Seven Towers

The lavishly-illustrated “Seven Towers. Charles IV through Academics’ Eyes (1316–2016)” is based on the exhibition of the same name held in the main building of the Czech Academy of Sciences on April 6th through May 11th, 2016. Through the means of several selected topics, it presents the person of Charles IV, as explored within ongoing research programs of the Czech Academy of Sciences, and thereby serves as a dignified commemoration of the 700th anniversary of his birth. The exhibition’s structure comprised seven main topic areas that each separately highlighted the contributions of individual centers and institutes of the Czech Academy of Sciences towards research into the era of Charles IV. This monograph is likewise divided into seven sections. Its short “divider” texts each represent a brief insight into the given topic. Its main focus, however, is on studies that popularize the latest research by leading Czech experts. Each chapter also includes the catalogue texts for the objects that were displayed at the Seven Towers exhibition, and thus these essays also serve as a foundation for placing the presented objects into a broader context.