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HomeCzechsCzech Prime Minister unveils street named for Václav Havel in Luxembourg

Czech Prime Minister unveils street named for Václav Havel in Luxembourg

An installation that plays Havel’s voice was also revealed at the ceremony in the capital city’s Kirchberg neighborhood.

Prime Minister Petr Fiala and his Luxembourg counterpart Xavier Bettel christened a street named for the dissident, playwright, and Czechoslovak and Czech president Václav  Havel, in Luxembourg Tuesday.

The street located in the capital’s Kirchberg neighborhood also features an interactive installation work by Czech artist Jiří David. The work bears the inscription of Havel’s most famous dictum: “Truth and love must defeat lies and hatred.”

Both Fiala and Bettel acknowledged Havel’s legacy in the fight against totalitarianism.

In a speech at the unveiling ceremony, Fiala said, “This statement does not suggest that the victory of the values of humanism is rapid or even easy. Still, it is right in saying that totalitarianism and authoritarianism are internally unstable and that the spirit of democracy and freedom will always defeat them. Václav Havel knew this very well and we should remember it, too.” 

Having a street named for Havel is proof that his name and ideas still resonate in the world today, the Czech PM added.

“[He] fought for freedom and democracy. People just like him who were never broken by the Communist regime and totalitarianism, although they were imprisoned, were able to face them bravely, defending the values and things in which they believed. They had a decisive share in our being able to enjoy freedom and democracy,“ Fiala told reporters at the unveiling.

“I am quite happy that I was born in a free country,“ Luxembourg’s prime minister said, noting the difference between himself and Fiala who was born under the Communist regime.

“I am part of the generation that knows who Václav Havel is. However, young people do not have it imprinted in their minds like me,“ Bettel said, adding that this was yet another reason why Havel’s legacy should be preserved.

Sourceexpats cz
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