British Czech and Slovak Association

The Auschwitz Report (Správa)
2025-05-20 18:00 - 20:30 (Europe/London) | Czech Embassy cinema, 26 Kensington Palace Gardens, London, W8 4QY
A screening of the film The Auschwitz Report (Správa) based on the true story of Rudolf Vrba and Alfréd Wetzler, two prisoners at the Auschwitz concentration camp who managed to escape with details about the camp’s operation including a label from a canister of the pesticide Zyklon-B, used in the murders there. Once across the border into Žilina, Slovakia, they are asked by the resistance to type up their recollections, which later becomes known as the Vrba-Wetzler report. The pair are eventually introduced to a representative from the Red Cross, who despite disbelief at their claims agrees to pass on the report to the Allies.
A 2021 film directed by Peter Bebjak who co-wrote the script with Jozef Pastéka & Peter Bebjack. It is a co-production between Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland and Germany.
Following the screening, there will be a Q&A session with actor Noël Czuczor (playing Alfred Wetzler) as well as personal reflections shared by Dr Bea Lewkowitz (Director, Association of Jewish Refugee Voices Testimony Archive) and Caroline Hilton (daughter of Rudi Vrba and Gerta Vrbova). A profile of Gerta is available on the BCSA website Czech Slovak British Connections – British Czech and Slovak Association

Entry to this event is free but registration is essential see booking link below
This event will take place in person only.
Light refreshments will be served afterwards.

Hosted by the Embassy of the Slovak Republic in London in cooperation with Association of Jewish Refugees and British Czech and Slovak Association as part of a commemorative series of events marking the 80th anniversary of the Second World War.

The 1938 Runciman Mission to Prague
2025-05-19 18:30 - 19:30
As Europe faces yet another major crisis only 80 years after the end of World War Two and confronts the threat of war while latter-day dictators set the terms of peace in Ukraine, it is timely to revisit the role and aim of the Runciman Mission to Prague from 3 August to 16 September 1938. The context then was Hitler’s geo-political ambition and Neville Chamberlain’s appeasement policy to gain ‘peace for our time’. On 30 September 1938 the Munich Agreement ceded Czechoslovakia’s Sudetenland to Hitler – ‘O nás bez nás’ [‘about us without us’]. Must history repeat itself? On 15 March 1939 it was followed by the total occupation of Bohemia and Moravia.
Dr Ann Shukman, granddaughter of William Runciman, will answer questions received in advance regarding the Mission and her insightful book 44 Days in Prague: The Runciman Mission and the Race to Save Europe published by Hurst & Co. UK in 2024. She will be joined by her daughter, Clare Ramos, and her son David Shukman.
Please send any questions for Dr. Shukman to events@bcsa.co.uk.
Dr Shukman graduated in Modern Languages from Cambridge and gained a doctorate in Russian Literary theory from Oxford. Her lifelong interests have been Russia and the Christian church. In 1994 she was one of the first women ordained in the Church of England.
This event will be held via Zoom only.
It is held jointly with the Friends of Czech Heritage (FoCH) www.czechfriends.net
BCSA and FoCH members enjoy free registration which is essential see booking link below
Non-members £10, full-time students £5. Eventbrite fees will be added to the cost of your tickets at checkout.

All proceeds from this event will go to the BCSA School Support Fund established in 2004 to provide support for English language skills in Czech and Slovak schools and other educational institutions. For more information about our fund see www.bcsa.co.uk/school-support-fund/

Legacy of courage and rescue
2025-05-13 18:30 - 20:30 | Slovak Embassy, 25 Kensington Palace Gardens, London, W8 4QY, United Kingdom
Legacy of Courage and Rescue: 80 Years Since the End of World War II. A panel discussion organised by the British Czech and Slovak Association, the Memorial Association for Free Czechoslovak Veterans and the Embassy of the Slovak Republic. Join us as we reflect on the heroism, suffering, and hope that emerged from one of the most defining moments of the 20th century.
The event will also include the official presentation of the exhibition “Slovak Memorials to Victims of the II World War”
We look forward to welcoming you for an evening of remembrance, dialogue, and historical reflection.
Panelists:
Gerry Manolas chair, Memorial Association for Free Czechoslovak Veterans
The Czechoslovak Independent Armoured Brigade (Dunkirk)
Film Siege Soldiers- Fortress Dunkirk by George Scott
Sylvia Daintrey on the role of Herbert Lowit in the surrender of Dunkirk
Film Parade of Hope

Lady Milena Grenfell-Baines – The Kindertransport

Magdalena Luscombe and Nina Buckley – RAF Pilots (Václav Robert Bozděch and Antis)

Entry to this event is free but registration is essential, see booking link below
This event will take place in person and will also be livestreamed.
Light refreshments will be served afterwards.

Iva Bittová & JeFis Duo
2025-05-09 19:00 - 2025-05-10 21:00
Singer and violinist Iva Bittová in a joint concert with JeFis Duo (violinist Pavel Fischer and accordionist Jakub Jedlinsky). A captivating world music combining influences of Moravian, Balkan, Jewish, Irish and Roma music.
The work of the duo Jedlinský – Fischer combines traditional ethnic music with elements of classical, jazz and free improvisation. It is inspired by the truth of folk music, whose message is love, joy and the desire for harmony.
Iva Bittová creates her music in a similar way. When such creative souls as these three occasionally meet during their concerts, their musical testimony is even more intensified!
“In today’s divided world full of uncertainty, discord, anger and stupidity, when we seek light and love, or just common human decency, music can be that beacon. It knows no boundaries, it doesn’t judge, it just sounds, consoles and heals.” Duo Jedlinský – Fischer
“My approach to music is based on contact with nature. What really inspires me is absolute silence and a completely positive atmosphere….” Iva Bittová

Manchester Friday 9 May 7pm Didsbury Baptist Church tickets from Czech School & Community Manchester online ticket sales powered by TicketSource
London Saturday 10 May 7pm tickets from Buy tickets – Koncert Iva Bittová & JeFis Duo | Live Performance Iva Bittová & JeFis Duo – St Philip’s Church, Earl’s Court Road
The concerts are organised by the Czech and Slovak School Okénko in cooperation with Czech School & Community Manchester and the Embassy of the Czech Republic in London.

