Invitation to the debate: Old Town Square - a place of symbols, rituals and memory (20 April 2023)

On Thursday, 20 April, from 19:30, you are cordially invited to the Václav Havel Library for a debate on the topic of transformations and historical traces in the space of Prague's most ancient space.

In the 20th century, a series of architectural competitions were held to redesign the area. However, Old Town Square was also transformed during this period as a result of cultural and religious conflicts. Symbolic representations were manifested by several different monuments and memorial plaques that were unveiled here during this period. The topic of the debate will include, among other things, disputes over their erection or re-erection. The guests of the debate will be architectural historian Zdeněk Lukeš, historian Petr Koura and art historian Jan Royt, moderated by Petr Blažek.

The debate is thematically related to the preparation of a permanent exhibition in the House of the Pážat, which will include a room dedicated to the history of Old Town Square. The main issues here will be, on the one hand, the disputes and efforts to assert political and cultural dominance (the Hus monument, the demolition and rebuilding of the Marian Column, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Nazi Victory Monument, the Bartoš headquarters, the destruction of part of the historic Old Town Hall in May 1945) and, on the other hand, ritualized political events (manifestations, parades, oaths and demonstrations). The Old Town Square is associated with a wide range of historical personalities to whom due attention will also be paid. These include, among others, Franz Kafka (1883-1924), František "Franta" Sauer (1882-1947), Bertha von Suttner (1843-1914), Karel Farský (1880-1927), František Plamínková (1875-1942), Emanuel Moravec (1893-1945), Karel Kutlvašr (1895-1961), Josef Smrkovský (1911-1974), Rudolf Toussaint (1891-1968), Klement Gottwald (1896-1953), Vladimír Clementis (1902-1952), Jiří Reinsberg (1918-2004) and Allen Ginsberg (1926-1997).