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 Ladies and Gentlemen, Please, let me welcome you on behalf of the City of Brno in which the 12th European Congress of Electron Microscopy EUREM 2000 is going to take place. The City of Brno is proud of a long tradition in development, production and consumption in the electron microscopy field. In many countries all around the world, you can see Tesla microscopes that have been developed and produced here. Several companies in Brno are still in the business of developing and producing microscopes. I hope that in addition to deciding to participate in the Congress, you will want to find out more about this city. I would like to mention a few interesting facts to you. With its 400,000 inhabitants, Brno is the second largest city in the Czech Republic. Sometimes, they say Brno is the city "on the way from Prague to Vienna". This saying has a deeper philosophical meaning to it. For example, there is a number of well-known people both in sciences and mathematics that have worked in Brno, such as Gregor Mendel, the author of theory of heredity who is considered the founding father of genetics. Ernst Mach, physicist and philosopher of world-wide importance, was born here and Kurt Gödel, a mathematician ranked by Time magazine among the top 100 scientists and thinkers of this century, lived in the City of Brno until the age of 18. Similarly, many artists left their footprints in Brno. The architect Mies van der Rohe built Villa Tugendhat, a jewel of functionalism here. There is a museum there well worth seeing. From the point of view of architecture, Brno Exhibition Center where the Congress takes place is very unique as well. Milan Kundera, a writer originally from Brno, now living in Paris, has become world-wide known. Brno is also proud of its tradition in music. For example, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Gustav Mahler and, in particular, Leos Janacek after whom the Brno Opera was named have worked here. At the beginning of the 20th century, the charming surroundings of the city made Sir Winston Churchill come to Brno. He spent his honeymoon here that, undoubtedly, contributed to his many years of marriage. This may be a thing to do for those participants of the Congress who are still single. Brno offers a number of remarkable sights. I hope you will take advantage of this opportunity and will not only work but also enjoy yourselves.
Petr Duchon |