Janáček: Excursions of Mr Brouček
2025-05-04 19:00 - 2025-05-06 21:30 | Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS, United Kingdom
The ‘hero’ of Janáček’s 1920 satire is the sausage- and beer-guzzling Brouček, a complacent, commitment-averse landlord. Over two acts he travels to both the moon and the fifteenth century. Thinking the grass will be greener both times, Brouček finds himself out of step with the communities he encounters, almost fatally so at one point. He ends up learning nothing, yet manages to claim he saved his homeland from disaster. Janáček’s colourful score and vividly-drawn characters are perfect for this uproarious, off-beat story.
London Symphony Orchestra
Sir Simon Rattle conductor
Peter Hoare Brouček
Aleš Briscein Mazal/Blankytný/Petřík
Lucy Crowe Málinka/Etherea/Kunka

Gyula Orendt Sakristán/Lunobor/Domšík
Lukáš Zeman Svatopluk/Würfl/Čaroskvoucí/Ratsherr
Clara Nadeshdin Číšníček/Wunderkind/Student
Arttu Kataja Artist/Dohuslav/Vojta
Linard Vrielink Skladatel/Harfoboj/Miroslav
Hanna Hipp Kedruta

Wild Slovakia with Nigel Marven
2025-04-30 18:30 - 20:30 | Slovak Embassy, 25 Kensington Palace Gardens, London, W8 4QY, United Kingdom
Join Nigel Marven as he presents his documentary film Wild Slovakia with Nigel Marven. This highly regarded documentary shows the natural beauties of Slovakia from watching a brown bear at a distance of just 40 metres, fighting with a wood grouse to being completely covered by European ground squirrels.
This documentary was filmed in 2022 and 2023 by a British-Slovak team with exceptional scenes of Slovakia’s nature and also recorded interviews with experts on nature protection, environmentalism and ecotourism.
As the documentary’s official website states “With its biodiversity, Slovakia, as a secret gem of Europe, can compete with exotic countries of the world.”
Nigel Marven is a renowned British wildlife TV presenter, naturalist, conservationist, author, and television producer. He has filmed for National Geographic and Animal Planet, worked for 12 years with Sir David Attenborough and made more than 150 films.
Light refreshments will be served afterwards.
Entry to this event is free but registration is essential see link below
This event will take place in person and will also be livestreamed.
It is held in association with and hosted by the Embassy of the Slovak Republic.

Pioneers of Czech Graphic Design
2025-04-22 19:00 - 21:00 | Czech Embassy cinema, 26 Kensington Palace Gardens, London, W8 4QY
The history of both Czech and global graphic design would be incomplete without the ground breaking contributions of Czech artists whose work transcended borders and shaped visual culture worldwide. This event explores the lasting impact of Alphonse Mucha, Karel Teige, Ladislav Sutnar, and Miroslav Šašek—visionaries whose innovations continue to inspire designers today.
Mucha, the pre-eminent exponent of Art Nouveau, revolutionized visual culture in Belle Époque Paris with his iconic theatre and advertising posters, laying the foundation for modern graphic design, whileTeige, a key figure of the European avant-garde, redefined book design through bold typography and geometric compositions. Sutnar pioneered modern information design, creating user-friendly communication systems that remain relevant today, and Šašek’s beloved This is… series of illustrated city guides reshaped how generations of children experienced the world.
Curator Tomoko Sato (Mucha Foundation), Peter Zusi (The Integrity of the Avant-Garde, Karel Teige and the Biography of an Ambition, Legenda 2024),Adrian Shaughnessy (graphic designer and RCA senior lecturer), and Lukáš Novotný (designer and illustrator) will shed light on how these Czech designers helped shape modern visual culture through a series of illustrated presentations, followed by a panel discussion and Q&A.
Tomoko Sato has been curator of the Mucha Foundation since 2007, overseeing its exhibition and research programs. Formerly curator at the Barbican Art Gallery (Barbican Centre), London, she has curated a wide range of exhibitions examin- ing the art, architecture, design, and photography of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, with a long-standing interest in the artistic and cul- tural cross-fertilization between East and West. Her publications include Japan and Britain: An Aesthetic Dialogue, 1850–1930 (Lund Humphries, 1991), The Wilde Years: Oscar Wilde and the Art of His Time (Philip Wilson, 2000), Mucha (Taschen, 2015), Alphonse Mucha Photographs (Mucha Foundation Publishing, 2018), and Le Pater: Le Grand Oeuvre d’Alphonse Mucha (Édition de la Réunion des musées nationaux-Grand Palais, 2023).
Peter Zusi is Associate Professor of Czech and Comparative Literature at the UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies, where he also serves as Vice Dean for Research in the Faculty of Arts & Humanities. Peter’s research spans various disciplines, including Czech and German literature and culture from the 18th through 21st centuries, Central European intellectual history, Czechoslovak film and photography, Slovak literature, theory of literary and visual avant-gardes and modernism, philosophy of history, Critical Theory, and the intersection of literature and architecture. He is also the author of the recently published The Integrity of the Avant-Garde: Karel Teige and the Biography of an Ambition (Cambridge, England: Legenda, 2024).
Adrian Shaughnessy is a graphic designer, writer, educator and publisher. A senior lecturer at the RCA, he also works as an independent design consultant. His book How to Be a Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul has sold 80,000 copies and been translated into multiple languages. He is a member of the Alliance Graphique Internationale and a regular contributor to leading design journals. He co-founded Unit Editions, publishing acclaimed design books, and has authored monographs on Herb Lubalin, Ken Garland, Paula Scher, Vaughan Oliver, FHK Henrion and Lance Wyman.
Lukáš Novotný is an illustrator, graphic designer and author. His background is in the world of civil engineering and architecture, and most of his illustrations and design work relates to architecture and cities. His latest book, Modern New York, won 2024 Communication Arts Awards while his first book, Modern London, was shortlisted for the British Book Design Awards. His work was featured on BBC Radio London, TimeOut London, Czech Television, Londonist, Grand Designs magazine, Outsider and more.

