Charles University Events

These are events organized for international students studying at the Charles University and which you can join! To sign up, please email Imogen (imogen.davidsonwhite@ff.cuni.cz) at ECES by the deadline listed for each event. 

Budapest Weekend Trip

  • October 10-13. Departure in the late morning on Thursday the 10th. 8000 CZK.
  • Join ECES for a weekend trip to Budapest focused on history, politics, and culture. Budapest is the capital and most populous city of Hungary and one of the largest cities in the European Union. Budapest is cited as one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, ranked as “the world’s second best city” by Condé Nast Traveler, and “Europe’s 7th most idyllic place to live” by Forbes. The central area of the city along the Danube River is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has many notable monuments, including the Hungarian Parliament, Buda Castle, Fisherman’s Bastion, Széchenyi Chain Bridge, Matthias Church and the Liberty Statue. Other famous landmarks include Andrássy Avenue, St. Stephen’s Basilica, Heroes’ Square, the Great Market Hall, the Nyugati Railway Station built by the Eiffel Company of Paris in 1877 and the second-oldest metro line in the world, the Millennium Underground Railway.
  • The cost of the trip per person is 8,000 CZK and includes a guided tour of the Hungarian parliament, a ticket for entry to the thermal baths, train travel to and from Budapest, public transport tickets, 3 nights accommodation with breakfast, and guided walking tours of the city.
  • Sign up by writing to Imogen at ECES (imogen.davidsonwhite@ff.cuni.cz) by Thursday, September 5th if you are interested in coming or if you have any questions.

Karlštejn Castle and Srbsko Hike

  • Friday, October 18th, 10:00am-6:00pm. 600 CZK.
  • Karlštejn castle sits atop a hill in the Český kras (Bohemian karst) nature preserve overlooking the Berounka river. It has lived through many important periods in Czech history, including the golden age of Charles IV and the Hussite wars, before being reconstructed in the 19th century. Following a tour of this impressive medieval castle we will hike through a Bohemian forest and experience some of the Czech cultural appreciation of the outdoors.
  • The cost of the trip includes transportation to and from Karlštejn, a guided tour of the castle, and ECES staff support.
  • Sign up by writing to Imogen at ECES (imogen.davidsonwhite@ff.cuni.cz) by Sunday, September 8th if you are interested in joining the trip or if you have any questions.

Documentary Film Screening – Fighter

  • Tuesday, September 17th, 7:00-9:00pm in the kinosál of the main Faculty of Arts building. Free.
  • Fighter is a documentary film about Arnošt Lustig (1926–2011) and Jan Wiener (1920–2010), two Jewish men who return to Europe to revisit the past. A survivor of Theresienstadt, Auschwitz, and Buchenwald, Lustig was a Prague-based journalist and author. The German-born Wiener escaped from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia and joined the Royal Air Force in Italy, only to be later persecuted upon his return to Czechoslovakia after the war. The film retraces Wiener’s escape route, and visits Theresienstadt (where Wiener’s mother died), Auschwitz, and Buchenwald. A film about the nature of truth and memory, the complexity of friendship, and the way different personalities assimilate different situation. This is a unique and complex documentary that is both fascinating, surprisingly humorous at moments and heartbreaking.
  • Sign up by writing to Imogen at ECES (imogen.davidsonwhite@ff.cuni.cz) by Monday, September 16th.

Radio Free Europe tour and Q+A with journalist

  • Thursday, September 26th, 1:30-4:30pm. Free.
  • Established at the beginning of the Cold War to transmit news and information to audiences behind the Iron Curtain, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) played a significant role in the collapse of communism and the rise of democracies in post-communist Europe. Today, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty serves as a “surrogate” free press in 23 countries where the free flow of information is either banned by government authorities or not fully developed. This tour of the RFE/RL headquarters in Prague will give you a behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of this historically controversial and incredibly important news organization. You will have the opportunity to ask questions, speak with reporters, and learn about the work that RFE/RL has done in the past, and continues to do today.
  • Sign up by writing to Imogen at ECES (imogen.davidsonwhite@ff.cuni.cz) by Sunday, September 22nd.

