The Karel Schwarzenberg Fellowship is awarded in memory of the eminent Czech-Austrian statesman, diplomat, and human-rights advocate. It is granted by invitation only. Distinguished fellows will spend one month at the Institute.
The fellowship is aimed at individuals whose work and ideas have eminently shaped public debate, especially relating (but not limited) to European history and its future, the prospects of Central Europe, the protection of human rights, the strengthening of civil society, diplomacy, philanthropism, and the freedom of thought—all of which were of crucial importance to Schwarzenberg himself.
Fellows are invited to make their work accessible to a wider audience through public events and publications in various media, thereby helping to preserve the legacy of Karel Schwarzenberg.
The fellowship was established following the death of Karel Schwarzenberg to honor his achievements as a politician, statesman, diplomat, and highly engaged supporter of liberty and human rights.
Kasper Nowak
Fellowship Program Coordinator
fellowships@iwm.at
Karel Schwarzenberg (1937–2023) was a Czech-Austrian politician and highly respected statesman. During the communist era, he was a staunch supporter of dissenting voices. From 1984 to 1991, Schwarzenberg was the chairman of the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights. After 1990, he became chancellor under the newly elected Czechoslovak president Václav Havel, and later served as the Czech minister of foreign affairs from 2007 to 2009 and from 2010 to 2013. Schwarzenberg was a longstanding friend of the Institute and, for many years, chaired IWM’s Board of Patrons.