Admission: £5 (+ Eventbrite fee) see booking link below

Prague 22 tram journey through the city
2025-04-15 18:30 - 20:30 | Czech Embassy cinema, 26 Kensington Palace Gardens, London, W8 4QY
Join Raymond Tallis on this illustrated memoir of a daily journey on tram number 22 that links his flat in Vršovice and Prague Castle. Explore with him his observations encompassing the magic, culture and history as well as the tragedy of Prague, interwoven by his philosophical but also humorous reflections, and meet en route a host of prominent figures. This talk is based on Raymond’s book Prague 22: A Philosopher Takes A Tram Through a City published by Philosophy Now in 2025.
Raymond Tallis is a philosopher, poet, novelist and cultural critic, and has published widely on philosophical topics, but prior to his retirement was Professor of Geriatric Medicine at the University of Manchester and was elected Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in recognition of his contribution to medical research.
This event will take place in person and will also be livestreamed
BCSA members enjoy free entry but registration is essential see booking link below
Non-members £10, full-time students £5. Eventbrite fees will be added to the cost of your tickets at checkout.
Light refreshments will be served after the talk.
All proceeds from this event will go to the BCSA School Support Fund established in 2004 to provide support for English language skills in Czech and Slovak schools and other educational institutions. For more information about our fund see www.bcsa.co.uk/school-support-fund/

A Life in Bat'a Modernism
2025-04-08 18:30 - 20:30 | Czech Embassy cinema, 26 Kensington Palace Gardens, London, W8 4QY
Sir John Tusa, born in Zlín, Moravia, talks about the influence of Modernist architecture on his life with some 50 slides of Zlín and Tilbury, including historic videos of East Tilbury and Coronation Day celebrations.
Two days before the German occupation of Czechoslovakia on 15 March 1939, John’s father flew out of Czechoslovakia on a Bat’a company plane via Poland, Yugoslavia and France, becoming general manager and later managing director of the Bat’a factory and its associated village in East Tilbury. British Bat’a Shoes, based on the Czechoslovak pattern, created a pioneering work-living community around its model modern movement factory – estate houses, tennis courts, a swimming pool, and factory buildings all in for 1930s England: a radical concept within the architecture of European High Modernism.
“From the Neo-Bauhaus Modernism of my birth town, Bat’a Zlín, to the so-called ‘Brutalism’ of the Barbican, I have always lived comfortably with Modernism. After all, it is the architecture of my life and times.”
Sir John Tusa is a writer, TV journalist and arts administrator.
Tickets £15 including a glass of wine see booking link below

Míla Fürstová in conversation
2025-03-19 19:00 - 20:30 | Czech Embassy cinema, 26 Kensington Palace Gardens, London, W8 4QY
The discussion will explore the renowned Czech artist’s life and award winning art. Highly regarded for her etchings and beautiful book illustrations for Czech classics such as Kytice (a bouquet of folk legends) by Karel Jaromír Erben and Božena Němcová’s Babička (grandmother) some of which came to be adapted as Czech postage stamps. Book illustrations for Máj (May) by Karel Hynek Mácha are her latest work.
In 2014 Fürstová’s work reached over 400 million people when she was commissioned to create the artwork for Coldplay’s Ghost Stories album and four singles.
Míla’s large-scale installation Motherhood can be found at 191 Old Marylebone Road on the site of the former Queen Charlotte’s Lying-In Hospital, one of the first hospitals to provide medical care for unmarried women. She won Westminster City Council’s competition for the commission of the work.
Born in Czechoslovakia, Míla gained an MA degree in Art, English Language and Psychology at Charles University in Prague, whilst simultaneously studying for a BA degree in Fine Art Printmaking at the University of Gloucestershire. In 2001 she received a masters degree from the Royal College of Art and subsequently lectured at Coventry University and The University of Gloucestershire. Míla currently lives and works in Cheltenham.
BCSA members enjoy free entry but registration is essential. £10 (+ Eventbrite fee) for non-members, £5 (+ Eventbrite fee) for students. See booking link below.
Light refreshments will be served.
This event will also be livestreamed via Zoom.
All proceeds from this event will go to the BCSA School Support Fund established in 2004 to provide support for English language skills in Czech and Slovak schools and other educational institutions. For more information about our fund see www.bcsa.co.uk/school-support-fund/

