MENDEL WEEK @ EXPO 2025 OSAKA
21–23 July 2025
Czech National Pavilion
Register for the Mendel EXPO Conference.
21–23 July 2025 | Czech National Pavilion
ABOUT MENDEL WEEK
Mendel Week at EXPO 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan celebrates the life and legacy of Gregor Johann Mendel, the father of genetics. The event bridges cultures and centuries through lectures, exhibitions, and global dialogue in the Czech National Pavilion.
Mendel Week connects historical discovery with cutting-edge science through lectures, immersive exhibitions, and meaningful international dialogue.
Visitors will explore Mendel’s groundbreaking experiments with plant hybrids, the recent sequencing of his genome, and the deep cultural significance of his original manuscript, now nominated for inclusion in UNESCO’s Memory of the World register.
With contributions from voices across Japan, Czechia, Norway, and beyond, Mendel Week is more than a scientific event—it celebrates curiosity, cooperation, and the enduring power of ideas that transcend borders.
PROGRAMME OVERVIEW
Mendel’s legacy weaves an unexpected yet powerful thread between the Czech Republic and Japan, uniting two cultures through shared roots in science, discovery, and a living grapevine.
DAY 1 – 21 JULY
Mendel Quiz – For Curious Minds
Did you know that Gregor Mendel designed a special beehive for his scientific observations?
Can you guess whether his original greenhouse still exists today?
And how tall was Mendel, measured in centimeters?
Day 2 – 22 July
Mendel EXPO Conference – Science Across Borders
The fate of Mendel’s grapevine
Discover how Mendel’s scientific and cultural legacy has become a bridge between Japan and Czechia, symbolized by the remarkable story of his grapevine—preserved, studied, and celebrated in both countries.
Dr. Toshiyuki Nagata (JPN),
Former Chairman of the Japan Mendel Society, Emeritus Professor, University of Tokyo and Hosei University
The Sequencing of Mendel’s Genome
An extraordinary story of how the genome of Gregor Mendel was sequenced more than 150 years after his groundbreaking work, offering new insights into the father of genetics.
Prof. RNDr. Šárka Pospíšilová, Ph.D. (CZE),
Vice-Rector for Research and Doctoral Studies, Masaryk University, Head of the Institute of Medical Genetics and Genomics, Faculty of Medicine
Mendel and Darwin: Two Giants of 19th-Century Science
Reflecting on the fascinating interplay between Mendel’s discoveries in heredity and Darwin’s theory of evolution, and how their work continues to shape biology today.
Prof. Nils Christian Stenseth (NOR),
University of Oslo, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences
DAY 3 – 23 JULY
Mendel & UNESCO
Step into the world of Gregor Mendel and explore the secrets of heredity through his original manuscript—twelve carefully composed pages that laid the foundation for modern genetics. This unique scientific document invites quiet reflection, not unlike the contemplative beauty of traditional Japanese calligraphy.
The exhibition also presents a meaningful cultural question:
Could the Augustinian Abbey in Brno, where Mendel lived and worked, one day stand alongside Japan’s own UNESCO World Heritage Sites—such as the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto, Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara, or the Hiroshima Peace Memorial —as a place of outstanding universal value?
VISUALS & HIGHLIGHTS
PARTNERS
The project for the nomination of the Old Brno Abbey complex of the Order of St. Augustine to the UNESCO World Heritage List is financially supported by the South Moravian Region and the Statutory City of Brno.
Register for the Mendel EXPO Conference.
21–23 July 2025 | Czech National Pavilion
