Next Stop, Ruzyně International Airport: The Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and its Tours Abroad in the 1970s and 1980s

Abstract

The article focuses on the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra's tours abroad in the 1970s and 1980s and analyses them as an example of the interconnection between transport and political history. The study contributes to the issue of the state's and Communist party's ideological and cultural interests to send cultural “ambassadors” abroad (such people served as representatives of the socialist system in the world). The article reflects the issue not only from the regime's perspective; the author also focuses on the main aspects of the journeys perceived from the point of view of the individual travellers (modes of transport, tour experiences or purchase of goods abroad). The text relies mainly on oral history interviews with musicians and a wide range of archival sources.