The seventh edition of the Meeting Brno festival, with the motto "Places of the Crossroads," enriched the identity and memory of our city with significant moments of meetings that have forever transformed it.
If it weren’t for biologist Hugo Iltis, another significant Brno personality might have been forgotten: Gregor Johann Mendel, whose 200th anniversary of birth we commemorated this year. Hugo Iltis wrote the first internationally recognized monograph on Mendel, created a valuable Mendelian collection, and was also behind the organization of the 100th anniversary celebrations of his birth. The Meeting Brno festival therefore welcomed Hugo Iltis’ grandson, David Iltis, and especially remembered his grandfather’s anti-Nazi activism.
Another program line of this year’s edition was also related to Gregor J. Mendel: the Liechtenstein is Meeting Brno program. Although diplomatic relations with the Principality of Liechtenstein are still complicated at the official level due to the confiscation of all the Liechtenstein family’s property in the Czech Republic by the so-called Beneš decrees, there is no doubt that they left a significant cultural legacy, including support for Gregor Mendel. We were therefore pleased to welcome Dr. Johann Kräftner, Director of the Liechtenstein Princely Collections in Vaduz-Vienna.
The motto “Places of the Crossroads” was also perfectly captured by the Mexican community project LOStheULTRAMAR, which connected professional performers from Mexico, Iceland, and the Czech Republic with the community of Brno’s Bronx.
Want to learn more about the seventh edition of Meeting Brno? Have a look at our Annual Report.
