It’s here: the countdown has begun! A year of celebrations is commencing in which Olomouc’s university, founded on 22 December 1573, will celebrate 450 years of its existence. And this is why today we are launching a special web and revealing the first items of what will be a very rich programme.
The past is connected to the present and the future, that is the leitmotif of the 2023, a year which in Olomouc will belong to Palacký University. “We are commemorating not only the rich history of our university and the important people whose lives have been connected to it. We will also show a lively, contemporary school, fostering a new generation of students who will determine the future development of our society. The story of our alma mater has been ongoing for almost 450 years and it is one which is still pertinent and consequential. We educate, foster, research, and endeavour to push the boundaries of human knowledge and understanding. This is why we have chosen as the motto for our jubilee year the words of František Palacký, after whom our university was renamed: We are only as strong as our spirit,” said UP Rector Martin Procházka.
The jubilee year will offer dozens of the most diverse events. To name but a few: a ball, concerts, an exhibition of historical university insignia, alumni meetings, an excursion to Palacký’s birthplace, book publications, etc. “The programme, which be continuously supplemented, can be found on a web created especially for the 450th anniversary. We are working on it across university faculties and institutions and involving students as well,” said Vice-Rector for Communications and Student Affairs Vít Procházka, who is in charge of organising the celebrations with his team.
The special webpages for the university celebrations can be found at 450.upol.cz.