Many lost their lives fighting the injustice of totalitarian regimes. But survivors of those Nazi and communist dictatorships live on to tell their story. Their timely message has become the topic of an exhibition in Prague. It’s called: “We did not give it up – Stories of the 20th century.

[Milos Kroupa, Exhibition Organizer]:
“We have been writing down witnesses’ stories for 10 years now and we have realized that they aren’t just talking about history.” 

Event organizers want to remind people that the fall of communism was not accomplished by the effort of only a few individuals. It happened as a result of the efforts of many generations.

[Milos Kroupa, Exhibition Organizer]:
“If we want to remember the fall of the iron curtain, the fall of communism in Europe, we should not forget the previous generations who stood against criminal totalitarian regimes. Because history is a chain of events, one generation passes its experience of fighting against a criminal regime to another generation.”

150 information panels with pictures and stories of war veterans, political prisoners and main figures of November 1989, can be found in almost a dozen places in the center of Prague.

Outside Prague Castle are reminders of the totalitarian atmosphere back then – a Nazi transport wagon from 1920 and a unique watchtower from the Vojna communist labor camp.

[Frantisek Zahradka, Former Political Prisoner]:
“I came through the Nikolaj, Vojna and Bytiz labor camps where I spent 9 years. I was sentenced to 20 years in total but served ‘only’ 13 years of my sentence because when my mother was dying she wrote a plea for mercy and President Zapotocky had it verified and forgave me seven years. So 13 years were left for me. And I served out those years until the last day and the last hour because I never agreed with that regime.”

For Kroupa all these life stories have one major message

[Milos Kroupa, Exhibition Organizer]:
“If this society does not come to terms with totalitarian history people will still carry in their minds and hearts ways of totalitarian behavior and thinking that we can see in this society.”

Natalie Pokorna
NTD, Prague, Czech Republic.