<span>Šípek is exhibiting in Assen, the exhibition was opened by Havel and Kok</span>

Brussels/Assen (Netherlands) - The exhibition of works by Czech artist and friend of Václav Havel, Bořek Šípek, was ceremoniously opened today in northern Netherlands' Assen, attended by former Czech president Václav Havel and former Dutch prime minister Wim Kok. The opening also kicked off a rich festival of Czech culture in the Dutch province of Drenthe.
According to Czech ambassador to the Netherlands Petr Kubernát, about 600 invited guests, including all local dignitaries, attended the opening. Šípek brought about a fifth of his entire body of work - glass sculptures, design, furniture, dishes, and photographs filled four large halls of the Drenthe Museum.
The festival itself will start on Tuesday, which is the first day of spring. Over 20 days, until April 9, the Forman brothers, the ensembles Hradišťan, Boni Pueri, and Severáček, Teatr Novogo Fronta, Gabriela Demeterová, and others will come to Assen and other places in the province. A photography exhibition by Dana Kyndrová will begin at the local cultural center, and literature lovers will have the opportunity to converse with Jáchym Topol, Vladimír Pistorius, or Sylva Fischerová.
The groups Hm... and Psí vojáci will also perform. The Czech center in The Hague will bring a number of unusual films, such as Women in Transformation by Erika Hníková, My Happy Star by Helena Třeštíková, or the more well-known Daisies by Věra Chytilová. Assen and the province of Drenthe will simply experience three weeks of Czech culture.
According to Kubernát, this is the first such rich Czech presentation in the northern Netherlands. The main contribution to its realization comes from the very active local museum, which cultivates traditional ties with the Czech cultural scene; two years ago, it decided to present it at home and has been diligently preparing "Prague Spring in Assen" ever since.