Today is the 22nd anniversary of the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia. Well, the beginning of the revolution. It started with a demonstration walking up Národní Třída, that got bottlenecked by the police in a little passage a couple of short blocks from the National Theater.
The Crowd Celebrates on Wenceslas Square
It looked a lot like the scenes we are seeing today in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, New York and many, many other cities.
The police started beating on people, because that’s what police do, and the crowd dispersed. But the spark was lit, the fire spread and 11 days later, on November 28th, the Communist party announced they would resign.
It’s not entirely clear why they call it The Velvet Revolution but I like to think it was because Václav Havel, the dissident playwright who was a hero of the revolution and became president at the end of it, was a fan of Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground. Eventually, the two met and became friends. Coolest revolution ever!
Also, there is a Czech beer called Velvet. It’s a stout and after it’s poured it looks kind of like a lava lamp, as the high foam slowly turns into a thick, black brew. Looks and tastes a bit like Guinness. But I’m not sure if the beer precedes the revolution or is named after it.
Anyway, velvet is smooth, and soft, and the revolution was non-violent, so it fit. In Slovakia, it’s called the Gentle Revolution.
In 1993, Slovakia declared its independence and the country divided, peacefully, in two. Both countries are doing pretty well.
So, Happy Anniversary!
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