It seems there were two, though many believe there was only one: the great temple in Jerusalem built by the Biblical King Solomon. The first temple stood on the Temple Mount but no material evidence of its existence has ever been found. However, in 2012, Israeli archaeologists unexpectedly discovered another site in some ways similar.

“God or fate or history willed that I become a doctor here without having studied properly here...,” are memorable words Václav Havel said in his thank-you speech after receiving an honorary doctorate in the Great Hall of Charles University in 1990. Havel was the first person to be awarded the doctorate after the fall of communism.

The Church of St. Bartholomew in Kolín is a national cultural monument and for  good reason. It is one of the most impressive examples of Gothic architecture in Central Bohemia. Among the church’s many gems are extraordinary stained glass windows. These caught Anna Bartoňová's eye.; she is a student at the Catholic Theological Faculty.

In the latest of #deeptalk series of the podcast Steppin Into Asia Petr Jandáček interviews Sigurður Gylfi Magnússon, professor of cultural history and renowned microhistorian. Sigurður Gylfi talks about his studies at Carnegie Mellon University, his first published book, his first article and his years as an independent researcher.

Last Friday, saw the awarding of an extraordinary scholarship recognising the work and talents of international students studying at top Czech universities. The award is named after the late Miroslav Vlček – one of the main proponents of the Study in Prague programme.

Medici PRO Očkování (Med Students for Vaccination) is an initiative begun more than three years ago before anyone had heard of Covid-19. The pandemic has put the group front and centre. It’s aim is to provide the public with honest and factual information about why it’s important to get the jab. Forum spoke to the organisation’s Jaromír Astl.

Last Thursday, Charles University hosted the long-awaited Women in Science seminar, examining conditions of female experts in the Czech scientific and research environments. Invited speakers discussed both opportunities and barriers and as well as what needs to change.

Experts vs. “experts” - Scientists in the Media was the title of an online panel discussion on Thursday hosted by Kampus Hybernská. Four invited speakers – two well-known science journalists and two scientists, discussed the difficulties of their fields and where they overlapped, as well as the damage caused by some experts spreading denial.

Football is not just Messi and Ronaldo. Many exceptional players over the years emerged even from modest conditions in Czechia. Jan Kozel, a young football coach and CU graduate, says famous Czechs athletes should be role models for up-and-coming talent today. And not just from the world of soccer.

Czechs have been marking 17 November, commemorating the courage of students and citizens who stood up to two different totalitarian regimes: against the Nazi oppressors in 1939 and the Communists 50 years later. Students, teachers and representatives of Charles University all took part.

Charles University recently launched its new discovery service, UKAŽ, facilitating the simultaneous and smooth search of printed, digitised and electronic resources. The system was a complete redesign of its forerunner, integrating the catalogues of more than 60 CU libraries. Searching for books has never been more convenient.

“Have we learned anything new about the education system during the pandemic? And why is the economics of education becoming more important these days?” are questions host Katarína Stehlíková put to CERGE-EI’s Daniel Münich in the latest Talking Economics.

As a little girl, she dreamed of working as a veterinarian and animal conservationist in a national park in Africa. Her love of animals led her to study zoogeography. Today, Dagmar Dzúrová teaches about One Health at the Faculty of Science, a transdisciplinary approach to optimal health that recognises balance in nature as crucially important.

Science Slam is a popular stand-up comedy show held annually at Charles University. In it, students poke fun at their academic and research projects. Monday saw outstanding performances at Kampus Hybernská which wowed not only the audience but the expert panel of judges. This year's winners were CU's Lucie Urbanová and Jakub Mazanec.

Along with ice hockey, Czech universities can now compete in an additional leagues as of this academic year. The university leagues include football, futsal, basketball, floorball and volleyball. How did they come together and what are the ambitions of Charles University’s teams when it comes to different sports?

The Talking Economics Podcast is back, and now, for the first time, is featured at Forum. In this edition, Katarína Stehlíková talks with CERGE-EI's Filip Pertold about the Covid-hit economy and data and policies to help. “We’ve learned from the Covid-19 pandemic that data is the key,” Filip Pertold says.

“The university has been part of my life for more than 30 years,” says Professor Milena Králíčková and “it comes first.”  Králíčková is rectress-elect of Charles University. The physician and scientist in the field of gynaecology and infertility will be the first woman in the history of Charles University to hold the top post.

For the first time in its centuries-long history, Charles University will be led by a woman. Friday's election, which saw voting by CU’s Academic Senate, was won by the incumbent vice-rector for education, Milena Králíčková, who finished comfortably ahead of the only other candidate, Michal Stehlík, the former dean of the Faculty of Arts.

Charles University student Ondřej Gemov spends a lot of time in the pool: “I haven’t left the water since I was six months old,” he jokes. Recent years have seen him clinch medals and spots on the podium. At 22, Gemov is one of the Czech Republic’s most promising swimming talents. When he has time, he follows fashion and Czech rap.

Czechs last week who followed the outcome of the election at iRozhlas.cz as the results came in, benefitted from a predictive model designed by Associate Professor Marek Omelka and Ondřej Týbl from Charles University. The system they developed helped the scientists determine failry early on who had gained a majority in the lower house.