Obituary | Bořivoj Nechvátal

Bořivoj Nechvátal, PhDr., CSc. (*1935), emeritus researcher at the Institute of Archaeology, Prague, left us forever on 5 March 2024.

Bořivoj devoted most of his professional life to archaeological research at Vyšehrad, where he fought for the preservation of the local cultural heritage during the communist regime, and was also responsible for several exceptional discoveries that have become part of today’s common knowledge of this important Central European site. In addition, he has done a tremendous job in the preservation and documentation of medieval monuments at various sites in Bohemia (Tlesky, Radomyšl, castles and hillforts in Strakonice and Písek, etc.) and was a pioneer in researching new categories of material culture that had previously been largely neglected in the archaeological field. During his lifetime he published nearly 300 studies and articles and several monographs, some of which were published in Austria, France, USA, Germany and Ukraine. For his professional contributions, Bořivoj received the Croix de l’Ordre Pro Merito Melitensi from the Order of the Knights of Malta (1998), the Bishop Antonín Podlaha Medal (2020) and the Silver Medal of the City of Prague (2023).

Bořivoj will be remembered by many as a loyal, courageous and honest colleague and friend.