Velvet Revolution
On November 17, Slovakia and the Czech Republic mark 30 years since the Velvet Revolution, a wave of demonstrations that toppled the communist regime in Czechoslovakia in 1989.
Book about communist Czechoslovakia honours the Slovak journey
Authors Zuzana Palovic and Gabriela Bereghazyova were born behind the Iron Curtain but raised in a free world.Anna Fay, 1. Feb 2020, at 16:44
What the president said about the anniversary of the Velvet Revolution
Someone attempted to shake the foundations and we are still able to argue about ornaments. Read the whole speech of President Zuzana Čaputová.Zuzana Čaputová18. Nov 2019, at 15:10
Blog: 30 years after the Velvet Revolution, we still haven't found a Slovak original
November 17, 1989 was all about giving another chance to dreams stolen in 1948 and 1968.Andrea Sadloňová18. Nov 2019, at 14:38
Crossing the Slovak-Austrian border has never become a matter of course for me
How I ran for Mária Rozmaňová who was killed on the border in 1952.Jana Liptáková, 18. Nov 2019, at 14:16
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Čaputová on the anniversary: Democracy is an opportunity
Politicians celebrated 30 years of freedom, too.Compiled by Spectator staff, 18. Nov 2019, at 13:06
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For a Decent Slovakia gathering: The legacy of November 1989 lives on
The organisers and participants stressed the importance of the 2020 general election.Compiled by Spectator staff, 17. Nov 2019, at 20:20
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Freedom can be lost democratically, from the inside
Has the country survived the abductions of the state, the inoculation of Mečiar, Fico governments and the Kočner underworld without harm to democracy?Beata Balogová, 17. Nov 2019, at 18:46
Velvet Revolution Square takes its place in Bratislava
Part of SNP Square, where mass rallies against the communist regime took place 30 years ago, has been named after the Velvet Revolution.Compiled by Spectator staff, 16. Nov 2019, at 15:48
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1989 taught us that we the people are powerful
But it has taken us a long time to learn this lesson.Michaela Terenzani, 16. Nov 2019, at 13:00
How the Velvet Revolution happened (timeline)
Day-by-day overview of the fall of totalitarian regime in Czechoslovakia.Sme, UPN15. Nov 2019, at 12:00
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I was in the frontline because it reflected what I felt inside
One of the leaders of the 1989 student movement, Anton Popovič, remembers the fall of the totalitarian regime.Anton Popovič15. Nov 2019, at 12:00
spectacular slovakia podcast
The Velvet Revolution embodies a peaceful change
Professor Ľubica Lacinová remembers her life before and after 1989.Peter Dlhopolec, 14. Nov 2019, at 16:26
Audio
1989: I knew immediately that Sľúbili sme si lásku would be a hit
People in the streets weren’t damaged by the regime; it rather annoyed, tired and disgusted them, said the singer songwriter of the 1989 revolution anthem.Matúš Krčmárik14. Nov 2019, at 10:20
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The concentration of the automotive industry is now the Achilles’ heel of Slovakia
Former NBS governor Vladimir Masár was one of the people who facilitated Slovakia’s transition to a market economy.Jana Liptáková, 12. Nov 2019, at 13:31
Interview
Prague was supposed to be a quiet posting when I arrived in 1987
A Canadian diplomat thinks back to his time in Czechoslovakia during the Velvet Revolution.Anna Fay, 11. Nov 2019, at 19:19
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Slovaks live better now than before 1989, statistics show
But many people still yield to myths about the communist regime and nostalgia.Jana Liptáková, 11. Nov 2019, at 12:27
Paneláky are an irony of history
Many older Slovaks are nostalgic of the job security and the flats they got “from the state for free” before 1989.Anca Dragu, 11. Nov 2019, at 11:44
More than 100 events will commemorate the Velvet Revolution
Project creators renamed revolution as evolution.Compiled by Spectator staff, 7. Nov 2019, at 11:02
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Interview
Slovakia has found the cure for the first populist power grab
When the people experience that they can win over anti-democratic forces on their own without help from outside, then it fortifies their immune reactions.Michaela Terenzani, 7. Nov 2019, at 8:00
Slovaks more critical of the post-1989 world than Czechs
A third of Slovaks question the Velvet Revolution, a survey shows.Compiled by Spectator staff, 6. Nov 2019, at 21:43
- 1. Foreigners: Slovakia’s city of tolerance has a lot to offer Audio
- 2. Slovak company won NATO tender
- 3. Vegetables, spa, and confusion. Welcome to Slovakia’s newest town Photo
- 4. Several events will commemorate two years since the murders of Kuciak and Kušnírová
- 5. Ján Kuciak and Martina Kušnírová remembered by diplomatic community
- 6. OSCE observers arrive to oversee 2020 elections
- 7. Former American baseball pro has found home base in Bratislava
- 8. Five big questions to ask ahead of election in Slovakia
- 9. The blockade of the special session is over. MPs discussed 13th month pensions only
- 10. Thousands of people in Slovakia live close to landfills
- 1. Slovak company won NATO tender
- 2. Five big questions to ask ahead of election in Slovakia
- 3. Foreigners: Slovakia’s city of tolerance has a lot to offer Audio
- 4. Vegetables, spa, and confusion. Welcome to Slovakia’s newest town Photo
- 5. Former American baseball pro has found home base in Bratislava
- 6. Where the Slovak language was born: Uhrovec Video
- 7. A chief editor quits over Pellegrini’s intervention in a to-be-published interview
- 8. OSCE observers arrive to oversee 2020 elections
- 9. Opposition MPs brought wedding cake to parliament, session was postponed Photo
- 10. New record: Visibility from Kráľova Hoľa exceeded 300 kilometres
- 1. Indian manager in Bratislava: I wish Slovaks focused on emotional intelligence more Photo
- 2. Slovak company won NATO tender
- 3. Former American baseball pro has found home base in Bratislava
- 4. Five big questions to ask ahead of election in Slovakia
- 5. Slovakia may lose about one-half of its water sources
- 6. Brownfields in Bratislava make up an area the size of Lamač Photo
- 7. Forget Romeo and Juliet. A Slovak Verona recounts a real-life love story Audio
- 8. Foreigners: Slovakia’s city of tolerance has a lot to offer Audio
- 9. Vegetables, spa, and confusion. Welcome to Slovakia’s newest town Photo
- 10. Where the Slovak language was born: Uhrovec Video