Charles University

Charles University (abbreviation UK, Latin name Universitas Carolina) is the oldest and largest Czech university It is ranked as the best university in the Czech Republic and one of the top 1% of universities in the world.It was founded in 1348 by the Czech King Charles IV, after whom it is named.

Charles University is one of Europe's oldest universities, specifically the oldest north of Italy and east of Paris. The university was first subordinated to the rulers of the Bohemian lands, only later to the state. In the twentieth century it experienced a considerable flourishing, but this was negatively influenced by the Nazi occupation and the communist regime. It was the students of Charles University who played an important role in the Velvet Revolution, which led to the fall of the communist regime and the subsequent creation of a democratic state.

Charles University is made up of 17 faculties, 4 university institutes, 4 special purpose facilities and 5 other specialised departments. The University is not located in one campus, most of its units are located in different parts of Prague, only three faculties are located in other cities, namely the Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, the Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Kralove and the Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Kralove. In addition to Czech students, there are also many foreign students studying there. The university provides social and accommodation scholarships and support for students with special needs, as well as accommodation and meals in its facilities to make studying accessible to students with disadvantages. The university also offers a number of other institutions of higher education.

Since its foundation, Charles University has been involved in shaping Czech social and cultural life. Its graduates have recruited leading figures in culture, business and politics. Many of its graduates have succeeded globally and achieved scientific excellence. Nobel Prize winners such as biochemist Carl Ferdinand Cori, biochemist Gerty Cori and chemist Jaroslav Heyrovský, famous writers such as Karel Čapek and Franz Kafka, politicians such as Czech President Edvard Beneš and the first Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia, Karel Kramář, as well as the founder of the Czechoslovak Republic and its first president, Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, have graduated from the school.