In the ceremonial hall of the Prague 12 town hall, a ceremonial handing over of honorary citizenship took place on Thursday, April 25. Illustrator Jaroslav Němeček and botanist Václav Větvička received this important award from the hands of 1st Deputy Mayor Petr Šula. Both awards have a very close relationship with the district and spread its good name, among other things, through their professions.
Honorary citizenship ceremony
The event was attended by representatives of the city district led by 1st Deputy Mayor Petr Šula, representatives and other invited guests. After a short introduction, the 1st Deputy Mayor Petr Šula took the floor, who in his speech introduced the two awardees, described their life stories, where he highlighted not only the hard work, thanks to which each of them gained considerable reputation in their field, but also their positive relationship to Prague 12.
Appreciated citizens
“Your unique characters from the Four-leaf clover not only entertain, but also teach. Together with your wife, through Myšpulín, Bobík, Pindi and Fifinka, you created a world that brings joy and learning. Your work is an example of how art can bring people together and transcend generations.” introduced Petr Šula to the first of the awardees, Mr. Jaroslav Němeček.
Jaroslav Němeček was then given a chance to express himself, who first thanked him for the award, saying that he greatly appreciates it, and then recalled his childhood and school years spent in Modřany. He also added a memory of the beginnings of his lifelong passion: “I also drew with my father, but my mother is my mother. She always sat me down at the table, took the mushrooms she collected in the forest and said – this is a mushroom, you draw that, this is a slide… and that’s how they cultivated in me the joy of everything that can be drawn with a pencil and later with watercolors.”
Botanist Václav Větvička was another awardee, about whom Petr Šula remarked in his speech: “You are a man of many talents and passions. Your career as a gardener, writer, botanist and translator covers a wide range of achievements that have enriched our society and inspire us all. Your literary work on plants and nature is an invaluable contribution to our cultural heritage.”
Václav Vetvička
Václav Větvička also first expressed his heartfelt thanks for being granted honorary citizenship in the district where he has lived since he was four years old. Subsequently, he added several memories of both his childhood and his rich professional career. As a small surprise, he presented the currently published book
“The best soil lies under our feet”, in which he describes his life story in the form of an interview with publicist Petr Havel.
At the end, he revealed that he too is a fan of Jaroslav Němeček’s comic book heroes: “In our family, Shamrock was a success from day one, the boys were completely obsessed with it. And individual members of the family, there are four of us, bear the names of these heroes. The choice for my award at the same time as Mr. Němeček is significant and appropriate,” concluded Václav Větvička with exaggeration and his own humor.
The end of the celebration
At the end of the ceremony, the Czech national anthem was performed by Richard Haan Jr., a member of the Coro Piccolo ensemble and Kühn’s children’s choir, who was accompanied on the harmonium by Jiří Jan Nepomuk Svoboda, executive director of the Semafor Theater.
“The municipal district of Prague 12 decided to award honorary citizenship for the first time in ten years, when actors Jana Hlaváčová, Luděk Munzar and Jiří Kodet received this award. We are very appreciative of all the awardees, and in the coming years we will certainly be happy to recognize other personalities who are significant for our part of the city.” adds 1st Deputy Mayor Petr Šula.
About the awardees:
Both new honorary citizens of Prague 12 have already been awarded by the President of the Republic. In 2023, Jaroslav Němeček received the First Class Medal for Services to the State in the Field of Culture and Art, Václav Větvička received the First Class Medal for Services to the State in the Field of Science in 2018.
Mr. Jaroslav Němeček graduated from the School of Applied Arts and, in addition to art and illustration, also worked in ceramics and sculpture. But he became most famous as the illustrator and author of the popular comic Four Leaflets, which is listed in the Czech Book of Records as the longest-running Czech comic. The Shamrock has been published continuously since 1969, for 55 years. He drew inspiration for many adventures precisely from memories of his childhood in Modřany, his native house (interior and exterior) became the model for the comic dwelling of the four heroes. Jaroslav Němeček’s work, which also includes elements and motifs from Prague 12, inspired and positively influenced several generations of readers, and remains popular and popular with contemporary readers as well.
RNDr. Václav Větvička is a long-time resident of Modřany and belongs to the patriots of our district. He graduated from the Faculty of Natural Sciences of the UK (field of geobotany). In the years 1984 and 1985 and then from 1990 to 1992, he was the head of the Průhonické Park. Between 1973 and 1988, he worked in the editorial office of the magazine of the Academia Živa publishing house (most recently as deputy chief editor); he was a member of the editorial board of the book edition of the magazine Žižou prirodų. Based on the results of the selection process, he was appointed director of the Botanical Garden of the Faculty of Natural Sciences of the Charles University, where he worked from 1992 to 2007. He is also engaged in journalistic activities, where he also reflects on topics from our district. He has long-term and completely selfless cooperation both with the city district (thematic discussions and lectures) and with local associations.