Forest Walk to Únětice Brewery

  • Friday, September 27th, 10:20am-2:00pm.
  • Join us for walk to one of our favorite spots – Únětice Brewery (dating to at least the 1700s)! We will take a very short train ride (approx. 10 mins.) from the center of Prague and then walk through woods and and fields for about an hour to our final destination. There, we will have a chance to enjoy some beer and food for lunch if you like.
  • The cost of the train ride to Únětice is approximately 30 CZK and we will help you buy the ticket prior to departing from the train station. Students can optionally buy their own lunch and refreshments at the brewery.
  • Sign up by writing to Imogen at ECES (imogen.davidsonwhite@ff.cuni.cz) by Thursday, September 26th.

Prague Walks – Vinohrady

  • October 3rd, 1:30-3:30pm. Free.
  • Most residents of Prague don´t live or even spend most of their time in the tourist center, so if you want to get to know Prague, you should check out some of its residential neighborhoods! Our colleague Lukáš will show you around some of his favorite spots in the trendy Vinohrady neighborhood on this casual tour.
  • Sign up by writing to Imogen at ECES (imogen.davidsonwhite@ff.cuni.cz) by Wednesday, October 2nd.

Kutná Hora Trip

  • Friday, November 15th. 1500 CZK.
  • Kutná Hora is a beautiful UNESCO World Heritage town located one hour from Prague, where you can visit the beautiful St. Barbara´s Cathedral and famous Sedlec Ossuary (“Bone Church”), an unusual cemetery chapel adorned with ornate decorations made of human bones. Kutná Hora developed in the medieval period as a result of the exploitation of the silver mines. In the 14th century it became a royal city endowed with monuments that symbolized its prosperity. Today the city also hosts the Czech Museum of Silver, which includes exhibits about the medieval silver industry in Bohemia and one preserved medieval mine shaft.
  • The cost of the trip per person is 1500 CZK and includes round-trip transportation by bus, a guided tour of the main attractions of the city, entry to the Sedlec Ossuary, St. Barbora´s Cathedral, and Czech Museum of Silver.
  • Sign up by writing to Imogen at ECES (imogen.davidsonwhite@ff.cuni.cz) by Sunday, October 13th if you are interested in coming or if you have any questions.

Dresden Christmas Markets Day Trip

  • Friday, December 6th, 8:30am-6:30pm. 1300 CZK.
  • Dresden is the capital city and, after Leipzig, the second-largest city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the border with the Czech Republic. Join ECES for a day trip to explore the city of Dresden and its famous Christmas markets in one of its most beautiful times of year. You’ll be accompanied by a professional guide who will explain the history of this fascinating city, once known as “Florence of the North”.
  • The cost of the trip includes transportation to and from Dresden and onsite guiding and support from ECES staff.
  • Sign up by writing to Imogen at ECES (imogen.davidsonwhite@ff.cuni.cz) by Sunday, October 20th if you are interested in joining the trip or if you have any questions.

MeetFactory Tour and Gallery Opening

  • Thursday, October 24th, 5:15-7:30pm. Free.
  • MeetFactory is a non-profit international center for contemporary art founded in 2001 by the artist David Černý located in an industrial building in Prague’s Smíchov neighborhood, in a unique space squeezed between a motorway and an active railroad. MeetFactory hosts not only art exhibits but also concerts and theatre performances with the goal of fostering a dialogue between individual genres and making the current happenings on the art scene accessible to the widest public. On October 24th there will be a vernissage for two new exhibits, and the staff there will give you a brief tour of the premises prior to the start of the opening party, which you are then welcome to join.
  • Sign up by writing to Imogen at ECES (imogen.davidsonwhite@ff.cuni.cz) by Tuesday, October 22nd if you are interested in joining the tour or if you have any questions.