Palacký University in Olomouc gets Václav Havel’s Place
June 12, 2017
The 22nd Václav Havel’s Place to date was unveiled in the grounds of Palacký University in Olomouc on Saturday 17 June. It has been placed in the courtyard of the former Theresian Artillery Armoury, which houses the university’s library, publishing house and archive. In May 1990 the Olomouc university bestowed an honorary philosophy doctorate on Václav Havel’s, becoming the first university in the then Czechoslovakia to honour Václav Havel in that way.
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 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 hold discussions and reflect in the spirit of the ideals and philosophy of Václav Havel.