Monday, 19 February | 7:45 am | Transfusion Department, University Hospital Olomouc

As part of the traditional Academic Week, the annual Donate Blood with the Rector challenge will take place. It aims to support and promote free blood donations. During the week-long event, we invite all Palacký University students and employees to come and donate the most precious asset – their blood! First-time donors are especially welcome. All donors from Palacký University can look forward to a small gift package from their alma mater this week. Registration and more information can be found at www.daruj.upol.cz/en.

Monday, 17 February | 7 pm | Jazz Tibet Club

The UP Academic Week is not only about celebrating the anniversary of the renewal of Palacký University after 1946 but also about the traditional special Pub Quiz with Palacký University! Put together a team and become the winner of the contest of knowledge, wit and guts! There will be the usual five rounds and fifty-six questions focused on the topics of the university and Olomouc. A maximum of six-member teams can apply (capacity is limited, so don't hesitate), most of which must be students or employees of Palacký University. The top ten teams can expect great prizes from UPoint and other quiz partners.

More information in the Facebook event

Wednesday, 21 February | 4 pm | Metropol Cinema

• Rector's Awards for Best Student Theses and Sports Achievements
• Rector's Award for Sustainability
• Rector's Honorable Mentions to Students of Doctoral Programmes for a Professional Article
• Rector's Honorable Mentions to Authors of Professional Books
• UP Teaching Awards

At this traditional ceremony, Rector Martin Procházka will award authors of academic publications and successful students for the best Bachelor’s and Master’s theses, dissertations, and sports performances in 2024, and students of doctoral study programmes. For the first time ever, the ceremony will be accompanied by the UP Teaching Awards and the Rector's Award for the best graduate thesis in the field of sustainability. The ceremonial act, hosted by the head of the Olomouc Drama Theatre Roman Vencl, will be accompanied by the Desigual Quartet, a women's string quartet.
Free admision. You may reserve your seat.

Wednesday, 19 February | 6:00 pm | Metropol Cinema

We invite you to the screening of the successful documentary that received the Special Mention of the International Competition Jury, the Student Jury Award and the Audience Award at AFO 2024. Come and experience a unique film experience and find out what won the hearts of viewers and experts alike!
Hunt for the Oldest DNA
Niobe Thompson | Canada | 2024 | 90’
Where does the DNA go? Can it survive to bear witness to the past? Eske Willerslev was convinced that it could, and went on the hunt.
The stories of life on Earth are told by DNA. Our fascination with deciphering these stories is making its way into pop culture. And while some fictional narratives never leave the confines of our imaginations, others are brought closer to us by the exploration of DNA - it is a "time machine", as the scientists in this film put it. In it, animated visuals meet the passion of experts interested in genetics, and together they tell the story of how a vision of a scientific journey into prehistory using DNA became a hard-won reality with extraordinary impact.
Free admission.
Facebook event

Wednesday, 19 February | 7 pm | Church of the Virgin Mary of the Snow

On Wednesday, 19 February, a student Mass will be celebrated for all UP students, teachers and employees. Following tradition, it will take place at 7 pm in the Church of the Virgin Mary of the Snow. The Mass will be celebrated by P. Hyacinthe Pavel Kuchta OPraem. and P. Pavel Hödl. The Mass will be followed by a discussion on ministry to the LGBTQ+ believers in the Archdiocese of Olomouc in the Aletti Centre Auditorium.
More information on vkholomouc.cz.

Friday, 21 February | 3 pm | Olomouc churches

Thanks to the kind cooperation with the Archbishopric of Olomouc, the bells of the Olomouc churches (St. Moritz, St. Michael, St. Wenceslas and Annunciation of the Lord) will ring out at 3 pm. Traditionally, they commemorate the event when, on 21 February 1946, Olomouc citizens were told in this way that a law had been passed on the re-establishment of the University of Olomouc, thus restoring their forefathers’ dream of a university town. This commemoration of the historic event will be special this year because the traditional bell tolling of the three Olomouc churches will also be joined by a fourth voice from the Church of the Annunciation on Dolní náměstí, where the Olomouc bell ringers will ring the bells by hand on this occasion.

