Prague museum shows Czech-Polish exhibition on Prague Spring 1968 and invasion of Warsaw Pact troops
The invasion of Czechoslovakia by the troops of five Warsaw Pact countries on August 21st, 1968 put a brutal end to the democratisation process in Czechoslovakia that became known as the Prague Spring. An exhibition currently on display in Prague looks back at the events 37 years ago
Lists of people killed and injured, photographs, newspapers of the day, army uniforms and personal accounts - all bear testimony to the few optimistic months of 1968 and of all hope being crushed by Warsaw Pact troops.
One of the institutions that participated in the exhibition is the Office for the Documentation and Investigation of the Crimes of Communism. Its director, Irenej Kratochvil, explains how the exposition came about.
"The idea originated three years ago in Warsaw at a conference organised by the Polish counterpart of our office. We were, of course invited, and we thought it would be good to show the Czech public the Polish side, too."
The Polish Institute of National History has contributed a lot of material, including some black-and-white footage of the self-immolation of a Polish man, in protest of the Polish involvement in the invasion of Czechoslovakia. I asked the Polish Ambassador to the Czech Republic, Andrzej Krawczyk, whether the participation of his country in the Prague exhibition can be understood as an apology.
"There is a whole movement in Poland nowadays and I am proud as a Pole, as a Polish citizen. I think that there is a sign of moral health that we have a feeling that we must again and again talk about it, be concerned about it, say we apologise. And there is a warning for the future."
Poland is the only country of the five 1968 invaders that is showing its side of the story at the Prague exhibition.
"It is very difficult and maybe impolite to speak on behalf of other countries. I can say, from the general, human, point of view, there is a trauma. It is a trauma to be an occupant. Every normal human being - to use such a category - should account for such events. On the other hand, I understand that there are various ways of such accounting. And there is a very thin border between accounting and a hysterical attitude. And I think each nation, each man must choose the proper way."
