In the upcoming autumn, the Czechs living in the USA will celebrate the anniversary of Palacký University. National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library (NCSML) in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, will open an exhibition celebrating 450 years of the second oldest university in the Czech Republic. The museum has prepared ten large-format panels that commemorate significant events in the university’s history, from its founding as a Jesuit College to the present day. The exhibition will be officially opened by Cecilia Rokusek, the director of the museum, and by the management of Palacký University, represented by Jiří Stavovčík, the vice-rector for internationalisation.
„The Division for International Cooperation curated this special exhibition marking the 450 years of the university and its author Pavel Kreisinger of the Department of History of the UP Faculty of Arts. We believe that an anniversary such as this deserves international recognition and presentation overseas, especially in places such as the National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library, where we have great connections with the people. Several American universities are among our strategic partners, and our alumni living in the USA. We invited all of them for the opening ceremony,“ said Jiří Stavovčík, Vice-Rector of UP.
The opening will take place in the National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library premises in Cedar Rapids on Thursday, September 14, 2023, at 4 p.m. The opening ribbon-cutting ceremony will be followed by speeches by Cecilia Rokusek, President of NCSML, Dalibor Mikuláš, Vice President of NCSML, Stefanie Kohn, Curator of NCSML, dignitaries of Palacký University Olomouc and other guests. NCSML is a museum and a library focused on Czech and Slovak history and culture, Czech and Slovak refugees living in USA and their descendants.