In the year of the thirtieth anniversary of the fall of the communist regime, we prepared an audiovisual interactive exhibition in cooperation with Post Bellum, titled Brno Liberated!?
On 25 April 1945, the Red Army entered the centre of Brno. The hope of regaining freedom and democracy did not concern all the inhabitants of the city, however. The German citizens were indiscriminately expelled, many also murdered. Post-war Czechoslovakia did not rejoice in freedom for long. In February 1948, the Communists seized power and brought a time of political trials. The short period of fresh air in the spring of 1968 ended with the invasion of the Warsaw Pact troops. The comemmoration of the occupation on 21 and 22 August 1969 was brutally suppressed by the Czechoslovak security forces. Despite the freezing silence of ‘normalization’ in Brno, there was democratic opposition. In the underground environment, new works were being created, samizdats were published, educators fired from universities held seminars and lectures. Hope for freedom and democracy only came true in November 1989.
The exhibition does not judge, does not claim. It lets witnesses and direct actors not only of these key events of the 20th century speak out without comment. All stories of witnesses were recorded by the “Memory of the Nation” branch in Brno.

The exhibition is available on 29/5 – 28/6/2019 at Moravské náměstí near the Red Army Soldier. Free entry.

More information and reservations at brno-osvobozene.cz.