Jiří Fixl | S radostí
We are pleased to invite you to a unique exhibition by the renowned Czech artist Jiří Fixl, exceptionally hosted in the university library premises.
A Night with Andersen at the Central Library
This year's edition was exceptional as it marked exactly 190 years since the first publication of Andersen's fairy tale The Tinderbox. This fairy tale and its anniversary became the main theme of our evening program for faculty employees' children.
The young visitors embarked on an adventurous journey through the library, helping the soldier from the fairy tale find torn pieces of a magical scroll with mysterious symbols that the witch had scattered throughout the library out of jealousy. Without these symbols, the tinderbox was gradually losing its magical power.
During the entire evening, children gradually found pieces of the scroll, learned to read mysterious runes, and helped the soldier restore the magical power of the tinderbox. Through their effort and cooperation, they eventually managed to complete all tasks and bring the story to a happy ending.
A big thank you goes to all the experts who prepared fascinating lectures for the children. In addition to rewards for completed tasks, the children took home new knowledge, which pleases us most as an academic library.
The journey through the library was divided into several thematic stops related to the element of fire.
Children first learned from illustrator Jiří Fixl how to decipher those ancient symbols in the form of cuneiform writing. At the geology station, they discovered how early humans tamed flames and why it is said that "fire is a good servant but a bad master" and they could examine tinderbox stones.
At the next station, geography, they passionately discussed what causes major natural fires, how they spread, and how to prevent them.
The last station, where children obtained clues for the final puzzle-solving, belonged to astrophysicists who focused on the Sun and its energy, and also demonstrated a model showing the Earth's movement around our nearest star.
The Night with Andersen brought joy not only to the young participants but also to the entire library team, who are already thinking about themes and activities for next year's edition of this popular event.