BCSA Annual General Meeting 2025
2025-03-19 18:00 - 18:45 | Czech Embassy cinema, 26 Kensington Palace Gardens, London, W8 4QY
The BCSA AGM is open to all members. The agenda includes the presentation of the chair’s and financial reports for 2024 plus the election of honorary officers of the executive committee. Copies of the independently examined accounts for 2024 and the minutes of the AGM held on 20 March 2024 will be available at the meeting together with the treasurer’s report.
The four honorary officer posts – chair, vice-chair, secretary and treasurer – are held for one year and are subject to election at every AGM. The current chair, Jana Nahodilova, as well as the remaining officers, namely Ruzena Holub, Blanka Shrimpton and Ivona Klemensova respectively, are willing to stand for re-election.
Committee members are elected for a term of three years. Jana Buresova is standing for re-election this year and Sandra Milite for election as a full member of the committee.
Any member of the BCSA can be nominated as an honorary officer or committee member. Nomination forms can be obtained from Blanka Shrimpton by e-mail: secretary@bcsa.co.uk and returned to her by 12 March 2025.
Please register your attendance, or apologies for absence, to secretary@bcsa.co.uk.
The AGM will also be livestreamed via Zoom; the link will be made available following registration.
Mila Fürstová in conversation will follow the formal part of the evening.

Czech Philharmonic: Mozart, Mahler
2025-03-08 19:30 - 21:30 | Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS, United Kingdom
The Czech Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Semyon Bychkov perform Mozart’s Concerto for Two Pianos with Katia and Mariella Labèque followed by Mahler’s Symphony No 5.
Mozart wrote his concerto for two pianos for himself and his sister.
Semyon Bychkov and his Prague orchestra have attracted lavish praise for their Mahler symphony cycle. Their recording of the Symphony No 5 was the Sunday Times’ 2022 Classical Album of the Year, conjuring ‘a musical universe of dreams and prophecies’ full of ‘sonic opulence with textural clarity’ with its achingly poignant Adagietto made famous by Visconti in his film Death in Venice.

Second Czech-Slovak ball
2025-03-08 18:00 | Bohemia House, 74 West End Lane, London, NW6 2LX, United Kingdom
Following a successful first year, we invite you once again to a new edition of the traditional Czech-Slovak ball!
What to Expect: A four-course dinner + welcome drink upon arrival Live performance by the folk band Morena Exciting tombola prizes Music and entertainment hosted by DJ Janci & Fero Dress Code: Black Tie
Tickets: £50 per person see booking link below

Czech Philharmonic: Shostakovich
2025-03-07 19:30 - 21:30 | Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS, United Kingdom
An orchestra blazing burnished colours, rich string tone, and boundless refinement, the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Semyon Bychkov performs Dmitri Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No 1 with Sheku Kanneh-Mason followed by Symphony No 5.
Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No 1 holds a special place in Sheku Kanneh-Mason’s heart – with it he secured the title of BBC Young Musician of the Year 2016. His 2023 performance ‘had the feel of chamber music as if the strings were consoling a colleague who was sharing the depths of his, and the music’s, soul’ (Bachtrack). And ‘the players of the marvelous Czech Philharmonic bring the piece to life as few, if any, orchestras have before or since’ (Classics Today).
The ovation that greeted the 1937 premiere of Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony lasted over an hour – perhaps fuelled by its agonisingly intense slow movement and the triumphal ending – though its deeper meaning is fraught with ambiguity.

Celebrating Jan Svěrák’s 60th
2025-02-06 19:00 - 21:30 | Czech Embassy cinema, 26 Kensington Palace Gardens, London, W8 4QY
In 1997, Czech filmmaker Jan Svěrák and UK-based producer Eric Abraham captivated the world when their heartfelt masterpiece Kolya won both the Academy Award and the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film. Written by Jan’s father, Zdeněk Svěrák, Kolya became a landmark moment in their celebrated father-son collaboration. But Jan’s journey to Oscar glory began much earlier—with a Student Academy Award in 1988 for his inventive environmental mockumentary Oil Gobblers and the Oscar nomination for Elementary school in 1991.
Now, as Jan Svěrák celebrates his 60th birthday, join us for a special double bill of Kolya and Oil Gobblers, introduced by multi-award-winning producer Eric Abraham. Eric will share behind-the-scenes stories from their groundbreaking partnership, which began with Kolya and continued with acclaimed films like Dark Blue World, Kooky, and Empties. Don’t miss this opportunity to revisit two extraordinary films and celebrate Jan’s birthday with us.
Oil Gobblers
Jan Svěrák, Czechoslovakia 1988, 22´
Cast: Emil Nedbal, Lubomír Beneš, Ivo Kašpar, Jan Rokyta, Jiří Němec
In 1987 northern Bohemia, a team investigates “Petroleus Mostensis,” a mythical creature devouring polyethylene in a toxic industrial wasteland. Blending satire and environmental critique, Jan Svěrák’s student film spotlights Czechoslovakia’s ecological destruction. Amid humour and drama, the mockumentary exposes the consequences of unchecked industrial exploitation. 60
Kolya
Jan Svěrák, Czech Republic, 1996, 105´
Cast: Zdeněk Svěrák, Andrej Chalimon, Libuse Safránková, Ondrej Vetchý
“Enchanting…Kolya deserves all its international success.” The Times
“What makes “Kolya” special is the way it paints the details. Like the films of the Czech New Wave in the late 1960s, it has a cheerful, irreverent humour, and an eye for the absurdities of human behaviour.” Roger Ebert
Oscar® Winner Best Foreign Film (1996). The middle-aged Czech cellist Josef Louka is a skirt-chasing bachelor, who enjoys a lifestyle free of responsibilities. Strapped for cash he agrees to a marriage of convenience. But after his new bride skips town, he is left to father her five-year-old Russian son, Kolya. Neither could be more unhappy with their predicament, especially since they don’t even speak the same language. But time and patience form an unbreakable bond between this unlikely father-son duo.

