Museum and galleries look back at the dark old days

In the very building that was the seat of government of communist Czechoslovakia and which for the past 15 years served as the headquarters for Radio Free Europe, the National Museum is staging an eye-catching exhibition that casts light on life in Czechoslovakia under the communist regime.

Opened Nov. 17, the exhibition "Be Free" focuses on the dissemination of independent information through radio stations and dissident activity, while displaying authentic documents illustrating totalitarian propaganda methods.

"The goal of the exhibition is to acquaint visitors with the developments in the period from 1948, when the communists seized power in Czechoslovakia, till the fall of communism in 1989," said Michal Lukeš, director of the National Museum. "We want to point out to our young people how ugly any form of totalitarian regime and dictatorship is."

The exhibition is divided into two parts. The first hall recalls the early years of communist life, focusing on the bleaker issues; tightening border controls, changes in society and the political trials of many dissidents, including an engaging audiovisual display of Milada Horáková.

The second exposition focuses on the later years of the regime when outright fear of the state was commonplace. Key factors that contributed to the collapse are highlighted, like the work of peace movements, economic crisis, information smuggled across international borders and reprinted by samizdat, plus broadcasts by Radio Free Europe. It ends with the phenomena of the Velvet Revolution and the fall of the Iron Curtain.

In 1993, the Czechoslovak Parliament building situated just off Wenceslas Square became the new location for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).  

After RFE/RL moved to its new headquarters in Prague 10 at the start of this year, the National Museum took over occupancy. This is the first public exhibition staged on the site, which is adjacent to the main National Museum building at the top of Wenceslas Square.

Other exhibitions around the city documenting the bleak years of the communist era include a collection of photographs currently on display at the Louvre Gallery. Titled "This Once Was Husák's Country," photographer Lubomír Kotek's exhibit references the last communist president, Gustav Husák, and reveals some extraordinary scenes on the streets of Prague in the years leading up to the Velvet Revolution.

People getting blasted by water canons in the street, sparsely filled shop windows and decrepit tower blocks are set alongside informative commentaries written by Kotek and his peers living under communism.

"Taking pictures of people in the street going about their everyday lives was a way which helped me a great deal in tackling bouts of depression," Kotek said. "While some chose to stay behind closed doors, others protested on the streets, and capturing all those moments and discussing them with friends was my remedy for coping in those dull, depressing times."

Elsewhere in Prague, a distinctive collection of images from outside mainstream culture is now showing at Langhans Gallery. The exhibition aptly named "Outside" by photographer and curator Dušan Šimánek juxtaposes images from a variety of photographers taken during the two decades preceding the revolution and can be viewed until the end of January 2010.

James Davies can be reached at
features@praguepost.com