Hundreds of people toured the Augustinian monastery in Brno yesterday to see a facsimile of Gregor Johann Mendel’s manuscript, the Mendel Museum and the local basilica on the 160th anniversary of his famous lecture that laid the foundations of genetics and described the principles of genetic inheritance.
To mark the occasion of International Mendel Day, an exhibition about Mendel has been installed in Mendlovo namesti, which includes the popular Opraski comics presenting interesting moments of history in a humorous way.
“The event related to the activities aimed at getting Mendel’s manuscript on the UNESCO’s world memory register and the Augustinian monastery on the UNESCO world heritage list,” said Jakub Carda, director of the NGO Společně (‘Together’), which takes care of Mendel’s legacy. He added that the manuscript might become UNESCO-listed next year, while the listing of the monastery is more complicated.
Two lectures were held yesterday afternoon. Sarka Pospisilova, the vice-rector of Masaryk University (MU), lectured on Mendel’s genome phenomenon, while Ales Flidr spoke about the architecture of the Cistercian monastery and their art. Nuns resided in the complex until the end of the 18th century, before their order was abolished by Emperor Joseph II and the complex was transferred to the Augustinians.
According to Brno university Rector Martin Bares, Mendel (1822-1884) is still better known abroad than in the Czech Republic, but interest in visiting the monastery and museum is growing and both domestic and foreign visitors are coming. Many foreign visitors are surprised to find out that Mendel lived in Brno. Born in Hyncice, north Moravia, Mendel’s native country was Austria, the former Habsburg monarchy.
The organisers hope to repeat the event next year, and are also planning other activities during the Mendel Festival in July.
