Havel's Place
Havel's Place is a public art project, which creates a series of memorial places dedicated to the last
Origins
The original idea for Havel's Place came from
Šípek came up with a design symbolising "Democratic Debate", comprising two metal garden chairs placed around a table around a
Tomáš Halík, a close friend of Havel, told Czech Radio on 5 October 2013 that "the bench with the two chairs symbolises the willingness to sit down at a table and talk. That is, in my opinion, another important message left by Václav Havel: Even as people of different opinions, different political beliefs and different religions, it is still immensely important to sit down at a table and talk to one another in search for the truth."[2]
Partner cities
The first Havel's Place was installed in the grounds of
At a meeting in Prague a few days after the installation of the Havel's Place bench in Georgetown, Sipek met with Art for Amnesty founder Bill Shipsey who proposed that further Havel's Places would be installed in cities around the world. It was decided to start with Dublin Shipsey's home town. The Dublin "Havel's Place" was installed in St. Patrick's Park (adjacent to St. Patrick’s Cathedral) in
The next Havel's Place, "Espai Havel", ("Havel's Place" in
On 1 May 2014 the fourth Havel's Place was dedicated in Maltese Square in Havel's home town of Prague.[8]
On 11 June 2014 the fifth Havel's Place was unveiled in the
On 27 September 2014 the sixth 'Havel's Place' was unveiled on the Campus of Venice International University, San Servolo Island. Venice in the presence of Ambassador Umberto Vattani, President of Venice International University; Petr Burianek, Czech Ambassador to Italy; Honorary Consul of the Czech Republic, Giorgio Boatto; and Professor Agar Brugiavini, the Dean of Venice International University. Michaela Jorgensen-Day and Bill Shipsey raised the money for the project.[10]
On 4 October 2014, the 7th Havel's Place was unveiled in front of the café at the Municipal Library in Hradec Králové, Czech Republic. The creation of a Havel's Place in Hradec Králové was initiated by deputy mayor Josef Krofta.[11]
In November 2014, two Havel's Places were unveiled to honour the 25th anniversary of the
The 9th, promoted by Bill Shipsey and Iveta Stanislavova, was dedicated at The Hague, 8 November, at Lange Voorhout, by: Jozias van Aartsen, Mayor of The Hague; H.E. Jaroslav Horák, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the Netherlands; Eduard Nazarski, Netherlands Amnesty International Director; and Bořek Šípek.[13]
On 22 June 2017 a Havel's Place was unveiled in Lisbon in a collaboration between the Czech Ambassador to Portugal, Cultural Counsellor to the Camara de Lisboa Catarina Vaz Pinto and Bill Shipsey. Karel Schwarzenberg attended the dedication.[14]
The 25th Havel's Place was unveiled in Ljubljana on 16 March 2018 by Nataša Posel, Director of Amnesty International Slovenia and Mateja Demšič Head of the Department of Culture of the City of Ljubljana. This was also promoted by Bill Shipsey and was the first Havel's Place in a city of a former communist country outside the Czech Republic.
Václav Havel's Place
Václav Havel's Place No. | Date of establishment | Place | Town | Country |
I. | 3 October 2013 | Georgetown University | Washington, D.C. |
United States |
II. | 10 December 2013 | St Patrick's Cathedral Park | Dublin | Ireland |
III. | 15 February 2014 | Parc de la Ciutadella | Barcelona | Spain |
IV. | 1 May 2014 | Maltézské Square | Prague | Czech Republic |
V. | 11 June 2014 | University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice | České Budějovice | Czech Republic |
VI. | 27 September 2014 | Venice International University | Venice | Italy |
VII. | 4 October 2014 | Wonkova street | Hradec Králové | Czech Republic |
VIII. | 30 October 2014 | Šafaříkovy sady | Plzeň | Czech Republic |
IX. | 4 October 2014 | University of Oxford | Oxford | United Kingdom |
X. | 8 November 2014 | Old City Hall | The Hague | Netherlands |
XI. | 19 November 2014 | Míru Square | Nový Bor | Czech Republic |
XII. | 9 May 2015 | Lewis & Clark College | Portland | United States |
XIII. | 7 May 2015 | Sady Karla IV. | Karlovy Vary | Czech Republic |
XIV. | 27 October 2015 | Tel Aviv University | Tel Aviv | Israel |
XV. | 13 November 2015 | University of Pardubice | Pardubice | Czech Republic |
