4:30 p.m.– 6 p.m.

Lecture by Marek Zágora. Only in Czech.

For a long time, animals remained outside the main focus of historical research. It is only in the past three decades that this situation has changed as historians have begun to take a greater interest in animals, particularly in relation to humans. The Middle Ages was a period that left us with numerous written sources shedding light on this relationship (bestiaries, writings on zoology and natural history, fables, books on hunting, manuals on horsemanship, encyclopedias). Medieval people thought very deeply about animals, and surviving works of art from the Middle Ages are a rich treasure trove of beautiful depictions representing the colourful diversity of the medieval “animal world”. These include numerous mythical creatures such as dragons, griffins, sirens or unicorns – without which we could not imagine the Middle Ages. The lecture sets out to bring this “colourful” yet also mysterious animal world closer to us, delving into its fascinating symbolism.

The lecture will be streamed live on Facebooku and the gallery’s YouTube channel.

Booking in advance necessary  

free entrance