Czech Republic commemorates 20th anniversary of totalitarianism’s fall

Listen to the young generation and to witnesses

20 Years without the Curtain. This is the name of a concert that will take place in Prague on 17 November, the 20th anniversary of the exact day when the Velvet Revolution began. Appearing at the concert will be both young Czech artists who remember little from the time of totalitarianism as well as older musicians who created under the communist regime and to varying degrees were forced to conform to it. The concert will be preceded by a programme in the Albertov neighbourhood, where 20 years ago the definitive fall of the communist regime began in what was then Czechoslovakia. From there, people will set out in the footsteps of the students who marched in 1989 to the street Národní třídu, where the programme will culminate with the aforementioned concert. (www.oponaops.eu)

What was life like at the time? You can find out at the exhibition Bee Free.

The exhibition Bee Free, which will be presented at the new building of the National Museum in Prague (www.nm.cz) from 17 November 2009 to 6 July 2010, recreates the atmosphere of the communist state. There you will see, for example, the hot-air balloon from which Radio Free Europe pamphlets were dropped in the territory of then Czechoslovakia, a court dock for the accused in political trials, a stylised samizdat work and even an entire apartment from that period.

An exhibition entitled “1989 through the Eyes of Photographs” (Rok 1989 očima fotografů) evokes memories of the year 1989 through pictures from Czech photographers and also documents the time that preceded this turning point. The exhibition is open through 14 October in the Cloister of the Old Town Hall in Prague. You can visit another photography exhibition at the Stone Bell House (Dům U Kamenného zvonu) in Prague (www.ghmp.cz). The exhibition is called “That Time in the East” (Tenkrát na východě) and emphasises not radical political events but rather everyday life at a time when so much was demanded and so little allowed. The exhibition is open from 28 October 2009 to 3 January 2010.

Whenever tourists come to Prague, they can see places connected with the fall of totalitarianism—whether on their own or with a guide from whom they will obtain a wealth of interesting information. You will find a tour entitled “Velvet Revolution and Prague” at www.guide-prague.cz.

The Museum of Communism presents the regime from all sides

You will form your own picture of this period of the past also by visiting the Museum of Communism in the centre of Prague (www.muzeumkomunismu.cz). The permanent exhibition recalls the communist regime from many different viewpoints – from everyday life, politics and media propaganda to education and art. Here you will see, for example, what business, school, workshops and even a State Security (secret police) interrogation room looked like in the time of totalitarianism. You can also watch a documentary film mapping the period 1968–1989 (with EN subtitles).

“Dark Tourism” is a modern phenomenon bringing visitors to sights where some kind of tragedy occurred in the past. Among the Czech dark monuments are The Vojna Memorial near Příbram and the Museum of Victims of the Communist Regime (www.muzeum-pribram.cz). These monuments stand in the former locations of a prison camp, then labour camp and later prison for opponents of the communist regime. There you will take a look around the entire grounds and rooms that were witness to much human misery. Just the sight of these places is enough to give you goose bumps. Moreover, the exhibition “At the front of the Cold War” (Na frontě studené války) will run here through 1 November. The exhibition details the activities of couriers who transported important information and materials across the Iron Curtain.

You will find historic data about the totalitarian regime and Velvet Revolution at www.czechtourism.com (under the tab “Interesting – History”).

Eva Tajanovská, Czech Tourism Authority – CzechTourism
2009-09-25