Music as an escape from the reality – Rudolfov, České Budějovice

Fact of the Czech figure „The independent culture under the communist regime”

Part of the „Culture against communism„ topic

The Na Americe Pub in Rudolfov near České Budějovice is a place that reminds us that for some people, music was an escape from the normalization of everyday life and an artistic self-realization outside of the state-controlled culture. During the 1970s, it became associated with the underground movement, which was linked to the names of the poet Ivan „Magor” Jirous and the band Plastic People of the Universe.

The underground was an unofficial cultural movement and formed an important part of the anti-regime scene, whose representatives defined their work against the unitary culture of television variety shows.  Especially in the 1970s, the actions of the underground were subjected to persecution by the regime, which is still commemorated by a plaque on the Rudolfov pub, where the police cracked down on a Plastic People concert (1974).

Some cultural events were spared the regime’s crackdown during the normalisation period. Such cases were mostly on an imaginary borderline, where in exchange for a certain conformity with the regime (e.g. membership in socialist organisations) it was possible to organise events of a freer „nature”, e.g. the folk music festival Porta, which has maintained its continuity from the 1960’s to the present day.