Venue
The 16th International Meeting on Ferroelectricity will be held at the Conference Centre City and the adjacent Panorama hotel. The venue offers high-quality facilities and services, just a stone’s throw from the iconic city centre.
City of Prague
Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, is well known for its historical monuments, classical architecture and rich cultural heritage that continues today in many theaters, concert halls, opera houses and galleries. Come and discover this wonderful city and walk in the footsteps not only of Franz Kafka and Antonin Dvorak but also of Tycho de Brahe, Johannes Kepler, Bernard Bolzano, Christian Doppler, Albert Einstein, Jaroslav Heyrovsky, Vladimir Prelog and others.
Prague has 1.4 million inhabitants living on approximately 500 square kilometers. The historical city center is a designated UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage area which stretches over more than 8 square kilometers. Charles University in Prague, founded in 1348, is the oldest university in Central Europe.
The dominant feature of the city is Prague Castle with its gothic St. Vitus Cathedral. The castle, formerly the seat of Czech kings since 1087, became the seat of the president in 1918. The Lesser Town below the castle boasts a profusion of intimate corners and character restaurants blended with splendid aristocratic palaces and charming gardens. The 14th century Charles Bridge, the most remarkable promenade site in Prague, connects Lesser Town with the Old Town, amazing network of twisting medieval lanes. This iconic scene inspired the IMF 2027 conference logo, depicting two gatehouse towers connected by the bridge over the meandering Vltava river. The Old Town City Hall in the Old Town Square houses the oldest working Astronomical Clock in the world (1410). At every hour, a presentation of four figures and statues of 12 Apostles starts. Between the Old Town Square and the river bank, remains of unique 13th century Jewish Town offer mysterious spiritual atmosphere. Due to a hilly landscape over the double-bent river valley, elevated sites such as the Castle offer magnificent views over the city’s “one hundred spires”.
Charles IV
Charles IV, son of John of Luxembourg, the greatest king of the Czech country and Holy Roman Emperor, was born 7 centuries ago in the year 1316. He was educated at the French court, spoke five languages, and was one of the most educated and diplomatically skillful sovereigns of his time. During his reign from 1346 to 1378, the Golden Age of the country history, the Prague continued to grow and it was established as a cultural capital of the central Europe and one of the most prosperous cities in Europe. Prague’s New Town (Nové Město) was founded, construction of Charles Bridge and building of St. Vitus Cathedral started. In 1348, Charles IV established the Charles University, the first University to the east of Rhine and to the north of the Alps. Prague’s status and significance increased after Charles IV had been crowned the Holy Roman Emperor. Charles IV is remembered as the father of the Czech nation.
Photographs courtesy of Prague Event Hub and fungus2.