Friday, 21 February | 3 pm | Fort Science

Palacký University Olomouc is proud to thank its scientists who regularly appear in the media and thus spread the good name of the university. The meeting is hosted by science popularizer Vendula Lužná. The event, to which academics are invited together with their families, will also include networking with journalists and representatives of companies to establish possible cooperation in technology transfer. The event programme will also offer a science show, musical accompaniment and refreshments.
Target group: invited scientists, journalists, company representatives

Tuesday, 18 February  – Sunday 23 February | Fort Science

Students and employees of Palacký University will be granted free admission to Fort Science, one ticket to 4 exhibitions per employee or student ISIC card.

Fort Science – the interactive science centre of Palacký University Olomouc – is located in the uniquely reconstructed, historically protected building of a large artillery warehouse in the Olomouc Crown Fortress. Using interactive exhibitions, workshops, a laboratory, and a digital planetarium, university staff and students introduce children and adults to scientific knowledge and historical facts in a fun and playful way. Fort Science is also an important institution of community, cultural and social life and a pivotal contributor to the so-called third role of the University of Olomouc. The Interactive Science Museum welcomes nearly 100,000 visitors annually thanks to its genius loci and unique atmosphere.

Saturday 22 – Sunday 23 February | Museum of Art

Students and employees of UP can also enjoy the weekend of the academic week and visit the exhibitions of the Olomouc Museum of Art, which are also free of charge on an employee card or student ISIC card.

Olomouc Museum of Art exhibits paintings, sculptures, drawings, applied graphics, photographs, applied art, and architectural documentation. During the weekand in UP Academic Week, students and employees of Palacký University may visit the exhibitions in the Museum of Modern Art building on Denisova Street, and the reconstructed Archdiocesan Museum on Václavské náměstí free of charge.

The Regional Museum in Olomouc offers exhibitions that guide visitors through the history of the region, nature and art. The tour routes include unique collections, interactive elements and stories that bring the past to life. Not only families with children, but also all enthusiastic fans of archaeology, lovers of traditional crafts and curious explorers will find something to enjoy. During the weekend of the Academic Week, students and employees of Palacký University may visit the exhibitions in the Regional Museum on náměstí Republiky for free.

Friday, 28 February | 7:30 pm | NH Hotel

The representative ball of Palacký University and the UP Endowment Fund will take place on Friday, February 28, 2025, at the NH Collection Congress Olomouc Hotel. The university ball will be truly extraordinary this time. Its theme is the university and its talents, so it will not only celebrate the university as an institution but, above all, the people who make up the university community – students, graduates and its supporters. The ball is jointly organized by Palacký University and the UP Endowment Fund, which will celebrate 10 years of its existence in 2025 and whose mission is to support young scientists and artists.
The ball programme will offer musical entertainment performed by Natálie Tichánková & 4GOOD and PANGEA – The Beatles Revival Band, rich refreshments, a raffle and good fun. Czech Television presenter Daniel Stach will host the evening.
More information and tickets on ples.upol.cz/en.

Monday 19 – Friday 23 February | Transfusion Department of University Hospital Olomouc

During the Academic Week, we’re asking all university students and employees to register into our system to donate that most precious gift – your blood and plasma. Both regular donors and – especially first-time donors – are most welcome. How can you sign up? By registering from 15 January at daruj@upol.cz; we will set up a day and time of your donation at your convenience, and answer any questions you may have about free blood and plasma donation. Besides the good feeling you will get from helping others, you can look forward to a reward: a hearty breakfast and small gifts/souvenirs from UPoint and University Hospital Olomouc. All you have to do is show your ISIC or UP employee card. After the event is over, each participant has a chance to win an attractive prize from our partners, such as gift vouchers to the cinema, cafés, even a boat ride. We would like to thank all our partners supporting the event from the bottom of our hearts! Donate Blood with the Rector is co-organised with the Transfusion Department of University Hospital Olomouc.

For detailed information, visit www.daruj.upol.cz/en.