Francouzská sekce podzemní univerzity v Brně (1985-1989): paralelní vzdělávání pod dohledem StB

The aim of this article is to map the beginning of the so-called underground university, represented by housing seminars which existed in Brno in the years 1985–1989, and to describe the information known by Czechoslovak security forces about the activities of the French section of the underground university in Brno. It was created as a result of the work of the author, who has been dealing with this topic in pursuance of his diploma thesis. In this period the French Association Jan Hus was sending the leading French academicians to give lectures in the unofficial housing seminars. The article focuses mainly on safety of these seminars because it was the most important parameter. After the brief introduction the original security concept invented by Jiří Müller, coordinator of the activities, is described. Then this paper examines two complicated crossings of borders when the French visitors Nathalie Roussarie and Yves Geffroy were stopped in customs office. Finally, the information known by State Security (StB) about the activities of the Association Jan Hus in Brno are described and analysed and some possible reasons why the security forces never intervened against these activities are presented. When collecting materials, the author mainly used the sources of Security Service Archive (Kanice, Czech Republic), the archive La Contemporaine (Nanterre, France) and interviews with witnesses and furthermore, previously published works.