Opening of the exhibition ‘We want to be free, we will be free’ of the National Archives of Latvia in the Czech Republic

On September 1, 2020, the official opening of the exhibition “We want to be free, we will be free” of the National Archives of Latvia took place in the National Memorial on the Vítkov Hill, Prague. The exhibition is dedicated to the formation of the State of Latvia in the context of showing neighbouring countries Lithuania and Estonia, as well as Poland and Finland, which were founded or reinstated after World War One and also celebrated their centenaries in 2017–2018.

The Ambassador of Latvia, H.E. Ms. Gunta Pastore, in her opening address expressed appreciation that the exhibition of the historical records of Latvia has been brought to the Czech Republic. Czechs and Slovaks also cerebrated their centenary two years ago. It is very symbolic that this exhibition is displayed in the National Memorial on the Vítkov Hill, in one of the most important buildings related to the development of the Czechoslovak statehood.

G. Pastore stressed that knowledge of history is gaining importance today. History it is not only about our past, but also about the present and our future. Historical context makes us aware that today living in our free states, we still have to stand against the distortion of history. Historical context allows us to value our friendships and cooperation. This exhibition is also a great example of cooperation - prepared by the Latvian Archives together with the colleagues of Estonia, Lithuania, Finland and Poland, and exhibited by the National Museum in Prague. The Ambassador thanked to Mr. Marek Junek, Director of the Historical Museum and Ms. Meldra Usenko, the representative of National Archives of Latvia, for the joint efforts in arranging this exhibition.

M. Junek and M. Usenko in their speeches appreciated the successful long-term cooperation between the both Czech and Latvian institutions. The exhibition was opened in the presence of Mr. Vlastislav Ouroda, the Deputy Minister of Culture of the Czech Republic, as well as the Czech cooperation partners and the foreign diplomats.  

The exhibition of the National Archives of Latvia “We want to be free, we will be free” in the National Memorial on the Vítkov Hill is exhibited until October 4, 2020. The exhibition before was displayed in Estonia, Lithuania, Poland and Bosnia and Herzegovina.