Introduction Prague, Czechoslovakia (1918-1992)
1918–1992
Prague is praised by visitors mainly for its uniquely preserved historical city centre, with an almost fairytale architectural ambience. The ancient beauty of the centre lets the visitor gloss over the dramatic and, sometimes, tragic moments of the city and country’s twentieth-century history. The 100th anniversary of the founding of Czechoslovakia in 2018 is thus an opportunity to reveal to our visitors those aspects of Prague history that have been overshadowed by its older and better-known mementos. Our ‘digest’, which you are currently holding, will draw your attention not only to buildings, but also works of art, monuments or other things of note that bring Prague’s Czechoslovak era to mind. Each year of the existence of Czechoslovakia is matched by one aspect, though not always with absolute chronological precision. Our aim and hope has been primarily to make our publication captivating, diverse and – we hope – rewarding for Prague’s visitors. 1
Zdenek Rykr – Prague, 1937, print, 95 x 61,5 cm, inv. no. 79/99 © Regional Museum in Kolín
For seventy-four years, these two words were like a married couple. Even these days, more than a quarter of a century after the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, we still find the odd foreign politician or journalist using the term for today’s Czech Republic. Czech citizens are bemused, frustrated, but resigned to it: it seems the word Czechoslovakia has indelibly left its mark in our collective memory.
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