Zlín
- installation date: November 14, 2019
- address: The Gahura's Prospect, Zlín
- photo: www.lavickavhzlin.cz
The 32nd Václav Havel’s Place was ceremonially unveiled at Gahurův prospekt on náměstí T. G. Masaryka in Zlín on Thursday 14 November, with the organisers honouring the imminent 30th anniversary of 17 November 1989; that date marked the start of the Velvet Revolution, which elevated Václav Havel, until then a persecuted dramatist and writer, to the position of president of the joint state of Czechs and Slovaks. For that reason the unveiling ceremony was attended not only by Michael Žantovský, director of the Václav Havel Library, but also by Andrej Kiska, a former president of Slovakia.
The Václav Havel’s Place is a memorial dedicated to Václav Havel. It comprises two chairs linked by a round table with a tree growing through its centre. The installation of Havel’s Places is a worldwide project that was initiated by the Czech ambassador to the US, Petr Gandalovič, and the architect and designer Bořek Šípek. The aim of the project is to create a network of places in public spaces that can contribute to meeting and the holding of genuine dialogue – places where it will be possible to conduct discussions and to reflect in the spirit of Václav Havel’s ideals and philosophy.