Admission: £7 (+ Eventbrite fee) see booking link below

BCSA Quiz Night
2025-02-04 18:30 - 20:30 | Bohemia House, 74 West End Lane, London, NW6 2LX, United Kingdom
Did you know that 4th February is the Day of Czechs Abroad? To celebrate in style, we are holding another BCSA Pub Quiz.
This is your chance to show off your knowledge of anything and everything British, Czech and Slovak. Test yourself about how much you know about British, Czech and Slovak connections at this unique quiz presented by the British Czech and Slovak Association (BCSA).
Gather you friends and join us for a fun evening and a friendly competition at Bohemia House in West Hampstead. Food and drinks are available for purchase.
West Hampstead has three stations served by the Jubilee line, Overground and Thameslink.
BCSA members and full time students: £3
Non-members £5
Eventbrite fees will be added to the cost of your tickets at checkout.
If you book 2 or more tickets, we will assume that everyone would like to sit at the same table, i.e. be on the same team.
If you book a ticket for yourself only, please let us know the name of the person you would like to be on the same team with. Alternatively, you can tell us about your strengths in terms of your knowledge and we will team you up with a player with complementary expertise.
West Hampstead has three stations served by the Jubilee line, Overground and Thameslink.
All proceeds from this event will go to the BCSA School Support Fund established in 2004 to provide support for English language skills in Czech and Slovak schools and other educational institutions.

Reflections on the 80th Anniversary of the Yalta Agreement
2025-02-03 18:30 - 20:30 | Czech Embassy cinema, 26 Kensington Palace Gardens, London, W8 4QY
Join us on the very eve of the Yalta Agreement, to consider some of the seemingly disparate events that preceded and led to the crucial and far-reaching meetings, held from 4-11 February 1945. Yalta, then a small place close to the Black Sea, but of immense significance regarding the political, economic and societal future of the post-war world.
Focusing on Europe, Dr Thomas Lorman (SSEES) will present an overview of the Yalta Agreement, its impact and some of its consequences, and also refer to Hungary. Mimi Kuttelwascherová will cover of the three powers’ experiences at the meetings follows. Gerry Manolas, chair Memorial Association for Free Czechoslovak Veterans, will speak of their sacrifice and show part of historian Dr George Scott’s film, ‘Good Intensions’. Yalta’s impact on Poland will also be discussed and to conclude, Mimi Kuttelwascherová shall briefly describe her involvement in London’s Yalta Memorial, ‘Our Statue of Liberty’.
This illustrated panel discussion will take place in person and will also be livestreamed.
BCSA members enjoy free entry but registration is essential see booking link below.
Non-members £10, full-time students £5.
Eventbrite fees will be added to the cost of your tickets at checkout.
Light refreshments will be served afterwards.
All proceeds from this event will go to the BCSA School Support Fund established in 2004 to provide support for English language skills in Czech and Slovak schools and other educational institutions. For more information about our fund see https://www.bcsa.co.uk/school-support-fund/

Robert Bruce Lockhart “Best Friend the Czechs Ever Had”
2025-01-30 18:30 - 20:30 | Czech Embassy cinema, 26 Kensington Palace Gardens, London, W8 4QY
Robert Bruce Lockhart had an extraordinary career. In 1918, he served as the British Government’s “Agent” in Bolshevik Russia and orchestrated a brazen plot to topple Vladimir Lenin’s regime. The plot’s failure resulted in Lockhart’s imprisonment in the Kremlin before returning to Britain in disgrace. He was subsequently posted to the Prague Legation – the hub of ‘Eastern’ Europe’s post-war reconstruction.
Lockhart was not to know that his arrival in the newly created Czechoslovakia would lead to his enduring affection for the Czech people, a lifelong friendship with Jan and Tomáš Masaryk and a willingness to defend their country from Nazi and Communist aggression for years to come.
This talk explores Lockhart’s service as Britain’s representative to the Czechoslovak Government-in-Exile during World War Two, his work with the Special Operations Executive and the Czech resistance and his attempts, following the Communist coup of 1948, to use his gifts as a propagandist and practitioner of psychological warfare to rally the Czechs in the face of Soviet expansionism.
James Crossland is a Professor of International History at Liverpool John Moores University, with a specialism in the history of intelligence, propaganda and terrorism. His latest book – the product of a decade of research – is Rogue Agent: From Secret Plots to Psychological Warfare, the Untold Story of Robert Bruce Lockhart (Elliot & Thompson, 2024).
This event will take place in person and will also be livestreamed
Light refreshments will be served
BCSA members enjoy free entry but registration is essential.
Non-members £10, full-time students £5.
Eventbrite fees will be added to the cost of your tickets at checkout, see booking link below
All proceeds from this event will go to the BCSA School Support Fund established in 2004 to provide support for English language skills in Czech and Slovak schools and other educational institutions. For more information about our fund see www.bcsa.co.uk/school-support-fund/

