For the past two weeks, our Histories of Resistance class has been researching the streets of Wenceslas Square, one of the most politically important sites in Prague. People gathered at Wenceslas Square at each stage of Prague’s transformation from fascism, to communism, to democracy, and tumultuous points in between.

Jackson talked with us about the ornate architecture of square and its drab disruption under communism. Ann taught us about the young revolutionary Jan Palach who set himself on fire to protest the invasion of the Soviet Union. Madeline took us deep down to one of the metro stops, where people were instructed to escape to in the event of a nuclear event. Cody showed us Hotel Jalta, which was heavily bugged with communist surveillance equipment and contained a complex fall-out bunker for Soviet officials. Ellie taught us about propaganda during Communism, both its shining optimism and its antagonistic view of democracy, fascism, and capitalism. Finally, we stopped at one of David Černý’s pieces in the Palác Lucerna, where Sydney talked with us about the indolent delights of this famous Czech artist.

The history class brought this information to life by pointing to the buildings, memorials, and art pieces that surrounded us. We watched videos and showed pictures. They performed brilliantly, and then we went to Sisters for lunch.