Several dozens of people gathered in the small square in front of Masaryk University Medical Faculty building on 8 March to remember the 160-th anniversary of T.G. Masaryk's birthday. The opening speech of the commemoration meeting at the first independent Czechoslovak state president statue was delivered by Brno Mayor Roman Onderka.

Those who honoured Masaryk's memory were representatives of regional government, municipal districts, civic societies, organisations, clubs, political parties and schools, among whom were also the representatives for the University of Defence. Lead by the vice-rector for external relations colonel Jaroslav Prucha, the delegation laid flowers to T.G. Masaryk monument.

Tomas Garrigue Masaryk was a politician, diplomat, university professor, philosopher, fighter for truth and democracy and first of all a founder of the Czechoslovak state. He wrote indelible entries in the Czech Republic history leaving noticeable marks in "his" Southern Moravia too. He spent five years of his life in Brno in the age of fifteen to nineteen.

He was the first and the greatest person of our modern history whose name has been given to many important institutions also in Brno, such as Masaryk Univesity, Masaryk circuit or Masaryk Oncologic Institute.

Text and photo: Mgr. Zdeňka Dubová