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From the ArchivesThe East German refugees in Prague
For a few weeks in the late summer of 1989, Prague became the scene of a
bizarre – and now largely forgotten - refugee crisis. It had all begun
in
the spring, when Hungary announced its decision to take down the barbed
wire on its border with Austria. A growing number of East Germans,
desperate at the suffocating lack of reform in their country, took
advantage of this new gap in the Iron Curtain as a way of fleeing to the
West. But smuggling themselves into Austria was an uncertain business, and
before long, they started seeking refuge at the West German embassy in
Budapest - and then in Prague. It was much closer to home than Hungary and
easier to get to, as East German citizens did not need a visa. More
From the ArchivesDecember 1988: Mitterrand meets dissidents in Prague
In the second half of the 1980s the sweeping reforms in the Soviet Union
were being echoed in several of the country’s Eastern Bloc satellites.
But in Czechoslovakia there were few signs of change, despite growing
diplomatic pressure from abroad. A key moment came in December 1988, when
President Francois Mitterrand made the first ever official trip to
Czechoslovakia by a French head of state. This was part of a broader
attempt to improve dialogue with communist countries, but Mitterrand also
came with clear human rights agenda. Just before his trip he was
interviewed by Czechoslovak Radio:
More
Current AffairsPalach Week 1989: a series of protests leading to the Velvet Revolution
Following his suicide, Jan Palach was adopted by Czechs as a national hero,
while the communist authorities tried – in vain – to erase all trace
of
what he had done. When Czechs gathered to mark his death 20 years later in
1989, they were met with tear gas and unprecedented police brutality. The
clampdown resulted in a week of protests, which some say led to the Velvet
Revolution in November that year. More
MailboxMailbox
This week in Mailbox: Radio Prague’s special programme on November 17,
reception in different parts of the world, the biggest river in the Czech
Republic. Listeners quoted: Mohamed Elsayed, Dennis Young, Jr., Mike
Straton, Henrik Klemetz, Bob Boundy, Tahsin Ara Khanom.
More
Current AffairsNovember 17th anniversary overshadowed by radar debate
Czechs on Monday marked 19 years since the fall of communism and the return
of freedom and democracy to their country. It was a day of remembrance but
more than ever before it was overshadowed by present-day concerns such as
the Communists’ return to power in regional government and the siting of
a US radar on Czech territory.
More
SpecialCzech-British author Benjamin Kuras on the fall of communism in Czechoslovakia and the difficulty of returning 'home'
Czech-born British author and journalist Benjamin Kuras was one of many
expatriates who witnessed the fall of communism in Czechoslovakia from
abroad. Ahead of autumn 1989, he and colleagues at the BBC’s Czech
section regularly speculated over when change would finally come. But when
it happened in the days and months after November 17, the developments
presented a new dilemma for those who had left in 1968 or earlier. New
questions came to the fore such as when to visit, whether to go back at
all, and if so, how to tackle one’s “ghosts”. In this interview, Jan
Velinger asked the writer (who still divides his time between the Czech
Republic and Great Britain) how he saw the months preceding the “fall”.
More
Current AffairsRange of demonstrations planned for anniversary of Velvet Revolution
November 17th is the anniversary of the start of the Velvet Revolution and
is a public holiday here in the Czech Republic. Hundreds are expected to
take to the streets of Prague on Saturday, to mark the 18th anniversary of
the beginning of one of the most important chapters in the country’s
history. But others will be turning out in numbers for rather different
reasons. Here is a round up of the activities we can expect around the
capital on Saturday:
More
One on OneWill Tizard - Variety's man in Prague
Our guest for One on One this week is Will Tizard an American journalist
who has been based in Prague since 1994. Besides writing regularly for the
Czech Republic's English-language newspaper The Prague Post, Will Tizard
is also an editor for the prestigious Time Out city guide as
well as the Czech and Slovak correspondent for the leading movie-industry
publication
Variety Magazine. More
Current AffairsDiscussion considers changing role of art in politics
Many areas of life have changed hugely since the Velvet Revolution -
including the world of Czech art. Art as a political phenomenon before and
after 1989 was the subject of a debate at the Slovak Institute in Prague on
Wednesday.
More
Current AffairsCommunist-era prime minister Ladislav Adamec dies
Former communist prime minister of Czechoslovakia, Ladislav Adamec, died at
the weekend at the age of 80. A noted pragmatist, Mr Adamec headed the
Czechoslovak government from 1988 up until December 1989 when he
negotiated the eventual handing over of power with members of the
opposition Civic Forum, which included future president Vaclav Havel.
Although he tried to retain a place in politics even after the Velvet
Revolution, Mr Adamec's later role was ultimately short-lived. More
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