The exhibition with the symbolic title 68/89 was opened on 30 April 2009 in the Royal Library – The Black Diamond – in Copenhagen by the Danish Minister of Education, Mr. Bertel Haarder, in presence of the Danish Minister for Refugee, Immigration and Integration Affairs, Ms. Birthe Rønn Hornbech, nearly 30 ambassadors and 100 other guests. Welcome speeches were also given by the director of the Royal Library, Mr. Erland Kolding Nielsen, the journalist and the former chairman of the Danish PEN, Mr. Niels Barfoed, the first Czechoslovak ambassador in Denmark after 1989, Ms. Hana Ševčíková, and the Czech ambassador, Mr. Zdeněk Lyčka.

Under the leadership of the curator Dana Kyndrová the exhibition presents 60 photographs by prominent Czech photographers documenting key historical events in Czechoslovakia between 1968 and 1989, e.g. Dagmar Hochová, Pavel Štecha, Vladimír Lammer, Libuše Kyndrová, Luboš Kotek, Jan Šilpoch and many others. The photographs include the scenes from the Warsaw Pact occupation of Czechoslovakia in August 1968, document the self‑immolation of Jan Palach and Jan Zajíc in protest against the Communist regime in 1969, and the development in 1988 - 1989, when the growing dissatisfaction and the ensuing demonstrations led to the so-called “Velvet Revolution” in 1989 and to the collapse of the Communist regime.

On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the self-immolation of Jan Palach three short documentaries were shown at the opening. The festive opening of the exhibition, which is one of the most significant cultural events in the Danish capital in connection with CZ PRES, was rounded off by a glass of Czech beer. The exhibition lasts until 27 June 2009.

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In connection with the CZ PRES a copy of the biggest medieval manuscript Codex Gigas (“Giant Book”), also known as the Devil´s Bible, is exhibited in the Royal Library – the Black Diamond – in Copenhagen from 30 April to 16 May 2009. Exhibition of the manuscript was possible thanks to the cooperation between the Danish Royal Library in Copenhagen, the National Library of the Czech Republic in Prague, the National Library of Sweden in Stockholm and the Czech Embassy in Copenhagen.

For more information please see:
Codex Gigas
National Library of the Czech Republic

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The exhibition Crossing Borders - Sculptural Glass and Paintings by Czech Artists was opened at the Ebeltoft Glass Museum in Jutland on 2 May 2009. The art historian, Ms. Pavla Drdácká-Rossini, is the curator of the exhibition.

The exhibition presents 25 Czech glass artists of all generations including the most experienced ones, who contributed to the international success of the Czech glass during the post-war period. Jaroslava Brychtová, and her late husband and the artistic partner, the Czech glass art classic Stanislav Libenský, as well as Vladimír Kopecký belong to the most significant of the exhibiting artists. Besides, the exhibition includes works by Václav Cígler, Jan Ambrůz, Bohumil Eliáš, Jan Exnar, Milan Handl, Martin Hlubuček, Klára Horáčková, Marian Karel, Ivan Mareš, Alena Matějková, Jaroslav Matouš, Anna Matoušková, Stanislav Müller, Jiří Nekovář, Jaroslav Róna, Jaromír Rybák, Gizela Šabóková, Lada Semecká, Petr Stanický, Dana Vachtová, Marian Volráb, Dana Zámečníková and Jiřina Žertová.

The exhibitions name Crossing Borders reflects the intentions of the particular artists to break the rules of the specific genres as well as the artistic way of thinking as a whole.

Eight of the exhibiting artists and around 120 guests attended the opening. Welcome speeches were given by the director of the Glass Museum, Ms. Dagmar Brendstrup, the former Ambassador in Denmark, Ms. Hana Ševčíková, and the Czech Ambassador, Mr. Zdeněk Lyčka, all in Danish. The festive opening of the exhibition, which is the largest cultural event outside the Danish capital in connection with the CZ PRES, was rounded off by a glass of Czech beer. The exhibition lasts until 20 September 2009.