More than 500 visitors commemorated August 1968 at the Ministry of Transport18/8/2023|Press releasesThe Open Day at the Ministry of Transport, thematically devoted to the events of August 1968, was attended by 523 people. They had the opportunity to see the current premises of the Ministry of Transport, which served as the headquarters of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia during the August events and hosted important political meetings. In front of the ministry building visitors saw an authentic infantry fighting vehicle of the occupation troops. The event also included a live recording of a new episode of the popular podcast Rewrite History. During the guided tours, visitors saw the former offices of Alexander Dubček or Gustáv Husák, the so-called Husák's apartment, which the last communist president used for resting, and the underground shelter, where period furniture is placed, including an authentic work desk of Gustáv Husák. An exhibition of unique photographs, stories and historical objects awaited them in the foyer of the building and on the ground floor. An authentic BRDM-1 infantry fighting vehicle of the occupation troops was on display right at the entrance to the ministry. It was with these machines that the then leadership of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia was transported from the headquarters of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia to Ruzyně Airport, and from there to Moscow. There was also a Volha car on display, which was one of the symbols of totalitarian power. People also took the opportunity to meet directly with transport minister Martin Kupka and ask him what they were interested in. They could discuss with him various transport projects as well as current political topics. "This year marks 55 years since the Soviet invasion, but the topic is still alive in our society. Although many of us did not experience August 1968 first-hand, we could see how much it affected the hopes and dreams of our parents' and grandparents' generation. This makes the events in Ukraine and Russia's current power ambitions, which are the same today as they were more than 50 years ago, all the more tragic," says transport minister Martin Kupka. The highlight of the event was a live recording of a new episode of the popular podcast Přepište dějiny (Rewrite History), where historian Michal Stehlík and columnist Martin Groman and guest Rudolf Chmel offered an informed view of the last days of August before the invasion, the August myths and the wider context of the events. You can listen to it since August 21. The headquarters of the Ministry of Transport on Prague's Ludvík Svoboda Riverbank was built in 1932 according to a design by architect Antonín Engel. The monumental building was the centre of the totalitarian regime from 1960 until the Velvet Revolution. Today, the building serves its original purpose again, i.e. as the headquarters of the Ministry of Transport, and roughly the same part of the offices is used by Czech Railways or employees of the Government Office or the Directorate of Waterways. The programme of the commemorative day was created with the help of the Military History Institute, the Rewrite History podcast, tour guides Praga Viva and Retroautomuseum Strnadice.