XVI. | 17 November 2015 | Křinické Square | Krásná Lípa | Czech Republic |
XVII. | 8 March 2016 | The Research Library in Liberec | Liberec | Czech Republic |
XVIII. | 14 September 2016 | Velké Square | Kroměříž | Czech Republic |
XIX. | 25 September 2016 | Centrum Vráž | Černošice | Czech Republic |
XX. | 10 October 2016 | Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem | Ústí nad Labem | Czech Republic |
XXI. | 18 May 2017 | Horní Počernice Theatre | Prague | Czech Republic |
XXII. | 17 June 2017 | Palacký University Olomouc | Olomouc | Czech Republic |
XXIII. | 22 June 2017 | Jardim do Príncipe Real | Lisbon | Portugal |
XXIV. | 25 September 2017 | Havelský park | Mladá Boleslav | Czech Republic |
XXV. | 16 March 2018 | Northern city park | Ljubljana | Slovenia |
XXVI. | 6 June 2018 | Strojárenská street | Košice | Slovakia |
XXVII. | 15 September 2018 | Czech University of Life Sciences Prague | Prague | Czech Republic |
XXVIII. | 4 October 2018 | T. G. Masaryk Town Library | Šumperk | Czech Republic |
XXIX. | 16 November 2018 | Jardin des Alpes | Geneva | Switzerland |
XXX. | 5 October 2019 | Kapucínské terasy | Brno | Czech Republic |
XXXI. | 13 November 2019 | University of Milan | Milan | Italy |
XXXII. | 14 November 2019 | T. G. Masaryka Square | Zlín | Czech Republic |
XXXIII. | 17 November 2019 | Na Rozcestí restaurant | Čeladná | Czech Republic |
XXXIV. | 17 November 2019 | Ivana Olbrachta street | Brandýs nad Labem |
Czech Republic |
XXXV. | 17 November 2019 | Pod Kostelem park | Tišnov | Czech Republic |
XXXVI. | 5 July 2020 | Vajanské Embankment | Bratislava | Slovakia |
XXXVII. | 27 July 2020 | Špalíček | Cheb | Czech Republic |
XXXVIII. | 21 August 2020 | Kino Dukla | Jihlava | Czech Republic |
XXXIX. | 15 September 2021 | Parque del Libro | Lima | Peru |
XL. | 5 October 2021 | Sady Husitské revoluce | Prague | Czech Republic |
XLI. | 12 October 2021 | Leopold Park | Brussels | Belgium |
XLII. | 9 November 2021 | Parko Eleftherias | Athens | Greece |
XLIII. | 7 December 2021 | Hiroshima Shudo University | Hiroshima | Japan |
XLIV. | 10 December 2021 | Zámecký park | Jičín | Czech Republic |
XLV. | 13 June 2022 | The Jean Monnet House |
Bazoches-sur-Guyonne | France |
XLVI. | 11 August 2022 | Lázeňský park | Poděbrady | Czech Republic |
XLVII. | 17 November 2022 | Smetanovo nábřeží | Prague | Czech Republic |
XLVIII. | 17 November 2022 | Komenského náměstí | Kutná Hora | Czech Republic |
XLIX. | 17 November 2022 | Ivana Olbrachta street | Mnichovo Hradiště | Czech Republic |
L. | 13 February 2023 | University of Ostrava | Ostrava | Czech Republic |
LI. | 17 November 2023 | Stodůlky | Prague | Czech Republic |
LII. | 20 December 2023 | Czech Embassy, Paris | Paris | France |
References
- ^ "- YouTube". YouTube.
- ^ "Halík: Je dobře, že je to lavička, a ne bronzová socha..." Czech Radio (in Czech). 5 October 2013. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
- ^ "Georgetown Dedicates Memorial to the Late Václav Havel". Georgetown University. 3 October 2013.
- ^ Malek, Fred (2 October 2013). "Honoring Václav Havel - a man who should inspire all Americans". Fox News. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
- ^ "Havel's Place officially unveiled in Dublin".
- ^ Willoughby, Ian (15 June 2015). "Havel was a hero who didn't disappoint, says Art for Amnesty's Bill Shipsey". Radio Prague International. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
- ^ "El Parc de la Ciutadella acull un espai d'homenatge a Václav Havel". beteve.cat (in Catalan). 15 February 2014. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
- ^ "Václav Havel gets his 'Place' in Prague". The Prague Post. Archived from the original on 14 May 2014.
- ^ "Ceremonial unveiling Havel's Place in České Budějovice". Vaclav Havel Library. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
- ^ Zane, Nereo (30 September 2014). "Havel's Place: resoconto fotografico". vogaveneta.it (in Italian). Archived from the original on 6 October 2014.
- ^ "Hradec Králové". Vaclav Havel Library. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
- ^ "Sametový den na Oxfordu: Havel dostal lavičku, Halík posluchárnu". ceskatelevize.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 29 March 2017.
- ^ "Kunstwerk Vaclav Havel's Place onthuld (fotoserie)". 8 November 2014.
- ^ "Vaclav Havel Library".