The year 2025 marks the 610th anniversary of the death of the Czech reformer and national hero Jan Hus, who was burned at the stake during the Council of Constance (1414–1418). Hus's death, as well as the long-standing tension between Catholics and reform-minded Czechs, reached its peak in the summer of 1419, when a long and bloody conflict broke out. The role of the Balkan states in the hostilities that lasted until 1434 was more than marginal. However, even then, the first information about what was happening in Central Europe found its place in the works of Balkan chroniclers.

Although somewhat forgotten in the following centuries, the topic of Hus, his teachings and the Hussite Wars was rediscovered by Bulgarians in the late 1860s, and to this day has a presence in contemporary historiography and book publishing in Bulgaria. In the lecture "We envy you, Czech brothers, for these brilliant names!" The Image of Jan Hus and the Hussites in Bulgarian Culture and Literature" Assistant Milen Petrov (IBCT-BAS) examines various aspects of the image of the Czech reformer among the Bulgarians from the period of the National Revival to the present day. Key to the study is the period after 1944, when this episode of Czech Medieval history became an integral part of Pan-Slavic ideas which the state promoted in its propaganda.

Due to the large chronological scope, only highlights related to the construction of the image of the Hussites in both translated and authorial fiction and scientific literature are presented. Other aspects, such as the image of Hus in Bulgarian cinema and newspapers are also presented. The period after 1989, when the theme of Jan Hus ceased to be part of the ideological tools of the state will also be mentioned.

The lecture is organized jointly with the Czech Center Sofia and will be held on June 3, 2025 at 6:00 p.m., in the building of the Czech Center (Sofia, 100 Georgi S. Rakovski Street). The lecture is part of the activities of the project "Going Through War: The Medieval Military Experience in the Balkans and Its Social Implications", funded by the Bulgarian National Science Fund (contract No. KП-06-М70-3/15.12.2022