Courier: my life as a spy in communist Czechoslovakia
2025-01-28 18:30 - 20:30 | Czech Embassy cinema, 26 Kensington Palace Gardens, London, W8 4QY
This talk by Professor Mark Cornwall explores the subject of secret police surveillance in communist Czechoslovakia in the 1980s. Prof. Cornwall draws on his own surveillance file, asking why, when and where he was being followed and assessed by the StB (the Czechoslovak security police). He then widens the focus to evaluate the general methods of StB information-gathering during the last years of communism.
Who were the StB informers, and how far can we speak of an efficient system of vigilance, especially of foreign visitors to the country? Although so much of the StB archive was deliberately destroyed in December 1989, the talk reveals what can still be learnt from scrutinizing some personal case studies. It thereby offers some deeper suggestions about the actual (in)stability of the late communist regime in the build up to the Velvet Revolution.
Mark Cornwall is Emeritus Professor of Modern European History at the University of Southampton. He has researched and taught modern Czech history for over 30 years, and lived in Czechoslovakia in the late 1980s. He is currently researching the communist secret police (StB), and also writing a book about treason, including Czech traitors, in the late Habsburg Empire. In 2022 the Czech Academy of Sciences awarded Prof. Cornwall the ‘Palacký Medal for Merit in the Historical Sciences’ for his work on Czech history.
Tickets £15 including a glass of wine. See booking link below.

1945 Yalta Conference
2025-01-28 17:45 - 18:45 | Kensington Central Library, 12 Phillimore Walk, London, W8 7RX, United Kingdom
February 2025 marks the 80th Anniversary of the Yalta Conference which led to countless people perishing behind the Iron Curtain when they were repatriated to the USSR at the conclusion of the Second World War.
You are warmly welcomed to attend an exhibition at Kensington Central Library curated by the archivist, Sophia Hall, and a talk by Mimi Kuttelwascherova and Dr Jana Buresova exploring the impact of the Yalta Conference and the importance of the Yalta Memorial, the Twelve Responses to Tragedy, located in the Yalta Memorial Garden on Cromwell Road in South Kensington.
Mimi Kuttelwascherova
Her story “Good bye King Wenceslaus” was a winner in The Penguin 2007 Decibel prize: true stories of immigrants.
Dr Jana Buresova
Dr Jana Buresova has spoken and published about exile-related issues and is the author of The Dynamics of Forced Female Migration from Czechoslovakia to Britain, 1938-1950.

The event is free and will be held in the Lecture Theatre in Kensington Central Library. Please register via the Eventbrite link below.

The Hungarian Dressmaker
2025-01-23 19:00 - 21:00 | Czech Embassy cinema, 26 Kensington Palace Gardens, London, W8 4QY
Marika, a Hungarian widow dressmaker shelters a little Czech Jewish boy in her home on the Slovak-Hungarian border during the turbulent years of WW2 and the wartime Slovak State. Based on Peter Krištúfek’s novella Emma and the Death’s Head and inspired by true events, the screening marks the Holocaust Memorial Day.
It’s the 1940s. The Slovak state witnesses the rise of nationalism and it’s not an auspicious time for minorities. The turbulent social mood also impacts the widow Marika, who loses her job in an Aryanised dressmaker’s shop. Given the increasing anti-Hungarian sentiment, she shuts herself away, particularly since she is also harbouring a little Jewish boy. Despite this, she still finds herself singled out by two men: a German Nazi officer and a captain of Slovakia’s Hlinka Guard. This drama by Slovak director Iveta Grófová is an adaptation of the novella by Peter Krištúfek, which conjures up the dramatic atmosphere of wartime Slovakia. The story of a fragmented era, which forces the protagonists to confront complex dilemmas, is told not only through words but also by way of a powerful visual language.
Iveta Grófová, Czech Republic/Slovakia, 2024, 129‘
Cast Alexandra Borbély, Nico Klimek, Milan Ondrík, Alexander E. Fennon
Tickets £8.30 see booking link below

Premiered at the Crystal Globe Competition at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2024

Jenůfa
2025-01-15 19:00 - 2025-02-01 22:00 | Royal Opera House
Jenůfa is keeping secret from everyone that she is pregnant by Števa, whom she loves despite his drinking and womanising. Jenůfa’s stepmother, Kostelnička, had a violent, alcoholic husband and tells Števa he won’t be allowed to marry Jenůfa unless he stays sober for a year. Števa’s overbearing behaviour towards Jenůfa angers Laca, who loves Jenůfa and is jealous. When Jenůfa defends Števa, Laca becomes enraged. They struggle and he slashes her face with a knife.
Months later, Kostelnička and Jenůfa conspire to keep the birth of Jenůfa’s illegitimate baby secret. Števa knows he has a son, but refuses to marry Jenůfa now her face is disfigured. Laca offers to save Jenůfa’s reputation and marry her, but is reluctant to take on Števa’s child. Kostelnička tells both Laca and Jenůfa that the baby died while Jenůfa slept. But on Jenůfa’s wedding day the terrible truth is revealed.
Corinne Winters (Jenůfa) and Karita Mattila ( Kostelnička) lead in Janáček’s evocative opera with a score that is infused with traditional folk melodies of the composer’s native Moravia. Music Director Designate Jakub Hrůša conducts Claus Guth’s staging which is an ‘edgy, evocative’ (Telegraph) take on this poignant domestic drama.
Sung in Czech with English surtitles
Performances: 15, 18, 23, 27, 30 January and 1 February

