Festival Program 2025

“He who saves one life saves the whole world.”
Oskar and Emilie Schindler saved over 1,200 Jews in their factory in Brněnec—a story known around the world thanks to Steven Spielberg’s film Schindler’s List. We invite you to the first public opening of the Museum of Survivors in Brněnec.

The Nazi rule comes to an end, and nationalist sentiments in Brno lead to the expulsion of around 30,000 people. As early as May 1945, approximately 24,000 German-speaking residents are forced out of Brno towards the Austrian border, an event that becomes known as the Brno Death March….

At the opening of the Meeting Brno festival, Ukrainian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Oleksandra Matviychuk and Petr Kolář, advisor to the President of the Czech Republic, will address questions of peace in the context of current war conflicts. The discussion will focus on the value of peace, human lives, and the dignity of citizens in the attacked country. The topic will explore the challenges of achieving peace in difficult and complex situations.

On Mendl Square, the very place where German-speaking Brno residents were expelled 80 years ago in May, we will come together at one table. Present-day Brno residents and those with roots in the city will have the opportunity to listen to one another, strengthen mutual relationships, and share…

For the jubilee 10th edition of the festival, a unique original Czech-German mass has been created. The libretto is inspired by the poems of Prague-born German-language poet Rainer Maria Rilke and also honors the work of his translator, the prominent Czech poet Bohuslav Reynek. Both Czech and…

For the twentieth time, we will retrace the steps of more than twenty thousand Brno residents who were driven toward the Austrian border 80 years ago. While able-bodied men were forced to stay in the city for compulsory labor, the march included women, children, and the elderly. Along the way…

Through the lives of both well-known and lesser-known figures, the exhibition explores the multicultural character of Brno, shaped by the interplay of Czech and German influences. Discover the almost forgotten poet Greta Bauer Schwind, admired by Thomas Mann, or Johann Leopold…

The program of this concert, featuring works by the great Johannes Brahms and Antonín Dvořák, presents music of deep gravity as well as pieces filled with hope, joy, and divine celebration. The performance will be delivered by the outstanding ensembles KonzertChor Stuttgart and Sinfonieorchester…

In honour of the memory of victims from the years 1939-1945, we will hold an act of remembrance that will symbolically conclude Saturday’s Reconciliation March.
The infamous Kounic Halls of Residence in Brno became a symbol of the suffering of thousands of people taken prisoner there during the…

Women from various religious traditions will come together to celebrate a worship service. The clergy of the Czech Hussite Church, Martina Viktorie Kopecká and Sandra Silná, along with Benedictine Francesca Šimuniová, will provide space for meeting, listening, and mutual respect.

A discussion on whether—and how—women of faith today can keep up with “God’s navigation.” Speakers include Benedictine nun Francesca Šimuniová, Czechoslovak Hussite Church pastors Martina Viktorie Kopecká and Sandra Silná, and journalist Fatima Rahimi. Moderated by historian and theologian Ivan Foletti.

How did the repression against opponents of Nazism unfold? Why is there little known about the successful assassination of SS Hauptsturmführer August Gölzer? Can we speak of the end of the war as liberation, or was it more of a transition to a new, emerging dictatorship?

A workshop with elements of Pesso Boyden therapy led by Martina Viktorie Kopecká, focused on practical application in everyday life. Participants will explore the principles of Pesso Boyden Psychomotor Therapy (PBSP), which supports deep self-awareness and emotional work through embodied experience and structured exercises.

A meeting and panel discussion for secondary school students and teachers on the topic of peace, featuring two fathers—Rami Elhanan from Israel and Bassam Aramin from Palestine—who both lost their daughters in the Middle East conflict.

Also in Brno, similar to what we know from Prague’s Ďáblice Cemetery, opponents of the communist regime were buried in a way that even their close ones did not know the location of their final resting place. The fates of Petra Křivka, a participant in three resistance movements and personal…

This exhibition, whose title refers to the column in the magazine Dikobraz, introduces visitors to the anti-Semitic cartoons that appeared in Czechoslovak and Soviet press between 1948 and 1989. These cartoons were used as a tool of propaganda, aiming to shape public opinion and spread hostile…

A guided tour of the exhibition Lost Sudetenland, which explores how various regions of Bohemia and Moravia changed after the expulsion of the German minority following World War II. Borderland mountain areas underwent the most dramatic transformation, as resettlement efforts often failed. The exhibition presents the postwar fate of the landscape and villages…

Two fathers—Rami Elhanan from Israel and Bassam Aramin from Palestine—each lost a daughter in the Middle East conflict. In a discussion they will share how, despite their immense loss, they managed to transform their deep grief into active efforts for peace and coexistence in the Holy Land.

