Interviewees remember the Velvet Revolution

Jan Hus Statue, Prague's Old Town Square, November, 1989

Since the NCSML began recording the stories of newer Czech and Slovak immigrants to the United States in the autumn of 2011, it has gathered numerous accounts from eyewitnesses to the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia in 1989. Here are a few of the memories that interviewees have shared from that time:

Poster calling for dismissal of politicians Štěpán, Jakeš & Obzina

Irena Kovarova remembers the build up to the Velvet Revolution in Prague in 1989:

“What I really started feeling more and more, I felt embarrassed that I’m allowing these people to rule my life. I felt embarrassed for myself. And so that was brewing, and when this November demonstration of students was going to take part, it was absolutely clear - we had to be there.”

At the time of the Revolution, Jana Frankova was working in Prague as a translator for a seminar of young journalists:

Rasto Gallo was a student in Banská Bystrica, Slovakia:

Vlado Šolc was a couple of years younger. He was attending military school in Prešov in November 1989:

Veronika Heblikova-Balingit, Prague, 1989

Veronika Heblikova-Balingit took many photos of Prague at the time of the Revolution (all of the photos in this blog post are courtesy of her own personal archive). She remembers being in the capital when the Velvet Revolution gained traction:

For more eyewitness accounts of the Velvet Revolution on the NCSML’s webpages, have a look at Pavol Dzacko, Irena Cajkova and Katya Heller’s profiles.

T G Masaryk Czech School, Cicero, IL

The Tomas Garrigue Masaryk School in Cicero, Illinois was founded in 1921:

Facade of the T G Masaryk Czech School, Cicero, IL

Trilingual reserved parking sign at the TGM School

Detail from the facade of the TGM School

To this day, it provides a space for both children and adults from the Chicagoland Area to come and learn the Czech language.

The school takes its name from the first Czechoslovak president, Tomas Garrigue Masaryk. To celebrate his birthday on March 7, some of the school’s students decorated the classrooms with scenes from his life:

Drawing of Tomas Garrigue Masaryk as a particularly muscular blacksmith

The school also has a comprehensive library, and is home to a number of local Czech and Slovak organizations:

During the summer, children can attend Czech-language summer school. On Wednesdays, Czech-American Pavlina Parks runs a music class for toddlers:

Pavlina Parks at the TGM School

The school has a large garden, in which pupils grow vegetables and where they can play:

School caretaker Sharon in the TGM playground

In her interview with Recording Voices & Documenting Memories, teacher Irena Cajkova discussed her involvement with the T G Masaryk School:



For more information on the T G Masaryk Czech School, visit the organization’s Facebook page or call (708) 656-9810.

Leaving Czechoslovakia Exhibit in New York City

On June 27, The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library unveiled its oral history exhibit, Leaving Czechoslovakia, in New York City. The exhibit is at the Bohemian National Hall, 321 E 73rd Street, where it will be open to the public until July 11.

The exhibit is on display on the third floor of the Bohemian National Hall, from Monday to Friday, between 12pm and 5pm. If you are interested in watching a DVD of interview clips which accompanies the exhibit, please call (212) 988-1733 to schedule in advance.