“Hello Citizens!” („Ahoj občani!")
2024-12-21 10:00 - 2025-04-21 18:00 | Dům U Zlatého prstenu, Týnská 630/6, Prague, Czech Republic
„Ahoj občani!” (“Hello, citizens!”) was how Karel Kryl greeted the audience after his emotional return to Czechoslovakia from exile in December 1989.
An exhibition celebrating the legendary protest singer Karel Kryl marks two important anniversaries: the 80th anniversary of his birth and 30 years since his death. It offers an intimate look into his life and work, featuring items from his personal estate, recently donated to the National Archives by his wife. On display are previously unpublished manuscripts, drawings, photographs, and oil paintings, but also personal treasures, like the guitar he played at his final concert in Chomutov on February 25, 1994 just a week before his untimely death.
Singer, songwriter, and poet, Kryl was one of the leading voices of protest in Czechoslovakia. His music captured the frustrations of the nation after the Soviet-led invasion in August 1968. His iconic song ‘Bratříčku, zavírej vrátka’ (‘Close the Gate, Brother’), written immediately after the invasion, became an anthem for the occupied country. In 1969, Kryl emigrated to Germany, where he worked as a journalist for Radio Free Europe, but also continued to sing and compose.
Karel Kryl passed away in Munich in March 1994, but his legacy lives on. His songs are still sung in pubs and around campfires, even by younger generations who never experienced the world he sang about.
Tuesday–Sunday: 10 am–6 pm

Josef Koudelka Ruins
2024-12-21 10:00 - 2025-03-30 18:00 | Museum of Decorative Arts, 17 listopadu 2, Prague 1, 17 listopadu 2, Prague 1, Czech Republic
The photographs of Josef Koudelka’s latest series were made over many years, from 1991 to 2017, at more than 200 archaeological sites in the Mediterranean, including Albania, Algeria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Syria, Tunisia, and Turkey. To accompany the exhibition, a Czech-English volume is being published with articles by the Czech art historian Tomáš Pospěch and the French archaeologist Alain Schnapp. The volume contains 40 pictures, which is a narrow selection identical with the large panoramic photographs shown at the exhibition. The photographs from the Ruins project are part of the generous gift of roughly 2,500 photographs of his life’s work, which Mr Koudelka has presented to the Museum over the past few years.
Mr. Koudelka was born in the Moravian town of Boskovice in 1938, and became interested in photography from a young age. After finishing a degree at the Czech Technical University in Prague in 1961, he set off on travels through rural parts of Czechoslovakia, Romania, Hungary, France and Spain, photographing as he went, with a particular focus on documenting the lives of the Roma in those countries.
He arrived back in Czechoslovakia shortly before the Warsaw-Pact Invasion of 1968. His pictures of that historic event were smuggled out of the country, and were distributed abroad. For the sake of safety, Mr. Koudelka was credited only as “P.P.” (‘Prague Photographer’). He fled to the UK in 1970, becoming a member of the prestigious international agency Magnum Photos, and a French citizen in 1987.
Opening Hours
Tuesday 10 a.m.–8 p.m.
Wednesday – Sunday 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
Monday closed

Let's bake Czech Christmas cookies
2024-12-19 19:00 - 20:30
Join our expert baker, chef and nutritional therapist Linda North for festive fun as we explore the enchanting world of Czech Christmas cookies with easy-to-follow, flavourful recipes that are sure to become holiday favourites. These traditional treats are not only delicious but also fun to create and share with loved ones. So, let’s roll up our sleeves and start baking some festive magic!

Linda North is a plant-based chef and nutritional therapist at the Green Gut. She is passionate about crafting vibrant, plant-based recipes that make healthy eating easy and enjoyable. With a background in nutritional therapy, she’s focused on showing how the right food choices can positively impact mood and well-being.

This event takes place on Zoom. All registered participants will receive a Zoom link and a list of ingredients that they will need to get before the event.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS EVENT IS FREE TO ALL WHO REGISTER AS A CHRISTMAS PRESENT FROM THE BCSA.
see registration link below

Pavel Šporcl
2024-11-30 19:30 - 21:30 | Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre,
Czech violinist Pavel Šporcl creates sparks with the English Chamber Orchestra in an animated programme celebrating the Year of Czech Music 2024.
Dvorak’s Violin Concerto is a marvellous example of the great Czech composer incorporating the spirit of his homeland into a concert work that has charmed violinists and audiences around the world. And his Bohemian spirit also shines through in Symphony No. 8, one of his most energetic and playful works.
The English Chamber Orchestra is conducted by their Principal Guest Conductor, Roberto Fores Veses in this unmissable concert, which also includes works by Faure and Saint-Saens, and explores the close connection between the Prague and Paris Conservatories.
Repertoire
Fauré: Suite, Masques et bergamasques
Dvořák: Violin Concerto
Interval
Saint-Saëns: Introduction & Rondo Capriccioso in A minor, Op.28
Dvořák: Symphony No.8

BCSA/CBCC annual dinner
2024-11-22 18:30 - 23:00 | The May Fair Hotel, Stratton Street, London, W1J 8LT, United Kingdom
Our traditional annual dinner will once again be held jointly with the Czech British Chamber of Commerce (CBCC) at the May Fair Hotel, Stratton Street, London (nearest underground Green Park).
This highlight in the BCSA calendar is a wonderful opportunity for Slovaks, Czechs and Britons to mingle in a convivial atmosphere, to meet old friends and make new ones.
If you are a newcomer to the BCSA or to London, we would like to extend a special invitation and welcome you into our friendly community. Kindly note that you may request seating at a table with your friends.
Guest speakers
Daniela Jurisova Slovak camerawoman working for Czech TV in the UK
As a professional camera operator, editor, video and photojournalist Daniela has experience of documentary, corporate videos and international TV news organisations. She is also a visual anthropologist and is active in academic settings.
Michaela Kozak Director, LASVIT UK
Michaela will share the success story of LASVIT, a Czech company that strives to take glassmaking craftsmanship into the future. The brand was founded in 2007 and delivers bespoke lighting sculptures and art installations made from hand-blown glass.

