Our city not only lost a substantial part of its Jewish and German-speaking population, but also lost by the dissolution of the common Czechoslovak state. Nevertheless, Slovaks continue to come to us: they study in our universities, get jobs, start families. It is no exaggeration to speak of Brno as the capital of Slovaks living abroad. So do we still belong together? Do we know how they enrich our city? What kind of home is Brno for them? The question of whether we belong together was also addressed in the festival in the context of the history of the hidden church that operated during the communist regime, and in particular the extraordinary story of Ludmila Javorová. What is the female priesthood like? And what is today’s monastic sisterhood?

The eleven days of the festival offered extraordinary meetings, discussions, exhibitions, concerts, an educational conference, two theatre premieres, workshops, guided walks and a reconciliation march.

President of the Czech Republic Petr Pavel, President of Slovak Republic Zuzana Čaputová and Daniela Hammer-Tugendhat