University students from abroad who decide to study in the Czech Republic through the ERASMUS programme most frequently choose Charles University. In the 2011/2012 academic year, this exchange programme made it possible for 1,137 international students to study at seventeen faculties of the university, putting CU in eighth place amongst the several thousand European higher education institutions at which the ERASMUS programme is realised.

On Wednesday, the 20th of November, the Great Hall of Charles University hosted a ceremony to award honorary doctorates to Prof. Anthony F. Dixon and Prof. Peter Kurmann.

It is a nice tradition of the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics of CU to invite their employees, friends and students to a series of gala concerts during each academic year.  By the occasion of the autumn concert on the 21st of October the chamber ensemble Ars Instrumentalis Pragensis performed an outstanding concert within the main hall of the Carolinum.

Foreign students, teachers and visitors of Charles University often come to the university bookshop in Celetná Street looking for English translations of Czech books which they can bring back home as a souvenir from Prague. You would not be wrong if your choice of such a token would be We Were a Handful, one of the most popular Czech books for children, written by Karel Poláček.

I must admit, before attending this ceremonial meeting in the Karolinum on the 8th of December, I had never heard of the Templeton Prize. A rudimentary bit of research prior to attending had me blown away. The award has an incredibly rich history of remarkable recipients, among them the very first Templeton Prize winner, Mother Teresa in 1973, and 2013 winner Desmond Tutu.

We gathered. It was one of those random evenings where nothing special happened, a random evening you used to take for granted and now you would give everything to live one of them again. Someone, I do not remember who, came up with an idea: “Guys, we could spend the next New Year’s Eve together!” And we could only reply: “Of course, all together, for the good old times.”

Each year, the section of Geopolitical Studies of the Institute of Political Studies of the Faculty of Social Sciences at Charles University hosts a conference that brings together experts in Geopolitics from around the world to discuss current issues in the field.

The 25^th of April marked the third annual Cultural Exchange event hosted by the Catholic Theological Faculty of Charles University. The event, a student conference officially called “Cultural Transfer. Art Exchange between Italy and Central Europe”, was held at the main faculty building and saw a series of lectures given by post-graduates from various European universities. The lectures aimed to discuss the ways in which Italian art has, and continues, to influence European art, especially that of Central European countries.

Visitors to the Czech capital and Charles University have an opportunity to see a unique exhibition on at the Carolinum until the end of January 2019. On view are some of Charles University’s rarest treasures, such as the university’s founding document and its historic seal and insignia. The exhibition is free.

On Thursday, the 10th of April, the Common Law Society at the Charles University Faculty of Law hosted a lecture in the company of Assistant Professor Arndt Künnecke of the Okan University in Istanbul. A native of Hannover in Germany, but now living in Istanbul, selected a very appropriate title of his lecture “Turkey and the EU”, a discussion on Turkey’s relationship with the European Union.

To receive an ERC grant from the European Research Council is a major achievement for any young researcher, providing funding and recognition (ie. lifeblood) for deserving top projects.

The joint annual ball of the Faculties of Arts and Education took place on Wednesday 7th March 2018. Members of both the faculties all arrived in gorgeous dresses and suits for the evening start at 8 o’clock. Not just students, but also professors, former teachers, and members of the public had since weeks been looking forward to what was to become a magical event. This year’s theme was ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, one of Shakespeare’s comedies, set in the woodlands by the light of the moon. This topic added a true sparkle to the evening with the atmosphere becoming complete with fairy-like creatures floating around.

On the 19th of March a lecture entitled “Classical Learning and the Insular World” was presented by Dr Máire Ní Mhaonaigh of Cambridge University in the library of the Centre for Medieval Studies of Charles University.

It can be in no doubt that Christmas concerts are a staple of Czech festive traditions, with music playing a centre role in Czech culture. On the 17th of December at 7 pm the Charles University Choir and the chamber orchestra Orchestra Camerata Carolina under the conductor Jakub Zícha performed a Christmas concert in the Karolinum building of Charles University.

This informative talk on the past decade of Lithuania’s membership in the European Union given by Mr. Mindaugas Stanys, the Second Secretary of the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania to the Czech Republic was an intimate affair with the people in attendance clearly very interested in the topic at hand.

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.

Are you planning to attend the exhibition Expo Milano 2015? CU Centre for Information, Counseling and Social Services presents you with an option to purchase a reduced entry ticket. As CU students, you will only pay 10 €!

On Wednesday 30 April, the Faculty of Arts at Charles University in Prague hosted a lecture by Dr. Hans-Christian Trepte, from the University of Leipzig, entitled 'In Search of a New Freedom: New Nomads and Migration Literature.' In his lecture, Dr. Trepte discussed a series of books relating to the issues of exile and emigration, and the links between travel and culture.

Up until now, the investigation into alleged plagiarism has utilised, amongst other means, the Urkund tool, which compared the thesis with the contents of websites, electronic sources, archives and book databases, scientific and other tests in digital form and with no regional or language restrictions.

On the 17th and 18th of October, the Centre of Medieval Studies hosted a conference on the financial aspects of the medieval economy. The conference, of which the Faculty of Humanities of Charles University was one of the organizers, attracted academics and scholars from across Central and Western Europe, who discussed and debated a number of topics related to the main theme.