Czech Consulate General in Chicago

At the beginning of the week, Chicago was briefly visited by the Director of the Václav Havel Library, Tomáš Sedláček. His trip was no coincidence. It was symbolically connected to a major anniversary this year - 90 years since the birth of President Václav Havel.

On this occasion, Tomáš Sedláček presented Havel’s “living philosophy” for the very first time at the The University of Chicago. In caring for Havel’s legacy, he highlighted a side of Havel that is sometimes overlooked - the philosopher and thinker behind the statesman.

For those who couldn't participate at the lecture in person can find the link to recording in the comments.

The venue itself was chosen intentionally. The University of Chicago has long-standing ties to prominent Czech figures, including Presidents Masaryk and Beneš, as well as President Petr Pavel, who launched the Václav Havel Series here in 2024 - a lecture series that continues to this day. Havel’s international legacy is clearly in good hands here.

Despite a packed schedule, Tomáš Sedláček also recorded a short segment for the Czech American Community Center podcast with the ever‑wonderful Radka Kutalkova Veverkova and met with the local Czech‑American community—where else but at Cafe Prague Chicago.🇨🇿☕️

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🎶 Chicago came alive with the 📣 sounds of 🌎International Jazz Day 2026, and 🇨🇿Czechia could not be left out. Our scene was proudly represented by Martina Barta who truly captivated the audience with her 💪🏽performance, it was an unforgettable experience.

Already the day before, we had the privilege of experiencing a unique atmosphere during a more intimate performance by 🎤 Martina Barta accompanied by pianist 🎹 Tommaso Perazzo, within the Czech-American community. And what better place to enjoy such an evening than Cafe Prague Chicago, where schnitzels and strudel brought back the taste of home. A big 🙌 thank you to the Prague Committee of CSCI for the excellent organization and for creating such a remarkable event 🎉.

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🌟 We are truly grateful to the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Washington, DC 🇨🇿🇺🇸 for continuing the tradition of annual gatherings of our U.S.-based honorary consuls. 🤝 These meetings provide a valuable opportunity to meet outstanding colleagues from across the United States, 🙌 thank them for their support and voluntary work in promoting Czechia 🇨🇿 in their respective territories, and exchange views 💬 on issues that matter to our entire consular network in the U.S.
This year, the Midwest 🌎 was represented by the Consul General Jakub Utěšený from Chicago and Honorary Consuls Marit Lee Kucera from Minneapolis/St. Paul and Sharon K. Valasek from Kansas City. 👏

🎷 Celebrate International Jazz Day 2026 With Us! 🎶
Chicago has been named the Global Host City for International Jazz Day 2026, and we are proud to share that the Czech Republic will be represented by singer Martina Bárta 🇨🇿✨

Established by UNESCO in 2011, International Jazz Day is celebrated worldwide to highlight the power of jazz as a force for dialogue, freedom, creativity, and mutual understanding across cultures. This year’s celebrations taking place in Chicago, a city with a rich jazz heritage, perfectly embody these values.

International Jazz Day Celebration
📅 Thursday, April 30, 2026
🏛️ Roosevelt University – Fainman Lounge (2nd floor)
🕔 Reception from 5:00 PM
🎷 Performances begin at 6:00 PM

The evening will feature an exceptional international collaboration of artists from the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Poland, and Brazil, and is presented in partnership with Consulate General of Switzerland in Chicago, Polish Consulate in Chicago, Consulado-Geral do Brasil em Chicago, Fulbright CHICAGO, Roosevelt University

🎟️ Free admission, but space is limited – registration required
👉 Registration link can be found in the comments

We look forward to celebrating jazz, international cooperation, and outstanding musical talent together, join us and experience Chicago in the rhythm of jazz! 🌍🎶

🎂🇨🇿 This year marks the 90th anniversary of the birth of Václav Havel, a playwright, dissident, statesman, and an enduring symbol of freedom, democracy, and civic courage. His legacy continues to speak powerfully to today’s world. 🕊️

In this context, we would like to invite you to attend a special lecture and join the discussion taking place in just a few days.

