About us / History

Palacky University was founded in 1573 by Emperor Maximillian and Pope Gregor XIII and holds a distinguished place in the Central European learning, civilization and culture. The University has been named after Frantisek Palacky, the father of the modern Czech nation.

When it became an official seat of education, Olomouc had already been a bishopric for over five centuries, the capital of the Moravian Margraviate, and home to the Princes of the Premyslid dynasty. Later, Olomouc was the largest stronghold of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and site of the coronation of Emperor Franz Josef. This history is reflected in the architecture of Olomouc and the University, which is considered second only to Prague's. A glance into the history books will further distinguish Olomouc and the University as the home of such famous scholars as the founder of modern genetics, Johann Gregor Mendel.

The glories of the University's past are mingled with the historic misfortunes of the region, such as the Thirty Years War, the epidemics of the plague, and the deprivations of the Cold War. The University has naturally prospered and declined accordingly. Since it was founded in 1573, originally as a Jesuit college, the Faculty of Divinity played a major role in the life of the University. Medical studies began here in the second half of the eighteenth century but were later shut down, as was the entire University.

The University was reopened in 1946 and named after Frantisek Palacky, an outstanding scholar and politician of the nineteenth century.

At present, Palacky University is home to about 18,000 students in seven faculties who pursue education and research in a spirit of academic freedom and excellence. Palacky University supports the international exchange of knowledge through numerous international contacts and programs. The University is located in Olomouc in the heart of the Czech Republic, a mere three hours from Vienna and two hours and fifteen minutes from Prague by train.

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History of the Czech people

The ancient principalities of Bohemia and Moravia now form the modern Czech Republic. The country belongs among the smaller states of Europe, with a population of about 10 million, but this population has inherited a rich history. The Bohemian Kingdom, which was founded in the tenth and eleventh centuries, expanded and contracted according to the successes of its rulers, leaving countless castles and other historical markers behind.

The Hussite religious movement of the fifteenth century had a great influence on later protestant movements in Europe and on the subsequent Catholic revivals, all of which had significant positive impacts on the general level of education and wealth of the region. Much of the glory of that period can still be seen in buildings and other physical landmarks that were not destroyed during the Thirty Years War or later. After the Czech people became a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, their language and culture suffered from the imposition of German as the official language. Their history in the nineteenth century is characterized, however, by a renaissance of Czech culture and literature.

The end of the First World War witnessed the rebirth of an independent Czech and Slovak state, Czechoslovakia, which became an island of democracy in Central Europe. This period lasted only twenty years, however, because Germany later occupied the western part of the country and supported the formation of an independent Slovak state, After the second World War, in 1945, Czechoslovakia was again reborn, but its period of democratic growth was ended by a Communist coup d'etat. For forty years, the Czechoslovaks became allies of the Soviet Union.

In November of 1989, the Soviet-supported regime in Czechoslovakia collapsed. The Velvet Revolution ushered in a period of profound change and rejuvenation, renewed contact with Western thought, technology, information and economic health. In 1993, the Czechs and the Slovaks again parted ways. In 1995, the Czech Republic became a member of the OECD, in 1999 was admitted into the NATO. The country became a full member of the European Union in May 2004.