Antonín Holý’s legacy has found a new voice outside IOCB Prague. The Poetry Jukebox combines stories of his discoveries with personal memories and humour, inviting everyone passing by to stop and listen. IOCB Foundation funded its creation and helped develop its content.

The Antonín Holý Poetry Jukebox was unveiled by Barbara Eignerová, a member of our Board, and Zdeněk Hostomský, Deputy Director of IOCB Prague (Photo: Tomáš Belloň / IOCB Prague)

The Poetry Jukebox was unveiled on 1 September to mark the 90th anniversary of Antonín Holý’s birth. Located outside IOCB Prague in Prague’s Dejvice district, it will serve as a lasting reminder of his life and scientific work.

The Poetry Jukebox offers fifteen recordings in Czech and five in English. Visitors can listen to memories shared by his colleagues, Holý’s own voice, or an excerpt from the Dejvice Theatre production Elegance molekuly (The Elegance of the Molecule). They can also learn how his research contributed to the treatment of HIV/AIDS and hepatitis B, listen to the sound of molecules, and discover the jargon used in a chemistry laboratory.

Supporting the Poetry Jukebox has a special significance for our foundation: some of the funds we bring back into Czech science thanks to the success of Holý’s research are now also helping to preserve his legacy. Come and listen at Flemingovo náměstí.