Our flagship programme

Vesmír: a Czech popular-science journal in print since 1871.

The Vesmír journal is the reason this endowment fund exists. Our first responsibility, set in the founding statutes of 1999, is to help sustain a publication that has done more than most to keep science part of Czech public life.

What Vesmír is

Vesmír (in Czech, “the Universe”) is a monthly popular-science journal published in the Czech language. Since its first issue in 1871, it has written about biology, physics, chemistry, geology, astronomy, medicine, the philosophy of science, and the history of ideas.

What sets Vesmír apart is not novelty but character. Its articles are written by working scientists and by writers who take science seriously as a form of thought. Its editors give room for careful arguments and long essays. Its readers include students, teachers, laboratory scientists and non-specialist readers who want more than a headline.

Founded in 1871. Read for a century and a half. Still, page by page, an argument for taking the natural world seriously.

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Editorial character

What the journal is not.

A short description of the kind of publication Vesmír has always tried to be, and the kind of publication our support tries to help it remain.

Not a magazine of trends

Vesmír does not chase whatever happens to be topical. Its subjects are chosen on their own merits.

Not a technical journal

It is written for readers, not for reviewers. Its aim is clarity, not novelty for its own sake.

Not a source of headlines

Its articles reward attention. They assume a reader who is willing to think for the length of an essay.

A century and a half in brief

Recent themes in the journal

An indicative selection of the kind of subjects Vesmír addresses each year. These are illustrative; current issues may cover different fields.

Vol. CLIV

Ecology of the Central European forest

Essay series · Field biology · History of Czech nature study

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Vol. CLIII

Foundations of the physical sciences

Long-form essays · Philosophy of science · Book reviews

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Vol. CLII

Medicine, the body, and its long history

Feature essays · Contributions from Czech researchers

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Vol. CLI

Astronomy and the shape of the sky

History of observation · Contemporary research · Reader essays

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Vol. CL

Chemistry, materials, and the everyday world

Chemistry · Materials science · Practical demonstrations

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Independence

Why our support matters.

Serious science writing is expensive to produce and never quite pays for itself. A modest, dependable endowment behind the journal means its editors can choose subjects on their merits rather than on their capacity to attract advertising.

Help us support the journal.

Whether through direct contributions or by helping students afford a subscription, your support keeps careful science writing in Czech.

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