Prague Spring, Prague Fall

The exhibition places the reforms in Prague in the context of the events that took place world-wide in 1968, and thus focuses on events that have been forgotten, or details newly discovered about this last attempt to create a socialist utopia in Europe. The lost world of Prague Spring is brought to life in this multimedia exhibition which includes rare photographs, archival materials, contemporary film news, music and posters. The barricades of Paris’ Latin Quarter, Polish police forces brutally crushing student demonstrations in Poland, and the battles fought in Vietnam and elsewhere in the Third World serve as a backdrop for the events in Prague. In addition, our exhibition refutes the legend of the bloodless invasion of Czechoslovakia, the fable of János Kádár’s unwillingness to take part, and will critically examine the mythology of “Prague Spring” and “Prague Fall”.

In connection with our exhibition Örökmozgó cinema will present rarely seen Czech New Wave and Hungarian films, as well as contemporary Hungarian, Austrian and Russian film newsreels, from 11–15 September.