Prague still glistens 15 years after 'velvet revolution'
PRAGUE Ñ Renovation and rebirth are still words that spring to mind nearly fifteen years after the peaceful Òvelvet revolutionÓ which overthrew the communist regime and restored a free and democratic Czech government. But the epic political events after the long grey twilight of the former socialist repression, have turned into a mild hangover.
Indeed the euphoria of President Vaclav HavelÕs era has been replaced by mixed emotions concerning recent membership in the European Union (EU) and NATO. Though few people would wish to return to the comradely ties of Comecon or the Warsaw Pact, many Czechs feel a nagging ambivalence towards the fast-paced political and social changes.
Moreover this second generation of post-communist political leadership, beset by doubt and disagreement but without the iconic image of Havel, is burdened by the debilitating economic legacy of the socialist years. Still rapid changes have equally registered a backlash in the recent European Union elections ø the communist party gained a formidable twenty percent of the vote!
After a brief interlude of freedom after WWII, the Czech communists backed by the Soviets seized power in 1948. Czechoslovakia, a land which was industrially and scientifically innovative in the 1930Õs, then entered the rigid regimen of five year plans, political diktats from Moscow, and cultural and religious repression. By 1968, a communist reform movement known as Prague Spring pushed the political parameters and brought a glimmer of hope until it was shattered by Soviet tanks on August 21st. Political winter returned for twenty years.
Not long after Czechoslovakia regained its freedom in 1989, the two constituent peoples the Czechs and the Slovaks decided to separate leading to the Òvelvet divorceÓ and the peaceful breakup of old Czechoslovakia.
Golden Prague, a historic jewel of architecture which had been tarnished by a pervasively depressing socialist reality, now shines again. The sputtering and polluting Skoda cars of the seventies have been replaced by redesigned sleek Skodas, co-produced with Volkswagen and internationally competitive. As with most autos, busses and trucks, the old Òcommie lookÓ is happily fast disappearing.
Foreign investment in the Czech Republic has surged and is led by German, Dutch and American firms. Both its geographic location and highly competitive labor costs put the Czech Republic among the top destinations for investment in Central Europe. Between 1993 and 2003, over $40 billion in foreign investment has poured into the Czech Republic, $3 billion of which is American. Economic growth has been impressive but in recent years has lost some steam.
Interestingly as long ago as the movie Amadeus, Prague has been used as a premier location for filming. Today cinema represents a $300 million industry. ÒJust a few years of exposure to foreign film crews were enough to make the Czech Republic one of the most demanded locations for film making in Europe, if not the world,Ó reports the business monthly the Prague Tribune. ÒOver the course of the past decade, Prague has become the number one locale due to a winning combination of its architecture, great stages and sets, and experienced crews,Ó adds Tom Karnowski, an American producer at Filmworks based in Los Angeles.
Indeed the buildings and streets of Prague, once seemingly a grey tableau of pollution-tarnished structures, have literally been scrubbed clean and tastefully renovated. Prague, a city reflecting the Medieval, the Baroque, and Art Nouveau structures, remains quite simply stunning. This has also led to a bourgeoning tourist industry, for American visitors and with legions of British seemingly in search only of the fabled beer.
Golden Prague, despite its tumultuous history, still glistens.
John J. Metzler is a U.N. correspondent covering diplomatic and defense
issues. He writes weekly for World Tribune.com.  |
