An important activity of exile publishers was publishing of books by authors banned by the regime. A number of the copies was always intended for readers in Czechoslovakia and smuggled across the borders. However, the capacities of the “smuggling channels” were very limited, so one of the publishers came up with the production of reduced “smuggling” 9 x 7 cm versions of the books. Their transport across the borders to Czechoslovakia was much easier. Due to its small size, the editions were commonly called “hummingbirds”. The disadvantages of reduced and less readable print were balanced by the ingenious placement of a magnifying glass to the back of the books. Also, the books contained instructions on what to do if the police found illicit prints. These “hummingbirds” were most often smuggled through the “Austrian way,” which was managed by Vilém Prečan. The delivery of the shipment in Prague was organized by Jiřina Šiklová. A passenger car that had a secret box for the transport of books, periodicals and other materials in its trunk was used for smuggling. The driver was a young Austrian teacher who had been travelling to Prague between 1983 and 1987.
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Na Zátorách 6, 170 00 Praha 7 - Holešovice, Czech Republic
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The collection of Karel Teige’s surrealist collages consists of 312 collages made mostly during the Second World War. Those made after 1948 are a great example of the continuous presence of avant-garde art in post-war Czechoslovakia. The collages were purchased by the Museum of Czech Literature in 1972 from Teige’s relatives.
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Strahovské nádvoří 1, 118 38 Prague - Hradčany, Czech Republic
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The role of the telegram written by Kurt Furgler (1924-2008), former president of the Swiss Confederation and sent to his personal friend of Alojzij Šuštar was to report on the activities conducted by Furgler in contacting the president of the Swiss Confederation Flavio Cotti and the president of the European Commission, Jacques Delors. Its aim was to stop the aggression of the Yugoslav People's Army against Slovenia. The letter confirms the high level contacts exercised by Archbishop Šuštar in international politics in order to firmly establish democracy in Slovenia. The document shows that Mr. Furgler was active in coordination with Archbishop Šuštar.
The authorities, namely the still communist Yugoslav People's Army (YPA) could not react to the document, because it arrived to Ljubljana on June 28, 1991 at the opening stages of the Slovenian War of Independence. Had they known about it, they would have treated such a case as high treason on Archbishop Šuštar’s part. It was important both to the Catholic Church in Slovenia and the broader Slovenian public, because it was a sign of hope and encouragement at the moment when the democratic will of the Slovenian citizens was being forcibly supressed by the armed intervention of the YPA.
It is used in publications and exhibitions about the activities of Archbishop Šuštar and the Catholic Church in Slovenia. Historians and members of Catholic Church consider it a symbol of the cultural opposition and influence of Archbishop Šuštar. It is located in box 37 of the Alojzij Šuštar Collection and it is provisionally available.
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Ljubljana Krekov trg 1, Slovenia 1000
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Andrej Aplenc’s testimony of captivity on the island of Goli was held in front of a young audience in Ljubljana on August 27, 2014. Aplenc was detained twice on Goli. The first time, he went to Goli otok in 1949 for a year, and the second time was in 1952 for two years. The reason for his first imprisonment was his criticism of the lack of freedom of speech in Yugoslavia, as he advocated greater freedom of expression for young people. The second time he was imprisoned for refusing to cooperate with the state security service, which tried to recruit him as an informer.
The event was organized by the Study Centre for National Reconciliation and is listed in their Archive of Testimonies as one of the testimonies about the post-war rigidity of the communist system that also impacted young people, resulting in disillusionment with this system and Aplenc's emigration. The testimony is publicly available by prior arrangement but has not yet been used.
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Ljubljana Beethovnova ulica 3, Slovenia 1000
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Vratislav Brabenec is a well-known Czech musician, poet, and a representative of the underground movement. He was born in Prague on April 28, 1943 and he grew up in Horní Počernice. After graduating from the Secondary Technical School of Agriculture in Mělník, he studied theology at the Comenius Protestant Theological Faculty in Prague, but he did not complete his studies and instead began earning his living as a garden designer. From 1972 he was a member of the music band The Plastic People of the Universe and he wrote many lyrics for them, such as “The Passion Play”. In 1976 he was sentenced in the trial against independent artists and culture activists to eight months of imprisonment. He served his sentence as part of his detention pending trial. Shortly after his release from prison he became a signatory to Charter 77 and after that time he lived under constant surveillance by the StB Security Police. In 1982 he was subjected to a number of interrogations which were accompanied by blackmail and physical violence. Based on these incidents, he eventually decided to emigrate together with his wife Marie Benetková, with whom he was raising their daughter Nikola. He returned to his homeland only in 1997. He now lives in Prague and his activities include concert performances, poetry and other literary pursuits.
The testimony includes a 2.15-hour recording, a transcript of the interview, links to interviews about the author and some of his works, as well as contemporary and present-day photographs, all online and accessible to researchers after signing up.
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