 | |
| Founded | 1949; 76 years ago (1949) |
|---|---|
| Founder | Government of Czech Republic |
| Type | Cultural institution |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Product | Czechcultural education |
Czech Centres (Czech:Česká centra) is an organization of theMinistry of Foreign Affairs of theCzech Republic consisting of offices in 26 countries throughout three continents.[1] It was established for the promotion of theCzech history,culture,language, tourism and trade abroad.[2] It is considered an active instrument of foreign policy of the Czech Republic through public diplomacy.[3]
The organisation dates back to its opening in 1949 as the Cultural and Information Centres (CIS) in Sofia and Warsaw.[3] In the Eastern Bloc, further CIS offices were opened in Budapest (1953), Berlin (1955) and Bucharest (1981).[3] In 1993, the organisation's name was changed from the Cultural and Information Centres to Czech Centres and the range of operations was expanded to encompass exports and tourism with new offices opened outside of Central and Eastern Europe.
In 2006, Czech Centres opened its first office in Asia inTokyo,Japan. In the same year, Czech Centres became a member ofEUNIC.The most recent office to open was inSeoul,South Korea in 2013.[4] In April 2017, the organisation's Director General Jan Závěšický was removed by the Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek due to 'serious managerial errors'.[5]
According to its 2012-2015 Strategic Report, the Czech Centres are tasked with the following activities:[6]
In 2015, Czech Centres enrolled 2,063 students in Czech language courses.
Within these activities, the Czech Centres organises cultural and educational events in the Czech Republic and abroad, such as:
In addition to this, it organises several awards and curatorial internships for areas of Czech culture,[12] such as theSusanna Roth Award for young translators.[13]
The Czech Centres has 28 branches on 4 continents:[14]
Austria -Vienna
Belgium -Brussels
Bulgaria -Sofia
Czech Republic -Prague (headquarters)
Egypt -Cairo
France -Paris
Georgia -Tbilisi
Germany -Berlin,Munich
Greece -Athens
Hungary -Budapest
Israel -Tel Aviv,Jerusalem
Italy -Rome,Milan
Japan -Tokyo
Netherlands -Rotterdam
Poland -Warsaw
Romania -Bucharest
Russia -Moscow
Serbia -Belgrade
Slovakia -Bratislava
South Korea -Seoul
Spain -Madrid
Taiwan -Taipei
Sweden -Stockholm
Ukraine -Kyiv
United States -New York City
United Kingdom -London
Vietnam -HanoiIn April 2006, Czech Centres opened its new headquarters inWenceslas Square, Prague.
Czech Centres owns and curates its own galleries in Prague that are open to the general public at Rytířská 539/31.[15]
Czech Centres opened its Czech House in Moscow in 2002. Its primary ambition is to serve as a contact for Russian and Czech businesses. Czech House in Moscow is currently the largest complex owned by the Czech Republic abroad, containing 122 offices, 132 apartments, 87 hotel rooms in addition to conference rooms, a business centre, restaurant, bar, gym fitness centre and sauna, as well as other facilities.[16]
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