A memorial to Václav Havel, the last President of Czechoslovakia and the first president of the Czech Republic was unveiled in Helsinki on Thursday, said the Embassy of Czech Republic to Finland.in a press release.
The memorial was unveiled in a ceremony at Makasiinipuisto Park where Joakim Strand, Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering, Helsinki City Mayor Juhana Vartiainen and Czech Ambassador to Finland Adam Vojtěch were present among others.
Helsinki is the first Nordic city to have a memorial to Václav Havel.
The memorial consists of two chairs joined by a round table with a tree growing in the middle. Havel's motto, "Truth and love must prevail over lies and hatred," is engraved on the edge of the table.
The aim of this global project is to create a network of places in public spaces that can promote encounters and genuine dialogue and where it is possible to discuss and reflect on Václav Havel's ideals and attitudes towards life.
"Václav Havel is one of the greatest figures not only in the history of Czechoslovakia and Czechia, but in the history of Europe as a whole," said Adam Vojtěch, Czech Ambassador to Finland.
"The memorial will be unveiled this year, which marks the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Conference. The final act of the Conference, the Helsinki Accords, laid the foundation for Charter 77, which criticized human rights violations in Czechoslovakia and demanded their recognition, and for further developments in Czechoslovakia until the Velvet Revolution in 1989," he added.
Havel's place is located at the intersection of the Parliament House reflecting Havel as a statesman, the Oodi Library representing Havel as a writer, and Finlandia Hall where the Helsinki Accords were signed.
Václav Havel (1936–2011) was a Czech writer and playwright, political dissident, and a leading figure in the social upheaval of November 1989. After the collapse of communism, Václav Havel was the last president of Czechoslovakia (1989–92) and the first president of the Czech Republic (1993–2003).
Memorials have been erected in different countries all over the world such as the United States, Japan, Peru, several European countries including France, Spain, and Ireland and numerous locations in Czechia.
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
