The exhibition was held from 6 August 2012 to 21 September 2012 in the foyer of the Library of the Geographical Sciences, Charles University in Prague and showed a wide range of historical and geographic topics in pictorial form in a set of exhibition panels relating to various periods and problems of Czech history from the Middle Ages to the modern era. The most important publications and atlases produced in the field of Czech historical geographic research were also presented. The exhibition was held as part of the XVth International Conference of Historical Geographers, which took place at the beginning of August at the Faculty of Science of Charles University in Prague.
Are you curious about why and how Czech scientists investigate the transformation of landscapes, historical cities, regions or symbolic places and territorial identities? Why is the history of floods, tornadoes and long-term climate change studied in the Czech Republic? Historical geographers across the Czech Republic are seeking answers to diverse questions about the coexistence of society and nature, now and in the past. Thanks to the exhibition, experts from a total of eight institutions presented the focus of their research, mainly from the host Charles University in Prague, the Historical Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Masaryk University in Brno, and the Silva Tarouca Research Institute for Landscape and Ornamental Horticulture. It shows the connections between the landscapes of the present and those of the past. On the basis of the past, it teaches us to perceive, recognise and understand the rules of the balanced coexistence between man and nature and between different human cultures that is so urgently needed today. The roots of Czech historical geography are deep, and at least the fifth generation of scientists has been involved in it.
The year 2012 can be considered a modern milestone in the development of historical geography in the Czech Republic. At its beginning, the Research Centre of Historical Geography was established, bringing together scientists from the Institute of History of the CAS and the Faculty of Science of Charles University in Prague. The second breakthrough is the hosting of the XVth International Conference of Historical Geographers, within the framework of which the exhibition takes place. The International Conference of Historical Geographers is held every three years in different parts of the world. The 2012 Prague conference was the first to be held in a post-communist country. Almost four hundred scholars from all over the world participated. In the almost forty-year history of these world conferences, it was undoubtedly the largest event.
The patronage of the event was taken over by:
Prof. RNDr. Václav Hampl, DrSc., Rector of Charles University in Prague
Prof. Ing. Jiří Drahoš, DrSc., dr. h. c., President of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic
doc. RNDr. Tadeusz Siwek, CSc., President of the Czech Geographical Society
Prof. RNDr. Bohuslav Gaš, CSc., Dean of the Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague
RNDr. Tomáš Hudeček, Ph.D., 1st Deputy Mayor of the City of Prague
Mgr. Jana Černochová, Mayor of Prague 2
Contact:
RNDr. Zdeněk Kučera, Ph.D., zdenek.kucera@natur.cuni.cz, tel: +420221951974
Doc. RNDr. Leoš Jeleček, CSc., leos.jelecek@natur.cuni.cz, tel: +420734375090
For information about renting the exhibition, please contact: myslivepr@natur.cuni.cz
