Pavel Dostál


Pavel Dostál was the Czech Minister of Culture from 1998 to 2005.
Born in Olomouc, North Moravia in 1943, Dostál took an early interest in theatre. In 1966, he put aside his technician trade in order to become the artistic director of the Experimental Theatre in Olomouc. For the next few years, he was active as a theatre producer, and a writer of plays, TV scripts, and magazine columns. During this time, Dostál was member of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. Disillusionment struck him in August 1968, when the Soviet Army invaded Czechoslovakia. Dostál took part in the underground radio broadcasts at Czechoslovak Radio, which was central to local resistance to the Communist occupation. He did not formally end his Communist Party membership until the following year, in protest against the government placement of pro-Soviet Gustáv Husák.
Due to these activities, he was kept under surveillance by the STB secret police, and allowed only to work at labour and technical jobs for 20 years. Still, he made attempts at protest during this time, and was detained as late as 1989, for the distribution of a petition.
Dostál was able to return to theatre again after the revolution in 1989. As before, he worked in theatre in Olomouc. He became active in governmental politics during this time. In 1991, he joined the Social Democratic Party, and, in 1996, was eventually elected as a Member of Parliament for that party. In 1998, Dostál was appointed Minister of Culture for the Czech Republic.
During his tenure, Dostál often spoke out in defence of Czech minorities. He was once attacked with a knife for his support of Czech Romani. He served as Minister of Culture until his death on July 24, 2005, after suffering from pancreatic cancer for nearly a year.