Eight students from the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures at the Faculty of Education, University of South Bohemia, completed a study trip to the Balkans entitled Czech in the Balkans. The main goal was to learn about the teaching of Czech as a foreign language in Ljubljana (Slovenia) and Belgrade (Serbia), and at the same time to meet foreign students of Czech with whom they could communicate directly in the Czech language.
The first part of the programme took place in Ljubljana, where the students visited the Faculty of Arts and its Department of West Slavic Studies, which offers Czech as an independent degree programme. They also learned about the work of the Institute of Literary Science at the Academy of Sciences, one of the leading research institutions in Europe. The stay also included a walk through the historic city centre, featuring significant landmarks of Plečnik's architecture, such as the Dragon Bridge, the Triple Bridge, and Ljubljana Castle, which the participants reached by cable car. A trip to the picturesque Lake Bled in the Julian Alps was also part of the itinerary.
The second part of the journey led to Belgrade, where the students found themselves at the cultural crossroads of Central Europe and the Balkans. They visited the Faculty of Philology at the University of Belgrade, where Czech is also taught as an independent programme. The programme included a tour of the historic city centre, the Kalemegdan Fortress, a mosque, and a boat trip along the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers. A highlight of the visit was a trip to the Czech Embassy, where the students met with the ambassador and had the opportunity to see one of the most beautiful buildings of its kind.
The trip as a whole allowed the students not only to discover how Czech is taught abroad, but also to appreciate its significance and prestige in the Balkan region, where it has a long-standing tradition and an excellent reputation, thanks to deep historical ties.
