198917 November–29 December 1989 · Prague
Velvet Revolution
Riot police beat students marching from Albertov into central Prague on 17 November 1989. Outrage brought hundreds of thousands into Wenceslas Square and onto Letná plain night after night, led by Václav Havel's Civic Forum and backed by a general strike. Within weeks the Communist Party gave up its monopoly of power, and on 29 December Havel was elected president.
Sites
- Site 1: 17 November memorial, Národní třídaBronze relief of raised hands marking where the students were beaten.Map ↗
- Site 2: Wenceslas SquareLong sloping square that filled with demonstrators every evening.Map ↗
- Site 3: Letná plainPark above the river where the largest rallies gathered.Map ↗
- Site 4: AlbertovUniversity quarter where the student march began.Map ↗
Guides who take you there
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Also in Prague
More from the Cold War
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