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X-WR-CALNAME:British Czech and Slovak Association
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for British Czech and Slovak Association
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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260410T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260612T170000
DTSTAMP:20260411T053650
CREATED:20260328T163500Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260328T163624Z
UID:12291-1775815200-1781283600@www.bcsa.co.uk
SUMMARY:Baťa's Architecture of Belonging
DESCRIPTION:The Czech Centre London\, in collaboration with the Tomáš Baťa Foundation and the Bata Heritage Centre\, marks the 150th anniversary of Czech entrepreneur Tomáš Baťa’s birth\, founder of the global Baťa Shoe Company\, with an exhibition exploring his achievements and guiding principles and their realisation in East Tilbury. It reveals how ideas about work\, culture\, sport\, health and community were embedded in the design of the built environment. \n\nThe exhibition unfolds in two complementary strands. Desire to Create presents Baťa’s legacy as a comprehensive philosophy\, uniting work with service\, enterprise with education\, and personal development with responsibility towards others – not as a relic of the past\, but as a continuing source of inspiration. Baťa’s Architecture of Belonging brings East Tilbury to life through architectural drawings\, historic photographs and original artefacts\, evoking its distinctive modernist atmosphere. Together\, they trace how ideas were translated into built form – from vision to planning\, from planning to everyday life – creating a cohesive narrative of belonging\, work and community. \nOrganised by the Czech Centre London in partnership with the Bata Heritage Centre. \nOpening hours: Tues – Fri 10am – 5pm\, free entry
URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/batas-architecture-of-belonging/
LOCATION:Vitrinka Gallery\, 30 Kensington Palace Gardens\, London\, W8 4QY\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Bata-Oxford-St.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260513T190000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260513T220000
DTSTAMP:20260411T053650
CREATED:20240323T154759Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260409T121233Z
UID:9539-1778698800-1778709600@www.bcsa.co.uk
SUMMARY:“Get to know you” social evening
DESCRIPTION:This is an opportunity for anyone interested in the British Czech and Slovak Association (members\, supporters and friends) to meet\, eat\, drink\, chat (maybe practise your Czech or Slovak) and get to know each other in a relaxed and informal setting. \nEveryone interested in Czech and/or Slovak matters is most welcome to join us. \nWe will be in one of the rooms at Bohemia House\, normally the first room on the left. \nFood and drinks are available for purchase. \nWest Hampstead has three stations served by the Jubilee line\, Overground and Thameslink.
URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/get-to-know-you-social-evening-5/
LOCATION:Bohemia House\, 74 West End Lane\, London\, NW6 2LX\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:BCSA Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/monthly-social.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260517T150000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260517T163000
DTSTAMP:20260411T053650
CREATED:20260328T165302Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260328T165302Z
UID:12298-1779030000-1779035400@www.bcsa.co.uk
SUMMARY:Jáchym Topol
DESCRIPTION:The European Writers’ Festival returns this May\, bringing together leading and emerging writers from 26 countries for a weekend of discussions on literature\, translation and the challenges shaping Europe today. \nAmong the featured authors is Jáchym Topol\, one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary Czech literature. Emerging from the underground cultural scene of 1980s Czechoslovakia\, Topol has built an acclaimed career as a novelist\, poet and journalist. His works – including City Sister Silver\, The Devil’s Workshop and A Sensitive Man\, as well as his latest novel Hell Does Not Exist (Peklo neexistuje) – blend myth\, history and dark humour to explore the complexities of Central and Eastern Europe. He is a recipient of the Czech State Prize for Literature and works at the Václav Havel Library in Prague. \nTopol will appear on the panel “Stranger Things” (Sunday 17 May\, 15.00–16.15)\, alongside Anne-Marie Reuter and Sara Stridsberg. The discussion brings together three established writers known for bold\, unconventional storytelling\, exploring the boundaries between reality\, fiction and imagination. \nOrganised by EUNIC London in partnership with the British Library and the European Literature Network\, the festival offers a unique opportunity to experience the richness of contemporary European writing. \nTickets available for in person or online attendance see link below
URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/jachym-topol/
LOCATION:British Library\, 96 Euston Road\, London\, NW1 2DB\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Topol.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260611T190000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260611T210000
DTSTAMP:20260411T053650
CREATED:20260328T170328Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260328T170328Z
UID:12306-1781204400-1781211600@www.bcsa.co.uk
SUMMARY:Baťa: designed to belong
DESCRIPTION:Belonging is not accidental – it is designed. This panel explores how architecture shapes belonging – not just by providing shelter\, but by designing everyday life. \nUsing the Bata village at East Tilbury as a starting point\, it examines how modernist ideals\, industrial ambition and community planning combined to create a distinctive model of living. Historian Milan Balaban situates the settlement within the global story of Bata cities\, while architectural historian Gillian Darley reflects on its place in British modernism. Chaired by John Tusa\, the conversation links historical experiments in planned community to today’s questions of development\, identity and place-making. \nSPEAKERS:\nSir John Tusa is a British arts administrator\, author\, journalist and former presenter of the BBC’s Newsnight. Born in Czechoslovakia\, he moved to East Tilbury in 1939\, where his father was Managing Director of the British Bata Shoe Company factory. He is Co-Chairman of the European Union Youth Orchestra and was previously Managing Director of the BBC World Service and Director of the Barbican Arts Centre. He is the author of On Board\, Making a Noise and On Creativity. \nGillian Darley OBE is a widely published writer and historian who was President of the Twentieth Century Society from 2014 until 2021. She first visited East Tilbury\, in search of the Bata industrial village\, in the early 1970s\, when researching and photographing her first book Villages of Vision (1975\, reissued 2007). Ever since she has returned at regular Intervals. The village featured in her most recent book Excellent Essex (2019). In 2024 Gillian achieved a longed-for aim\, a visit to Zlin. \nMilan Balaban is a historian specializing in business\, economic\, and industrial history\, with a focus on the global Bata Company network. He is a researcher at the Information Centre Bata\, Tomas Bata University in Zlín\, and a lecturer at Palacký University in Olomouc. His work examines industrialisation\, company towns\, and corporate mobility in Central and Eastern Europe. He has published several books\, including Bata across Continents (2022)\, and articles in leading journals\, and lectures internationally on multinational enterprises and industrial modernity. \n  \nAdmission: £5 (+ Eventbrite fee) see booking link below
URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/bata-designed-to-belong/
LOCATION:Czech Embassy cinema\, 26 Kensington Palace Gardens\, London\, W8 4QY
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Bata-hotel.jpg
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