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VIZE 97 Prize in memoriam for Professor Petrusek

The 14th annual VIZE 97 Prize was held on what would have been President Vaclav Havel’s 76th birthday was held at the Prague Crossroads. PhDr. Miloslav Petrusek, CSc., a prominent Czech sociologist and university professor, was selected by the Foundation’s Board of Trustees and by the advisory body of the VIZE 97 Prize at the beginning of the year as another Prize laureate. Despite Professor Petrusek’s sudden death this August, the book “Society and Culture”, on which Mr Petrusek had worked for several months, was successfully prepared. This book can now be ordered on our website.

Part of the full-day programme was the morning public panel discussion, moderated by PhDr. Marek Skovajsa, Ph.D., who was also aided by Doc. PhDr. Martin Bútor, Prof. Miloš Havelka, PhDr. Helena Kubátová, Ph.D., Mgr. Peter Lupač, Mgr. Miroslav Paulíček and Prof. Johann Arnason. The debate was met with great success, as evidenced by the full house at the Prague Crossroads. We are also preparing an audio recording for you, which will soon be available on our website.

A ceremony took place in the afternoon, which was attended by more than 500 guests. A completely filled Prague Crossroads was the stage for a moving, but very dignified ceremony at which the VIZE 97 Prize was awarded. The first to speak was Mrs Havlová, who talked about the history of the Dagmar and Václav Havel Foundation VIZE 97 and, above all, the actual VIZE 97 Prize itself. She also promised that the tradition of awarding the Foundation VIZE 97 Prize will be upheld in the coming years. Mrs Táňa Fischerová, the master of ceremonies, also welcomed PhDr. Martin Bútor, who acquitted himself with great feeling in presenting the laudation dedicated to his close friend, Mr Petrusek.

Then we came to the very climax of the whole evening, the ceremonial awarding of the Foundation VIZE 97 Prize, when Mr Jan Holub, Professor Petrusek’s grandson, collected a commemorative diploma and a crosier of St. Adalbert of Prague made by Jiří Plieštik from Mrs Havel. Mr Holub gave a short speech and read a passage from his grandfather’s book – Societies of the Late Modern Age – In the Babel Library of Jorge Luis Borges.

The traditional ceremony was added to by a performance given by the Prague Student Orchestra led by conductor Chuhei Iwasakim. The orchestra played compositions such as Ancient Dances and Arias by Ottorino Respighi, or Alla Rustica by Antonio Vivaldi. The conclusion of the ceremony was marked by a performance by Lenka Kozderková and Markéta Mazourová, with the song “Transformation”. Throughout the evening, guests had the opportunity to take a look at an exhibition of photographs of the President, prepared by the photographer Alan Pajer.

For the early evening programme of the celebrations, the Foundation VIZE 97, in collaboration with the Czech Mint and the Vltavín auction house, prepared a benefit auction at which the unique medals issued in honour of President Vaclav Havel were be auctioned off. This limited series consisted of ten one kilogram gold, ten half-kilogram platinum and ten one kilogram silver medals, thus continuing on from the March release of half-ounce gold and one ounce silver medals, which is already completely sold out.

So, an auction of commemorative medals from the workshop of the Czech Mint started at the Prague Crossroads after 6 p.m. The gold, platinum and silver versions of this medal, all bearing the serial number one, were auctioned off. The starting price of gold medals was set at CZK 1.45 million, which is also the amount for which the medal eventually auctioned off. The platinum medal was transferred to its new owner for an amount of CZK 820,000. The biggest battle, however, was waged for the silver commemorative medal, the starting price of which was set at CZK 60,000 and, after many bids, the final amount climbed to CZK 320,000. We would like to thank the bidders who decided to buy one of the special commemorative medals and we would like to give special thanks to our important partner, the Czech Mint, which to date has supported us in the amount of CZK 2,389,067.

For more photos from the benefit auction click here.

For more photos from the ceremony, click here.

PHOTOS: Jana Pertáková, Alan Pajer