Wenceslas Square, Prague

This weekend I visited Wenceslas Square, which is one of the main city squares and the centre of the business and cultural communities of Prague. Many historical events occurred there, and it is a traditional setting for demonstrations, celebrations, and other public gatherings. The Nazis used the square for mass demonstrations, in 1969 Jan Palach set himself on fire in Wenceslas Square to protest the invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Soviet Union and in 1989, during the Velvet Revolution, large demonstrations were held here.

The square is named after Saint Wenceslas, the patron saint of Bohemia. On this picture, you see me at the top of Wenceslas Square, in front of the statue of St. Wenceslas on his horse. In front of St. Wenceslas, just where I stand, there are two plaques in memory of those killed during the Communist era. One is dedicated to Jan Palach.