On Saturday 14th May 2016 it was exactly 700 years since the birth of Charles IV, the Bohemian king and Roman emperor, who founded Charles University in Prague on 7th April 1348. In the spring of the same year, Charles IV also published the foundation charter (8th March 1348) and laid the first stone of the walls of the new city of Prague (26th March 1348).

Easter Monday is the core of the non-religious Czech Easter celebrations - a popular festivity with the Czechs which is sometimes frowned upon by people from abroad because the traditional ‘beating’ of women is misunderstood.  Here, this ritual ‘beating’ is practised as it is believed to bring youth and good health to the girls or young women involved.

Being a vegetarian, vegan or someone with dietary requirements should never stop you from travelling, trying new cuisines or enjoying your food. I’m a firm believer that this attitude – held by those with dietary requirements and those without – is mostly all in a person’s head.

Students love to explore and the Erasmus programme has enabled more than 3 million European students to study in various countries throughout Europe in order to enhance their academic studies and many have chosen to come here at Charles University in Prague.

Charles University in Prague is commemorating the 700th anniversary of the birth of its founder Charles IV (1316-1378) this spring. On Saturday the 21st of May, just one week after the anniversary of his birth (14th May), the university welcomed Prague’s youngest citizens to celebrate and commemorate the anniversary by allowing them the opportunity to take a trip back in time and experience the Middle Ages with students and staff.

For 11 years now, Czech doctoral students of History, Archaeology and related disciplines meet during the first weekend of September for an annual Summer School of Medieval Studies. The traditional location of the event being the ancient Sázava Monastery (approximately 1 hour from Prague), situated near the river of the same name.

Step back in time with a visit to the National Gallery in Prague which is currently housing art exhibition Without Borders, Art in the Ore Mountains between the Gothic and the Renaissance.

Computer games traditionally never crossed paths with education to any serious level as gaming had previously always been deemed a leisure activity with no place in the classroom. Modern game developers, such as those at Charles University in Prague, have challenged this status quo.

There are many religious traditions connected to Easter: remembering the final days, the death and the resurrection of Jesus. For many Czech people, however, their popular customs – which originate from the Pagan time of the pre-Christian period – are the core of the Easter holidays. These traditions celebrate the beginning of spring and the renewal of life that are associated with this time of year.

Brian Ó Conchubhair, Associate Professor of Irish Language and Literature at the University of Notre Dame (Indiana, US), shone light on the arguably ambigious nature of modernism in Irish-language literature and culture, in his visit to Charles University students this March.