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A new touring exhibition in the foyer of the Faculty of Applied Sciences (FAV) at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen will provide the public with access to extensive archival sources documenting political repression of Czechoslovak citizens and compatriots in the Soviet Union between 1917 and 1956. The exhibition, titled “Spies! Kulaks! Fascists!”, will be free to visit from Thursday, October 15, at noon, when it will open with a formal inauguration. All materials will be on display through November 13, during the faculty’s opening hours.

The exhibition is the result of combining historical research with modern technology in a joint project by FAV and the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes (ÚSTR). It will offer visitors a glimpse into a largely forgotten chapter of history, focusing mainly on the first half of the 20th century. Seventeen panels will present documents from Soviet security agencies held in post-Soviet archives, materials from Czech and Slovak archives, photographs, and other visual materials.

The most significant outcome of the cooperation between FAV and ÚSTR, however, is to be a forthcoming database containing more than 1.5 million pages of documents, an interactive map of the persecution of Czechs and Czechoslovak citizens across the former Soviet Union, and a database listing approximately tens of thousands of victims.