Děčínská kotva - Vzpomínky zpěváků, historie a rarity největšího českého písňového festivalu (2026)

For more than two decades, Děčínská kotva was one of the most important music events in Czechoslovakia, yet surprisingly little of it has survived. This book revisits the festival in the form of an almanac, bringing together eyewitness memories, historical context and small stories that might otherwise have disappeared with the people who carried them. The authors guide readers behind the scenes of individual editions while evoking the atmosphere of the years in which the festival was created, flourished and eventually fell into oblivion. The book examines the myths surrounding the festival’s political background and places it within the broader cultural context of its time, presenting Děčínská kotva as more than a popular music competition: it was a social event capable of transforming an entire city and region for weeks. The nearly six-hundred-page publication recalls the major stars of the Czech and Slovak music scenes, as well as amateur performers and the accompanying programme. It also acknowledges how few materials from this chapter of cultural history have survived and how much patient research and cooperation with witnesses was needed to assemble what could be saved. Without judging, evaluating or imposing an ideology, it leaves readers to form their own view. A limited edition of 100 copies with a printed page edge is also available for collectors.