| SVU |
CZECHOSLOVAK SOCIETY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES |
A Word from SVU President
This is the 19th SVU World Congress
the Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences (SVU) has organized since its inception in
Washington, DC in 1958, commemorating the Society's 40th Anniversary of its existence. As
long as Central and Eastern Europe was under communist domination, all SVU World
Congresses had to be held abroad. i.e. in the United States or Canada. Following the
Velvet Revolution, two subsequent World Congresses were convened in Prague and the next
one in Brno. The forthcoming 19th SVU World Congress will assemble for the first time on
the territory of the Slovak Republic - in Bratislava.
The aim of the Congress, with its central theme "Sciences and Arts on the Eve of the 21st Century", is to promote creative and open dialogue between scientists, artists and other professionals on important issues facing our civilization in the next century. A variety of subjects will be covered from arts and humanities to social and behavioral sciences, as well as natural sciences, engineering and applied technology. The Congress will be an important international forum for discourse, not only between peoples of different national and ethnic groups, but also between the young and the old, the artists and the scientists, professionals and general public, and those living abroad and those at home. In addition to the central theme, the participants will be able to find just about every major discipline of human endeavor on the program.
The organizing committees on both sides of the Atlantic have done a superb job in organizing an outstanding program, consisting of lectures, panel discussions, and symposia. In addition to the academic program, the participants will have an opportunity to take part in a number of exciting and enjoyable social and cultural events, and visits to historical sites, such as the Castle Devin, the Old Town Hall, the Cathedral of St. Martin, and an excursion to the Dolna Krupa Castle where Beethoven composed some of his wonderful works. The local organizers have gone out of their way to present a truly memorable happening.
This will be a pivotal event in
1998. It is hoped that this Congress will further strengthen the ties and foster contact
between Slovak and Czech professionals, both at their homeland and abroad, and those of
other countries, particularly the US and Canada, and help to reintegrate the intellectual
life of the Slovak and the Czech Republics into the mainstream of world science, arts, and
letters.
Miloslav Rechcigl, Jr.
SVU President
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