During the meeting with the Lord Mayor Anneli Rhedin, he discussed Czech-Swedish economic cooperation in which many companies from the region (SKF, Mölnlycke, Volvo etc) are involved, as well as the program of the upcoming Czech Days in Gothenburg. The Lord Mayor recalled Bedřich Smetana’s stay in the city, and invited the Czech Republic to particite in the Gothenburg Cultural Festival and the International Choir Festival next summer.

Ambassador Šitler, together with the director of the Czech Centre and the Czech-Swedish writer Jana Witthed, also launched the Czech Days in Gothenburg. In the evening, he attended the opening of the Gothenburg International Science Festivals at the Draken hall; the visuals and animation were provided by the artist Josef Lepša and curator Jan Hrdlička from the Czech 3dsense company. Within the framework of the science festival the Czech Days, the ambassador also participated in several other events: a discussion with the Czech science writer Markéta Baňková at Lisebergshjulet, or the Czech Innovation Expo and the V4 stand at the Nordstan mall.

At the Gothenburg Opera, he met its artistic director Stephen Langridge and attended a rehearsal of the Bohuslav Martinů’s opera Trois fragments de Juliette directed by David Radok. Its world premiere on April 13 will be the highlight of the Gothenburg Czech Days. The ambassador also visited the seat of the Moravian church, which continues the legacy of Czech religious reformers Jan Hus and Jan Amos Komenský (Comenius); its members meet at the same address at Kungsgatan since 1787. The Moravian church is known for its focus on education: the first ever school providing serious academic instruction for women in Sweden was opened at its Gothenburg premises also in 1787.