We - Kristýna, Věra and Peter - are working at the International Department of the Protestant Theological Faculty in Prague.

Besides other work we organize an orientation programme for international students of our faculty before the beginning of each semester. As part of the programme we take students to various interesting sites, many of them connected with key moments in Czech history or the current church or social situation.

During the time we spend together new friendships are formed.

These friendships lead spontaneously to other activities. Sometimes we take students out for a walk, on a trip to another town, or just for a drink in one of the Prague’s cosy restaurants.

We will share some of these moments with you here, as well as short impressions and pictures from the orientation weeks and other trips and activities.

Have look at what we have been doing and we hope it will encourage you to come and study with us!

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In February 2020 was our faculty able to welcome new students. At the end of the orientation week we went for a lunch. Afterwards we had a walk in the city centre of Prague. Some of the students from the previous semester joined us.

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In the middle of January 2020 we went to the town Kutná Hora. It is situated in the Central Bohemian Region, about 80 km from Prague. This town was especially important for the Bohemian Kingdom during the Middle Ages, as there was a silver mine. Many silver coins were minted there.

But that’s not the only unique thing for which this town is famous. The one which takes the interest of most of the visitors is probably the ossuary. Some of the students visited such a place for the first time.

In the afternoon we went to St Barbara’s Church which is on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list.

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At the beginning of January 2020 two of the students celebrated their birthdays. They organized a gathering to which they invited not only other international students from the faculty, but also other friends.

It was a great evening and I hope that the birthday in 2020 will be unforgettable for you girls!

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A student from Germany invited us in December 2020 to come to her place to do some Christmas baking. Along with her flatmate and her friends we baked Czech-German cookies. We had a lot of fun and took the results of our efforts home with us. Well, at least the ones that were left.

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At the end of November 2019 just three of us met as the others were either sick, busy or had some other duties. We went to the Břevnov monastery. It was founded in 993 and it is the oldest Czech monastery. We wandered round the adjacent gardens and after lunch, which included a beer from the local brewery, we took a private tour.

We saw the ancient ruins of the Roman basilica and a small pool which is a legendary place where the two founders of the monastery –Bishop Adalbert and the Bohemian King Boleslav II – met. The last part of the tour was the Basilica of St Margaret.

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In the middle of November 2019 some of the international students took part at the Block Seminar “What’s Life Like after Theology?” It was at the same time the meeting of the Association of Friends of the Protestant Theological Faculty in Prague.

The students actively participated in the programme: they made notes, asked questions and took part in the discussions. It was also a great opportunity for them to meet with former students of our faculty and to talk with them about each other’s experiences.

During the annual meeting of the Association one of the current students was elected to be a member of the board.

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In the end of October 2019 we had a walk by the riverside area and had dinner together. Students were introduced to some of the traditional Czech snacks, such as sausage pickled in vinegar and camembert pickled in oil. They seemed to enjoy it, however the most they liked Czech beer.

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The weather in October 2019 was extremely warm and sunny. It was a great opportunity to take students out and to show them a jewel among Czech castles – Karlštejn Castle.

We took a local train and went to the little town Karlštejn, which is just about 35 km from Prague.

To get to the castle, we had to climb a big hill, but the castle and the magnificent view of the countryside was more than worth the effort.

We went inside for a guided tour and then we had lunch. Filled with new energy we decided to hike to Malá Amerika, a former limestone quarry.

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In September 2019 new students arrived. Our International Department organized an orientation fortnight for them. As usual, we helped them to get their student cards and also the coupon which allows them to travel within Prague. We also showed them how to choose courses and gave them other important basic information about living in Prague and studying at our faculty.

Every morning for two weeks the students took an intensive Czech language course and in the afternoon we introduced them to some of the sights in Prague. We took them for example to Petřín Hill and Strahov Library, to Stromovka park, New Town Hall, and St. Agnes’ monastery.

We also organized a day trip to the old historical town Litomyšl. It is situated in the east part of the Czech Republic, about 160 km from Prague.

Our Czech language teacher has a friend who teaches at the local Faculty of Restoration. He took us inside the ateliers where he and his colleagues teach students for example how to restore a painting, a sculpture or any other historical item. He told us what materials and techniques they use and showed us exactly what such work looks like. It was very impressive.

After lunch we visited the birthplace of Bedřich Smetana, a famous classical music composer. Then we took a private tour inside the splendid Litomyšl castle.

Before our journey back to Prague we went to Chocco Caffee and enjoyed local chocolates.

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Time flies and in May 2019 the summer semester finished. Before the students went to their home countries, we managed to spend a lovely afternoon together. Firstly we went to Vítkov, a hill with a magnificent view of Prague and we ended up in Irish pub where we enjoyed a beer, Irish whisky and live Irish music.

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Even though the students had already been to the area of Prague castle, we went there again in April 2019. We ended up in Kampa park where there are some huge sculptures of babies, made by Czech sculptor David Černý.

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On March 2019, when the weather started to be a bit warmer and sunny, we went to Náplavka, which is a riverside area. It was nice to be outside and to see how everyone is enjoying the sun.

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On February 2019 we went with students to Petřín. It is a hill basically in the city centre of Prague. There are many parks including the Rose Garden, medieval defence wall, the Petřín Lookout Tower, Cathedral of St Lawrence, St Michael Church and the Mirror Maze.

We had a great time in spite of the chilly weather.