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The Velvet Revolution in Photographs by Pavel Stecha
Thursday, October 5, 2017
An exhibition in celebration of Vaclav Havel’s birthday and the anniversary of the Velvet Revolution in Prague. A gallery exploring the personality of Havel, the first President of the Czech Republic and leading dissident voice in the Velvet Revolution, and the energy of euphoric Czechs during the Velvet Revolution in Prague. Photos provided by the International Center for Photography.
The period between November and December 1989 was an unforgettable time in Czechoslovakia. It started with a student demonstration on November 17, which was met by police wielding shields and batons. Then the peaceful protest grew into something more. It connected people across the social spectrum as students, dissidents, artists, religious workers, and residents of ever smaller towns began to join in. The calling of a general strike supported by major state factories was a signal to the governing party that things were getting serious. Negotiations began, and expectations were tense, but fortunately reason prevailed and eventually an agreement was reached.
The exhibition is running from October 5th to November 17th.
Free and open to the public. For more information, please visit www.czechcenter.com.