First, the President of the National Council of the Republic of Slovenia, Marko Lotrič, address the audience.  The President of the National Council of the Republic of Slovenia emphasised that the rich Czech footprints in Slovenia clearly show that the Czech and Slovenian peoples, thanks to their mutual fondness, have built strong ties throughout history and created a common heritage that has shaped Slovenian statehood and contributed significantly to social and economic development on the Slovenian soil.

Mrs. Betka Bizjak Kotnik, interim director of the Conservatory of Music and Ballet in Ljubljana, also spoke, presenting the very important role of Czech musicians, composers and pedagogues in Ljubljana.

At the end, the Ambassador of the Czech Republic in Ljubljana, Jiří Kuděla, officially opened the exhibition. In his speech, the ambassador also pointed out the political cooperation, especially parliamentary cooperation.  He recalled the cooperation between Czech and Slovenian Members of Parliament in the Vienna Imperial Council and later the parliamentary cooperation during the period of the First Czechoslovak Republic and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, which became a great ground for modern cooperation. He mentioned his first visit to the Slovenian Parliament in 1993, when he accompanied President Havel, and the very warm welcome he received. He emphasised that this exhibition captures precisely these human relations and natural solidarity.

The young and talented cellist Vida Furlan from the Conservatory of Music and Ballet in Ljubljana musically enriched the whole event.

The 22-panel exhibition "Czech Footprints" presents the close ties between the two nations and Czech personalities from the fields of architecture, music, theatre, film, photography, science, medicine, etc., who have successfully contributed to the building of Slovenian national identity, culture, education, infrastructure and, last but not least, the sports movement, and have made an indelible mark on Slovenian history. The vast majority of them have even found a new home and settled here.

The exhibition was initiated by the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Ljubljana, which is also the author of the exhibition in cooperation with the Prague Castle Administration (design of the exhibition).

The exhibition can also be viewed in the attachment.