Dr. Nigel Brown Headmaster, The English College in Prague – Anglické gymnázium, o.p.s.

Nigel will speak about the college and its mission to provide an English-medium academic education for young people in Prague but also develop every individual’s potential to the full preparing them for the practical, social, intellectual and moral challenges that they will face in today’s globalised society.

The winners of our 2023 writing competition will be announced and there will also be an opportunity to win attractive raffle prizes.

Ticket prices include a glass of sparkling wine upon arrival, a three-course set dinner (see menus below) with a half a bottle of wine, still/sparkling water, coffee/tea.

BCSA and CBCC Members: £89 per person
Non-Members: £99 per person
Non-Members group (5 or more) £89 per person
Students £75 per person

Programme:
6:30-7:30pm drinks reception in the Atrium
7:30-10.30pm dinner in the Danziger Suite
cash bar until 11pm

Menu:
Menu 1 (non-vegetarian)
Sun-dried-tomato-crusted cod, fine herb salad and olive oil dressing
Free range chicken supreme, wild rice, sprouting broccoli, carrot pressing and pan juices
Profiterole filled with vanilla ice cream and hot chocolate sauce V
Menu 2 (vegetarian)

Heirloom tomatoes, mozzarella, pesto, basil cress, balsamic and Nocellara olives V
Warm asparagus and feta cheese tart, crushed new potatoes, heritage tomatoes and split vinaigrette V
Profiterole filled with vanilla ice cream and hot chocolate sauce V

Dress Code: Lounge Suit
For more information contact us via bcsa@bcsa.co.uk

Havel speaking, can you hear me?
2024-11-14 18:45 - 20:30 | Institute of Contemporary Arts, The Mall, London, SW1Y 5AH, United Kingdom
A multi layered portrait of Czech dissident playwright turned head of state, who became a political icon while retaining his insight, humour, and dedication to public service.

In 2009, Havel invited Petr Jančárek to film ‘the rest of his life,‘ granting unlimited access and creative freedom. For nearly three years, Jančárek captured Havel’s life, juxtaposing it with scenes from his play Leaving which Havel was filming. The resulting time-lapse documentary follows Havel from meetings with world leaders to hoovering at his cottage and drumming at festivals.
With Havel as the sole speaker, the documentary reflects on his political legacy and universal human issues with absolute openness through previously unseen footage. The screening marks this year‘s 35th anniversary of the 1989 Velvet Revolution.

87 min., Czech with English subtitles
The screening is followed by a Q&A with director Petr Jančárek.

see booking link below
This screening is part of the 28th Made in Prague Festival, organised by the Czech Centre.

Emmy Destinn Foundation concert
2024-11-09 19:30 - 21:30 | Rosslyn Hill Unitarian Chapel, 3 Pilgrim's Place, London, NW3 1NG, United Kingdom
Concert to celebrate the Year of Czech Music 2024
Beautiful arias and songs by Antonín Dvořák, Bedřich Smetana and Leoš Janáček performed by the winners and finalists of the Emmy Destinn Young Singers Awards 2023
Tickets £10 on the door, include a glass of wine

Bedřich Smetana Má vlast (My Country)
2024-11-08 10:00 - 2025-10-31 18:00 | National Museum Prague, Václavské náměstí 68, Prague, Czech Republic
The Bedřich Smetana Má vlast (My Country) exhibition at the National Museum in Prague commemorates the personality of Bedřich Smetana and one of his most important compositions. Through authentic notes, correspondence and, above all, scores, it presents the individual symphonic poems as the composer himself conceived them, the historical context in which they were composed and the reactions that accompanied them at later important historical moments in Czech history.
In the exhibition, you can look forward to unique items from the National Museum collection displayed in nine thematic stops. At the beginning, the exhibition will introduce you to the personality of Bedřich Smetana, whose life you will be able to glimpse through his personal objects, such as glasses, a desk, writing utensils, a calamus, a peephole or a hearing aid. The second stop will immerse you in the time and circumstances in which the My Country cycle was created between 1874 and 1879 and will also remind you of the first ensemble performance on 5 November 1882 at Žofín in Prague. Other parts of the exhibition are devoted to the six individual poems – Vyšehrad, Vltava, Šárka, From the Czech Meadows and Groves, Tábor and Blaník. You will learn, for example, that the score for Vltava was written in 19 days, when he added the note “being completely deaf” to the score. The ninth stop recalls performances of the work associated with important historical moments.
In addition to the composer’s personal objects, you will be able to see various musical materials and sheet music, photographs, sculptures, paintings, letters, books, illustrations, musical instruments – for example, there will be a harp to play. The exhibition also includes historical artefacts such as replicas of Hussite weapons from the 19th century. My Homeland in Stones is also on display, so you will be able to touch rocks from Blaník or pebbles from the Vltava River. Of course, the exhibition also focuses on the sound experience. It includes a listening map of the Vltava and audio islands with entire symphonic poems. The central themes can be heard in short excerpts.

Part of the Year of Czech Music and the 200th anniversary of the composer’s birth.
