News & Events

New INTERREG project about Gregor Mendel’s legacy for Science, Culture and Humanity

08.03.2022

The groundbreaking ceremony in Brno was just the first of many events marking the 200th birthday of the “Father of Genetics”

On Feb 24th, 2022, Austria and Czechia partners under the INTERREG V-A Austria-Czech Republic project "GJ Mendel's Legacy for Science, Culture, and Humanity" gathered in Brno, Czechia, to break the ground for the rebuilding of Mendel's greenhouse. 2022 is the 200th birthday of "the father of genetics" Gregor Mendel, whom in addition to being a scientist, beekeeper, and mereologist, was also the director of the Bank of Moravia and Abbott of the St. Augustine Abbey of Brno. The design of the new greenhouse is inspired by Mendel's scientific illustrations, with the space serving as a science center as well as a science event and exhibition space. Barbara Fischer and Lynn Chiu are co-leading part of the INTERREG project at University of Vienna, with activities planned in collaboration with the NHM Wien and the Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research (KLI). An entire year of reflective and celebratory events will be carried out by project partners BOKU, Masaryk University, and The Augustinian Abbey. On his birthday, July 20th, there will be a festival and conference at Brno.