🎤 “Living Philosophy of Václav Havel: An Antidote to the Chaos of Our Time”
with Tomáš Sedláček, Director of the Vaclav Havel Library, former advisor to President Havel, and a leading European public intellectual 📚
📅 Wednesday, April 29
🕓 4:00 PM
📍 University of Chicago 🎓

Following the lecture, we would be happy if you could join us for a light reception and an informal discussion 🍷🥐💬
🔔 Don’t forget – the event is just around the corner!

More information and registration details can be found below ⬇️

🎷 Let’s celebrate the start of the Jazz Festival together! 🎶

The day before its official opening, we invite you to a truly special evening at our beloved Cafe Prague Chicago. Enjoy not only excellent Czech cuisine, but also the beautiful voice of Czech jazz singer Martina Bárta 🎤✨
This event is made possible thanks to the Prague Committee of CSCI, our amazing long term partners. Let’s support them with a great turnout! 🤍

✨ You’ll also have the opportunity to meet inspiring guests:
• Tomáš Sedláček – economist, author of the global bestseller Economics of Good and Evil, and Director of the Václav Havel Library
• Šimon Pánek – co founder and Executive Director of People in Need, and one of the leaders of the student movement during the Velvet Revolution
And we will of course be there as well 😉

📅 Wednesday, April 29, 2026
🕡 6:30–9:00 pm
📍 Café Prague, 6710 W Belmont Ave, Chicago
🎫 Tickets: $100 + taxes and fees
🍽 Ticket includes: Dinner at Café Prague & a live jazz performance
👉 Please RSVP by Friday, April 24 (link in the comments)

We look forward to seeing you. Come enjoy great music, inspiring conversations, and a wonderful atmosphere! 💙🎶

🇨🇿🤝🇺🇸 The Czech Academic Mission to the United States Midwest has successfully concluded. 🎓✨

Over six days ⏳, representatives of 12 Czech universities 🎓🇨🇿, together with the team from the Czech National Agency for International Education (DZS) and the Czech Consulate General in Chicago, worked intensively to strengthen existing cooperation 🤝 and develop new partnerships in science and research 🔬📚 with American counterparts 🇺🇸.

During the program in Iowa and Illinois, the delegation:
• 🏫 visited four university campuses,
• 🤝 participated in two matchmaking sessions with representatives of 22 U.S. universities,
• 🌐 took part in three networking events with more than 100 participants from the American academic community and the local Czech‑American community,
• 💬 and engaged in numerous productive and highly inspiring discussions on student and academic mobility, joint research opportunities, credit recognition, faculty connections, and related areas of cooperation.

🍽️ Three thematic working lunches provided an opportunity to discuss academic cooperation in the Midwest with Czech and American scholars 🎓, the Czech Consul General 🇨🇿, and the leadership of the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library (NCSML) 🏛️📖.

🇨🇿❤️ The mission concluded in a distinctly Czech spirit with a visit to the T. G. Masaryk Czech School in Cicero, where the delegation learned about its educational and cultural activities 🧑‍🏫🎶 and met with members of the local Czech community 🤗.

🙏 On behalf of the Czech Consulate General, we thank all Czech participants 🇨🇿, American partners 🇺🇸, university representatives 🎓, alumni 🎓✨, and members of the Czech‑American community whose engagement contributed to the successful fulfillment of the mission’s objectives. ✅🌟

Akademie múzických umění v Praze / AMU
Brno University of Technology
Czech University of Life Sciences Prague
Charles University
Masarykova univerzita
Mendel University in Brno
Technical University of Liberec
Prague University of Economics and Business
University of New York in Prague
University of Ostrava
University of Pardubice
Západočeská univerzita v Plzni

Výměnné pobyty studentů, byť jen krátkodobé, jsou velmi účinným nástrojem rozvoje jazykových a odborných dovedností zúčastněných studentů 🌍🎓. Jsou výsledkem mezinárodní spolupráce mezi školami 🤝 a tím přispívají také k posilování vztahů mezi zeměmi 🌐.

