Professor Martin Hilský received the Medal of Merit from the Mayor of České Budějovice Dagmar Škodová Parmová

On the occasion of the Day of the Establishment of the Independent Czechoslovak State, the Mayor of České Budějovice Dagmar Škodová Parmová presented medals for merit and for bravery to nine important personalities of the regional town. The Medal of Merit was also awarded to Professor Martin Hilský, who was instrumental in establishing the Institute of English Studies at the Faculty of Arts of the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice.

For the first six years after its establishment, he taught at the institute and made a significant contribution to the formation of a whole generation of English majors in České Budějovice. He managed to captivate and enthuse many listeners with his interpretation, who had known him mainly as a translator of plays. Thanks to Professor Hilský's personality, the Institute is a respected institution that trains professional English teachers, translators and secondary school teachers.

"I very much appreciate the fact that Mayor Dagmar Škodová Parmová decided to award Professor Hilský's contribution to the development of education in our region with a medal. Professor Hilský is an extremely inspiring personality of Czech culture and has contributed in a fundamental way to the fact that our English department, which managed to accredit its doctoral studies this year, is now one of the leading English departments in the country. I warmly congratulate Professor Hilský," said Professor Ondřej Pešek, Dean of the Faculty of Arts of the University of South Bohemia.

Professor Martin Hilský is the recipient of a number of other awards, including the State Prize for Translation Work, the Medal for Merit 2nd Class for the State in the Field of Culture and Education, the Medal of the Learned Society and the National Prize of the Czech Head Project.