Thanks That We Can) in cooperation with the Václav Havel Library. 

Journalist Vojtěch Boháč (Voxpot), language philosopher Tomáš Kobližek, and sociology student Nikita Dvurechenskii accepted the invitation to the debate. The debate is moderated by Hana Strašáková from Díky, že můžem.

A series of debates that does not view Václav Havel as an untouchable symbol, but instead puts forward his experience as an inspiration for the contemporary world. Why is Václav Havel’s philosophy still so inspiring? What questions might Václav Havel pose to us today? What challenges does he present us with? What solutions does he offer? Philosopher Daniel Kroupa has invited Tomáš Hejduk from the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at the University of Pardubice to be his guest in the May edition.  

For 22 years, the festival Tvůrčí Afrika (Creative Africa) has been bringing together Czech and African artists and promoting African and Caribbean cultures in the Czech Republic. On the occasion of International Africa Day, and in cooperation with embassies of African states in Prague, we are honoured to present the Creative Africa Award to French theatre scholar Sylvia Chalaye, a specialist in Francophone Sub-Saharan dramaturgy; Alfred Alexandre, a playwright, writer and poet from Martinique; journalist and dramaturge Jana Paterová; and actor Maxim Mededa, a Beninese national based in the Czech Republic.  

In his book The Other End of History: Essays on the Great Post-1989 Transformation, Philipp Ther, an acclaimed historian and professor of Central European history at the University of Vienna, explores the background to the changes that have led to Europe’s relative isolation, as well as developments in the United States in recent years and why Russia and Turkey have drifted so far from Europe. As Ther sees it, Russia’s attack on Ukraine marks the end of the period of European transformation as conceived since 1989. 

Alongside historian and political scientist Jacques Rupnik, Philipp Ther will discuss how Europe has changed since Václav Havel’s presidency, how society is coming to terms with its totalitarian past and the fragile nature of democracy.  

A discussion on the challenges of translating dramatic texts featuring theatre professional and translator Tereza Agelová, dramaturge Lenka Veverková and translator Michal Zahálka. The event is being held in connection with the upcoming FLIP Literary Translation Festival, organised by Plav, a monthly magazine focused on world literature.