Violence is not just a moment of physical confrontation. An attack is usually preceded by several steps: the perpetrator selects their victim, approaches them, and tries to create a suitable situation to strike. This is especially true if the perpetrator knows their victim, which is the case in…

Come take a walk with us through the places connected to people whose destinies were indelibly written into the history of the city of Brno. As a metropolis of the textile industry, Brno flourished in the first half of the 20th century with its German and Jewish entrepreneurs, and slowly…

Spiritual leader Martina Viktorie Kopecká and theatre director Daniela Špinar chose to come out publicly after years of professional and personal success. Journalist Filip Titlbach (Deník N) will lead a conversation about their journeys, the courage to be visible, and the responsibilities of public figures.

Why Was Brno a German City? Was it a Problem in the Past, or Did It Contribute to Its Development? And What Was the Relationship Between Czechs and Germans Throughout History? Find out all this and more during a walking tour dedicated to the history of Brno from the Middle Ages to 1945.

A psychological drama about silence, trauma, and returning to one’s family past. The film by director Tereza Kotyk will be presented with the creative team in attendance. After the screening, a discussion will follow with actresses Klára Melíšková, Elizaveta Maximová, and producer Karla Stojáková.

The image neighbors have of each other is shaped not only by experiences but also by prejudices. This is certainly true for the relationship between Czechs and Germans. In the documentary film Přes naše prahy (Across Our Thresholds), students from the Karel Rehbein School in Hanau, students from…

Opening of an exhibition about Takashi Paolo Nagai, a doctor from Nagasaki known as the “Japanese Gandhi.” He survived the atomic bombing in 1945, which profoundly transformed his life and spiritual journey. The exhibition reflects his story of faith, sacrifice, and reconciliation.

Martina Špinková, co-founder of Cesta domů, speaks openly and gently about death as a natural part of life. In a peaceful setting, we will reflect on why we fear the end, how to face it, and how to accompany others—and ourselves—at the end of life.

The lives of Germans and Jews in Brno and the main locations connected to their presence in the city is the theme of this guided tour. The tour will start at Moravské náměstí, where the original German House once stood. You will walk along Rašínova Street and stop at Komenského náměstí to learn…

While modern society often pushes death aside, in religious and ethnic traditions it holds a firm place. David Macek and journalist Alena Scheinostová will discuss how ancient customs can help us better cope with dying, caregiving, and mourning.

A site-specific theatre exploring postwar justice and moral dilemmas. Set in the actual courtroom of the Regional Court in Brno, audiences will witness a reconstruction of a real 1945 trial. Directed by Břetislav Rychlík, written by Markéta Špetíková.

Premiere of a site-specific production exploring post-war justice and moral dilemmas. The audience will find themselves inside the courtroom of the Regional Court in Brno, witnessing a reenactment of a real 1945 trial. Directed by Břetislav Rychlík, written by Markéta Špetíková.

According to WHO estimates, up to a quarter of the Ukrainian population is struggling with mental health issues, ranging from anxiety to more severe trauma. Soldiers are especially vulnerable, facing intense stress and separation from their families. Military chaplain Milan Novotný from the…

Can a just war be the price of (peace)? And how does it shape us that we have never fought one? Colonel Otakar Foltýn, priest and theologian Tomáš Petráček, and Constitutional Court judge Jiří Přibáň will discuss the strange (peaces) of 1938, 1945, and 1968, as well as how history distorts our…

A practical workshop led by therapist Šárka Weberová, founder of the Institute for Trauma Healing and Prevention. Through acceptance of reality, emotions, and relationships, we will explore how to find peace with what is—right here and now.

Stránská skála is a site deeply interwoven with history. Join Silvia Šeborová, author of Nemísta: A Guide to Lost Places in Brno, and military historian Tomáš Řepa as they uncover its past, particularly its connections to World War II. We will visit a small concrete observation post designed to…

This site-specific performance at Villa Tugendhat takes viewers back to 1992, when talks between Václav Klaus and Vladimír Mečiar led to the breakup of Czechoslovakia. A powerful dialogue on identity, power, and responsibility—staged where history was truly made.

This site-specific performance at Villa Tugendhat takes viewers back to 1992, when talks between Václav Klaus and Vladimír Mečiar led to the breakup of Czechoslovakia. A powerful dialogue on identity, power, and responsibility—staged where history was truly made.