Central Europe Goes Towards Freedom

In November 1989, an international seminar “Central Europe. Culture at the Crossroads, Between Totalitarianism and Commercialism” and a review of Czechoslovak Independent Culture, which marked the culmination of the activities of the Polish-Czechoslovak Solidarity community and also served as a prelude to the Velvet Revolution in Prague. The long-standing cooperation of the SPCz (and the “Polish-Hungarian Solidarity” established in February 1989) led to the establishment of friendly contacts between the oppositionists of Poland, Czechoslovakia and Hungary. After the 1989 transition, they appeared to form new elites in their respective countries. Earlier ties, creating a special political climate, largely helped in the first three years in the close cooperation that resulted in the realization of two major projects – the creation of the Visegrad Triangle and the removal of Soviet troops from the entire Region.