From Friday, October 20, 2023 at 10:00 AM until Saturday, December 30, 2023 at 5:00 PM, visitors were able to discover why and how over 180,000 Czechs and Slovaks immigrated to America during the communist era in Czechoslovakia. Visitors were also able to experience personal accounts of real immigrants and how they made it to America.

“Leaving Czechoslovakia” presented the stories of 20th century Czech and Slovak immigrants to America in their own words.

Hundreds of thousands of Slovaks and Czechs fled their homeland during the communist era, many risking their lives in the process. Their stories, about why and how they emigrated, are sometimes dramatic, sometimes tragic, and essential to our understanding of the events that shaped the 20th Century. These first-person accounts formed the core of “Leaving Czechoslovakia,” a traveling exhibition from the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library. The project captured and preserved the stories of Czechs and Slovaks who fled their homeland during the Cold War.

Czech Center Museum Houston would like to thank Diana Austin, Rev. Paul Chovanec, James Ermis, Adelma Graham, Sharon Schweitzer J.D., Valerie Sheppard, William and Marie Vavrik, and donors who wish to remain anonymous for generously supporting our Czech Heritage Month programs.