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A new book has been published about the posters which accompanied the fall of communism in Czechoslovakia in 1989. Entitled Posters of the Velvet Revolution, it collects various posters that appeared in the country’s towns and cities during that period, for instance calling for the removal of the communist government or for a general strike at the end of November that year. The authors, many of whom were university students, are mostly unknown. The book features texts in both Czech and English.

A new book has been published about the posters which accompanied the fall of communism in Czechoslovakia in 1989. Entitled Posters of the Velvet Revolution, it collects various posters that appeared in the country’s towns and cities during that period, for instance calling for the removal of the communist government or for a general strike at the end of November that year. The authors, many of whom were university students, are mostly unknown. The book features texts in both Czech and English.

Some of the most important Czech films since 1989 have been screened in a kind of mini-festival that has just come to a conclusion at the famed Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York. Six days. 16 films. 10 guest speakers. The series? The Ironic Curtain. Czech Cinema since the Velvet Revolution.

Descending the historic Old Castle Stairs on the way from Prague Castle to the left bank of the Vltava River, an unusual structure will catch your eye in the middle of a small park between the river and a busy road. The five-and-a-half-metre tall wooden watchtower looks strangely out of place among the 19th-century urban architecture. It is an exact replica of a watchtower from a communist-era labour camp near the town of Příbram southwest of Prague. As a symbol of the oppression of the communist regime, the watchtower is part of an extensive outdoor

Looking back at the events of 1989 in Czechoslovakia, most people will probably think of the student demonstration on November 17th which kicked off the Velvet Revolution. The November protest was the last in a series of events that took place that year and were violently suppressed by riot police. One of them was an illegal rally to commemorate the 71st anniversary of the foundation of Czechoslovakia on October 28th, 1989 held on Prague’s Wenceslas Square.

In his then post of head of the opera section of the National Theatre, the Czech minister of culture, Václav Riedlbauch, may have threatened striking performers during the Velvet Revolution of 1989, Czech Television reported. The station said Mr Riedlbauch had threatened to fine, expel or even have imprisoned members of the theatre, backing up the assertion with a document from that time. The minister has refused to comment on the allegations.

For the last week or so I have been religiously following one television programme every day. It’s not a soap opera that has got its claws into me but the Czechoslovak news 20 years after. There is currently an around 10-minute edited spot every night on the public broadcaster CT24 entitled ‘20 years of freedom – 20 years without Communist Party propaganda.’

Václav Havel, who led Czechoslovakia’s Velvet Revolution, discussed events at that time and developments since on Thursday, at his only public appearance ahead of the revolution’s 20th anniversary. The former president told reporters from around the world that 20 years ago no one knew when change was going to come, but people did sense that “something was in the air”.

One of the biggest events in Prague after the fall of communism was a now-legendary concert by the Rolling Stones at Strahov Stadium in 1990. They were received afterwards at Prague Castle by President Václav Havel, who became quite friendly with the band. Now 20 years later, the Rolling Stones leader Mick Jagger is coming back to the city – he’s one of a number of famous artists playing at a special concert organised by Mr Havel. Another big event marking the anniversary of the Velvet Revolution will be a recreation of the student demonstration

How are countries of central and Eastern Europe coping with their communist legacies? Have their societies done well in the transition to democracy over the last two decades? And why do so many people in this region feel nostalgic towards the totalitarian past? And in what ways is the Czech Republic different from other ex-communist states countries in the region? These and other issues were the focus of an international conference “20 Years After” that took place in Prague last week.