OTIUM Travel
Advent Meeting for Students of the Andrej Baumeister School
Dates: 4:00 PM, Saturday, December 13th, to 9:00 PM, Sunday, December 14th
Venue: Prague
Lecturer: Andrej Baumeister
Number of Participants: 25
The workshop will consist of lectures, Q&A sessions, discussions, moderated debates, and excursions.
Workshop Summary
This time, the destination of our philosophical journeys is magical Prague. We meet in this city to hear, sense, and recognize the presence of the spirits of Christmas—in the magical space of majestic Prague and within ourselves, in the depths of our hearts and consciousness.
The metaphysical spaces of Prague, its images and meanings, will help us bring the Event of Christmas closer to our own experience and understanding, and experience this Event together. Through shared walks and conversations, through the shared exchange of feelings, sensations, and thoughts. Through a shared appreciation of philosophy, music, and literature.
We will also attempt to delve deeper into the myths and images of Prague itself. What can Prague teach us? What meanings does it hold, and what important truths can it reveal to us?
Prague is an important stage in our philosophical journeys in search of meaning.
December 13 (Saturday)
A shared tour of Prague Castle with an experienced guide. On the streets, squares, and terraces of Prague Castle, we will learn to understand the images, myths, and meanings of Prague.
Prague Castle is the largest medieval castle complex in Europe, the residence of Czech rulers since the 9th century. We will walk through its squares and terraces, where Gothic meets Baroque, and Romanesque foundations recall the times of the first Přemyslid dynasty.
We'll see the majestic St. Vitus Cathedral—a masterpiece of Gothic architecture, built over nearly six hundred years, with stained glass windows by Alphonse Mucha and the tombs of Czech kings. We'll pass by the Old Royal Palace with its famous Vladislav Hall and St. George's Basilica—the oldest surviving church in the Castle. We'll admire the panoramas of Lesser Town with its tiled roofs, Baroque gardens, and church domes descending to the Vltava. We'll walk through spaces where Gothic meets Baroque, and Romanesque foundations recall the era of the first Přemyslid dynasties. The landscapes, architecture, and spirit of Prague Castle will be active participants in our conversations.
In the evening, we'll attend an off-site musical gathering in the suburbs of Prague.
A journey into the world of music, ancient instruments, and great musical stories. A special chamber program, which we'll keep secret until the meeting. It will be an immersion into an atmosphere consonant with the Advent mood of expectation and silence.
December 14 (Sunday)
Old Town Tour.
Staré Město is the heart of medieval Prague, where the layout of narrow streets and squares from the 13th and 14th centuries has been preserved. We'll begin at Old Town Square, surrounded by houses with Gothic cellars and Renaissance façades. We'll see the famous Orloj astronomical clock, a mechanical marvel of the 15th century; Týn Church with its recognizable Gothic towers; the Baroque Kinsky Palace; the House at the Stone Bell; and the monument to Jan Hus, a reformer burned at the stake for his beliefs.
We'll walk along Celetná Street—the ancient Coronation Road—to the Powder Tower, one of the city's surviving gates. We'll descend to the Vltava embankment and Charles Bridge—a 14th-century stone bridge with a gallery of Baroque sculptures. We'll see the Clementinum, a Jesuit complex with one of Europe's most beautiful libraries, the Bethlehem Chapel, where Jan Hus preached, and the medieval quarters of the former Jewish town of Josefov. We'll learn to see and understand the semantic connections between Prague's main stories. This is not a tourist excursion, but an experience of shared philosophical journey.
Shared Reading Workshop: THE SPIRITS OF CHRISTMAS:
"LEGENDS OF CHRIST" BY SELMA LAGERLOF
Text for shared reading and discussion: Selma Lagerlof. Legends of Christ.
We will discuss the following legends:
• "Holy Night."
• "The Emperor's Vision."
• "The Veil of Saint Veronica."
• "The Candle from the Holy Sepulchre."
