Even though our time in Prague was brief, we managed to pack everything in over a matter of three days. Coming on this trip I have to say I was probably the most excited for Prague out of all the cities that we were visiting. There is something about Prague’s unique and beautiful architecture as well as the rich history of the city that always made me want to visit and I was so excited to finally have that chance. After visiting I have to say that I was blown away by the city’s beauty. However, aside from the beauty of the city, I felt the need to exercise a lot more caution and be more aware of my safety than any other city that we have visited. There was somewhat of a different vibe that I got from Prague and I don’t know if it was the language barrier, the safety issue, or the currency confusion but Prague wasn’t necessarily everything I expected it to be.
In the Fall, our group’s project topic was Prague’s Velvet Revolution so I was also excited to go to Prague to see the sites where the revolution took place and learn more about this historical event all together. It was a cool experience to study something for quite a while and then get the opportunity to go to the actual places where the history of the country took place and the future of the country was changed forever. However, on our walking tour we did not necessarily learn as much about the Revolution as I would’ve liked to. We visited a lot of amazing and historical places such as the Prague castle and the Charles Bridge but most of those places did not relate to our topic so much. That is however until we arrived at Wenceslas Square.
Wenceslas Square was the place where the monumental protest took place that ended the communist rule in what is now known as the Czech Republic. Standing in a place where something so life changing took place was a little hard to grasp, and even harder to grasp when you realize it took place only 26 years ago. Looking at Wenceslas Square now, it is surrounded by countless restaurants, clothing stores and souvenir shops. It was a little hard to imagine it just 26 years ago with thousands upon thousands of people protesting for their freedom.
After the tour we went to the Communist museum and that is when I really felt like I had gained the information and perspective I was looking for. At the Communist museum I not only learned more about the revolution but I also learned about the country’s history before the revolution and the events that lead up to it. The best part of the museum was the video that was shown. The video showed the protestors acting in a nonviolent manner while the police were retaliating violently. I was actually very shocked when I saw this because everything I had read about the Velvet Revolution has said that it was so peaceful. However, I guess the nonviolence part was referring to the protestors and that they acted in a nonviolent manner, not necessarily the police.
Communication played an integral part in the revolution and it’s success. Thousands and thousands of people would listen to speeches given by anti communist opposition leaders and other important personalities everyday, urging them to join the movement. Without the role of communication and the power of the media, the revolution would probably not have been as successful as it was. Thinking about the power of media today and all of the social media that exists, the revolution could have been even bigger if that sort of media was around in 1989. Nonetheless, the revolution was a success and communism is no more so I guess everything worked out.
We are back in Germany now and I don’t think I have ever been more excited to speak German because it is so much easier than the Czech language.
-Kelsey Krug
In the Fall, our group’s project topic was Prague’s Velvet Revolution so I was also excited to go to Prague to see the sites where the revolution took place and learn more about this historical event all together. It was a cool experience to study something for quite a while and then get the opportunity to go to the actual places where the history of the country took place and the future of the country was changed forever. However, on our walking tour we did not necessarily learn as much about the Revolution as I would’ve liked to. We visited a lot of amazing and historical places such as the Prague castle and the Charles Bridge but most of those places did not relate to our topic so much. That is however until we arrived at Wenceslas Square.
Wenceslas Square was the place where the monumental protest took place that ended the communist rule in what is now known as the Czech Republic. Standing in a place where something so life changing took place was a little hard to grasp, and even harder to grasp when you realize it took place only 26 years ago. Looking at Wenceslas Square now, it is surrounded by countless restaurants, clothing stores and souvenir shops. It was a little hard to imagine it just 26 years ago with thousands upon thousands of people protesting for their freedom.
After the tour we went to the Communist museum and that is when I really felt like I had gained the information and perspective I was looking for. At the Communist museum I not only learned more about the revolution but I also learned about the country’s history before the revolution and the events that lead up to it. The best part of the museum was the video that was shown. The video showed the protestors acting in a nonviolent manner while the police were retaliating violently. I was actually very shocked when I saw this because everything I had read about the Velvet Revolution has said that it was so peaceful. However, I guess the nonviolence part was referring to the protestors and that they acted in a nonviolent manner, not necessarily the police.
Communication played an integral part in the revolution and it’s success. Thousands and thousands of people would listen to speeches given by anti communist opposition leaders and other important personalities everyday, urging them to join the movement. Without the role of communication and the power of the media, the revolution would probably not have been as successful as it was. Thinking about the power of media today and all of the social media that exists, the revolution could have been even bigger if that sort of media was around in 1989. Nonetheless, the revolution was a success and communism is no more so I guess everything worked out.
We are back in Germany now and I don’t think I have ever been more excited to speak German because it is so much easier than the Czech language.
-Kelsey Krug