Proto nás velmi těší, že i letos se studenti Západočeské univerzity v Plzni vydali za oceán do USA ✈️🇺🇸, kde v rámci výměnného programu s Marquette University ve Wisconsinu čerpají nové zkušenosti 📚 a navazují vazby s americkými protějšky 🤗.

Návštěva studentů na Generálním konzulátu v Chicagu přišla v ten nejlepší moment 🏙️. Shodou okolností se zde totiž mohli krátce setkat i se svým prorektorem Janem Váněm 👋, který se paralelně účastnil akademické mise českých univerzit na Středozápadě 🇨🇿➡️🇺🇸. Svět je malý! 🌎✨

Děkujeme za návštěvu a zajímavou diskusi 💬🙏.

We were delighted 😊 to welcome students from the The University of Chicago Geography Club 🌍 to the Consulate General in Chicago 🇨🇿.

It was a truly refreshing visit ✨, and we hope the students had the opportunity to learn more about the Czech Republic 🇨🇿. We look forward to meeting them again soon 🤝.

A special thank you 🙏 to Noah Lee, the head of the Geography Club, for reaching out 📩 and helping to make this meeting possible 🌟.

🎓🇨🇿 Big news from the American Midwest! 🇺🇸✨

The largest Czech academic mission to the Midwest in modern Czech history is officially underway! 🚀 A delegation representing 12 outstanding Czech universities kicked off the journey in Iowa 🌽, visiting the University of Iowa and taking part in inspiring, highly productive discussions 🤝 with partners from nine Midwestern universities in Cedar Rapids. With its strong historical and contemporary ties to Czechia 🇨🇿, Cedar Rapids provided a perfect setting for this milestone exchange 🌍💡

🙏 Huge thanks to our fantastic partners! Especially the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library (NCSML) in Cedar Rapids and the Czech National Agency for International Education and Research (DZS) for making this mission possible. We also greatly appreciate all our American partners 🇺🇸, including the Mayor of Cedar Rapids Ms. Tiffany O'Donnell, for their warm welcome and active participation 🙌

➡️ Next stop: Illinois! 🏙️
Stay tuned - more updates coming soon! 📢✨

Great evening with leaders of Chicago’s Czech organizations and our local Czech‑American community! 🇨🇿🇺🇸
We looked back at what we’ve accomplished together over the past few months and shared ideas for what’s coming next 💡. These meetups always remind us how valuable coordination, shared experience, and good teamwork really are.🙌
And because Easter is around the corner 🐣, we couldn’t resist celebrating a bit - yes, including a slice of the traditional sponge‑cake lamb. 🐑✨
Thank you to everyone who joined us 🙏. Can’t wait to meet again in a few months!

Bohemian Lawyers Association, Friends of Bohemian National Cemetery, American Sokol, Sokol Spirit, T. G. Masaryk Czech School, Prague Committee of CSCI, Divadlo Bohemia, United Moravian Societies

Michigan’s proud manufacturing heritage and strong focus on mobility, automotive excellence, advanced manufacturing, aerospace, and innovation make it a natural partner for the Czech Republic. 🇺🇸🤝🇨🇿

The Czech Consulate was delighted to collaborate with our great partners from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation(MEDC) on preparation of their recent trade mission to Czechia. The visit highlighted how well our industries align, strengthened cooperation at both business and institutional levels, and opened the door to exciting new partnerships.

A big thank‑you🙏 to the MEDC leadership for their commitment to connecting Michiganders and Czechs, and to our colleagues at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic 🌐, Ministerstvo průmyslu a obchodu 🏢, Ministerstvo obrany České republiky 🛡️ and the President´s Office 🇨🇿 for their support. We’re looking forward to the new projects and initiatives ahead!