Quo vadis? WEST! – visit of German Embassy in Prague ****************************************************************************************** * Quo vadis? WEST! – visit of German Embassy in Prague ****************************************************************************************** It was on one of the few snowy and freezing days in Prague this winter when the Erasmus Cl of Arts paid a special visit to the German Embassy in Prague, located in Lobkowicz Palace náměstí (Malostranské Square). This was an exciting opportunity to have a guided tour arou and take a glimpse in to a place where one of the impulses for the fall of communism in 19 story that’s hardly imaginable in 2014 but one that still fascinates us all. The Lobkowicz Palace has been utilised for official purposes since the 18th century. Previ the building was surprisingly operating as a beer brewery and the function and owner of th frequently. The Lobkowicz family held ownership of the palace from 1753 onwards but during the First Czechoslovak Republic (1918-1938) it was bought by the state. Nevertheless, it s its historical name under the Lobkowicz family. The dominant feature of this wonderful pie architecture is the round room in the copula, used even today for concerts and other speci frescos on walls and ceilings in the interior were breath taking, but most of our tour fou decoratively pruned garden to be their favourite part of the grounds. Although it was a fi for a palace not far from the city centre, one would image it to be much larger. After all hosted more than 5,000 refugees at a time! In 1989, just a few months before the Wall in Berlin fell, hundreds of Germans from East G the embassy in Prague in an attempt to access West Germany. What started as a trip for fre soon turned into an enormous wave of immigrants climbing over the fence of the embassy’s g with just essentials, this was a sign of desperation and the press, the police and the Red to respond. However, the embassy was soon overcrowded and overworked. Due to this, the con palace were disastrous. The embassy, housing some three thousand people at a time, had onl about twelve toilets. Tents were built in the garden for the men; women and children were bunk beds everywhere possible inside. A school for all the children was organised in the g was even a baby born in the palace. Finally on 30th September 1989, the Foreign Minister o Hans-Dietrich Genscher, arrived in Prague and offered the refugees a way out. Special trai prepared that carried the people after some necessary procedures to West Germany. But it was not over yet for the German Embassy. Having heard on the TV and the radio about of their fellow citizens, more and more GDR-Germans headed for Prague, which seemed like t because they did not require a visa as they would, for example, to go to Hungary. Conseque even having finished the clean-up after the first wave, the second wave of migrants floode of the Lobkowitz Palace again. The international media were present and the whole world wa anticipation to see how the desperate situation would develop. The embassy got so crowded Cross advised officials not to accept any more people as the hygiene conditions became cat Despite the discomfort, all new incomings were greeted and other refugees sneaked them ove fencing. The police soon surrounded the embassy and would not let any more people enter th resulting in a huge crowd gathering on the small square in front of the palace. Finally, b arrive to carry more people to Western Germany. During our visit, we were shown the documentary “Fluchtpunkt Prag”, made by German TV stat is composed of various films shot of the actual events. If it wasn’t for this, the story o telling us would have been hardly believable. Yet, the silent and peaceful Lobkowitz Palac with the physical marks of the people who made it their temporary home – the guide pointed damaged stripes of the frescoes downstairs caused by all the beds squeezed into the place. to commemorate these busy autumn days was made by David Černý (a controversial Czech artis his piece Entropa). The statue is called Quo vadis and is of a walking Trabant car; a trib Germans that left their Trabants in Prague on their journey West. Altogether, around 15,000 East Germans emigrated though the embassy in Prague in 1989. Yea groups of visitors visit the German embassy in Prague nowadays. Visiting the embassy was a experience that gave me a significant realisation. When reviewing such events from today’s you realise how grateful we should be for our freedoms and the possibilities we have to tr people, as students, as Europeans. We should never forget that and remind ourselves to be By: Helena Hradilová is a student of Translation and Inter She is very fond of languages, meeting new people and University. To further support Erasmus students in exp maintain contact between students of different culture Proofreading: Poppy Gerrard-Abbott is an Erasmus student studying BA write for the iForum to build on her journalism skills Czech culture and life in Prague through attending loc Poppy saw the iForum as an exciting opportunity to pur fun experience that has brought some exciting opportun offer such placements to future students.