In the present chapter, the author focuses on the International Poetry Festival in Valašské Meziříčí, its history and above all the significance it currently has for Czech-Slovak cultural relations. Based on his own experience as well as on a number of printed and handwritten materials including festival newsletters and results lists, he reveals the unique Czech-Slovak dimension of the festival, especially at the time after Czechoslovakia split into two countries. In this historical perspective, specific local ways of assessment of artistic recitation, dramaturgic choice of texts and a possible influence of the national cultural identity on their interpretation are recapitulated. At the end, the level of accompanying programmes and the impact of the prestigious competition show on the developing relations of Czech and Slovak literature and culture are evaluated.