On 5 October 2026 the Czech Republic marked the 90th anniversary of the birth of Václav Havel, among other things with the unveiling of a memorial plaque in the Senate and a video by former US president Bill Clinton for Czech Radio.
On 5 October 2026 it was 90 years since the birth of Václav Havel, the first president of the independent Czech Republic and former president of Czechoslovakia. The anniversary was commemorated in the Czech Republic with a series of memorial events, including the unveiling of a memorial plaque in the Senate and a video by former US president Bill Clinton published by Czech Radio [1].
Commemoration in the Senate
At the unveiling of the memorial plaque in honour of Václav Havel in the Senate, Dagmar Havlová recalled her late husband [1]. Former president Miloš Zeman and the chairman of the STAN movement, Vít Rakušan, also commented on the anniversary on social networks [1].
Video by Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton recorded a short video for Czech Radio in which he remembers Václav Havel as his friend and as one of the most inspiring leaders he says he ever worked with [1]. In the recording he said he was grateful for the opportunity to support Czech democracy of that time [1]. At the end of the video he played “Happy Birthday to You” on the saxophone and wished Havel well with the words “All the best, my friend” [1].
The 1994 gift of a saxophone
In the video Clinton also mentioned his 1994 visit to Prague, when Havel took him to the Reduta jazz club and gave him a saxophone made in the Czech Republic [1]. Clinton then played “Summertime” and “My Funny Valentine” on it [1]. Reacting to this memory, he said that thirty years had passed before he returned to the same place, and that he still thinks of Havel, of his kindness and of the moments they shared [1].
Related articles: Bill Clinton, Letiště Václava Havla Praha, Old Town Hall, Senate of the Czech Republic, Signal Festival, Václav Havel
Chronology
- — A memorial plaque to Václav Havel was unveiled in the Senate of the Czech Republic on the 90th anniversary of his birth, and Senate President Miloš Vystrčil said on the occasion that Havel's criticism of the immoral conduct of the powerful remains relevant for today's politicians. FORUM 24 ČTK / České noviny
- — Czechia marked the 90th anniversary of the birth of Václav Havel; Czech Radio published a video by former US President Bill Clinton, in which he recalls Havel. FORUM 24
- — The Czech Republic marked the 90th anniversary of Václav Havel's birth with exhibitions, conferences, radio broadcasts and Signal Festival installations, including at the Prague airport that bears his name. Český rozhlas Sever (Ústí, Karlovy Vary) iROZHLAS
- — Cultural events and debates are being held in Prague and other cities for the 90th anniversary of Václav Havel's birth; memorial plaques are to be unveiled in the Senate of the Czech Republic and on a house in Dejvice where Havel lived in the 1970s. ČTK / České noviny Pražský deník
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Further commemorations: the airport, Signal Festival and a conference
Besides the unveiling of the memorial plaque in the Senate, further events took place for the 90th anniversary of Václav Havel’s birth.
Exhibitions at the airport
Václav Havel Airport Prague prepared three exhibitions. The Art Zone gallery by the observation terrace presents Havel in photographs by 25 Czech authors: 80 large-format printed pictures and more than 100 further photographs. According to the curator Dan Materna of the organisation Czech Photo, they show Havel as a dissident, as president and as a person in everyday situations. The exhibition runs until 31 January.[2] The exhibition Prague of Václav Havel, prepared with the Presidential Library, shows 18 places in Prague connected with his life. The third exhibition, prepared with the Polish Institute in Prague, is devoted to Havel’s relationship with Poland and is located behind the central security checkpoint in Terminal 2.[2] The airport has also placed Havel’s publications in Czech and English in its libraries for lending and, for Sunday, 4 October 2026, was preparing tours commemorating Havel.[2]
Installations by Signal Festival
Signal Festival joined the anniversary with two installations inspired by Havel’s essay The Power of the Powerless. The video mapping Living in Truth on the facade of the Old Town Hall was created by the Ukrainian artist Svitlana Reinish with the composer Anton Dehťjarov. In the courtyard of the Church of Our Lady of the Snows is the installation What Are You Responsible For by the student Karolína Schulzová, made up of light panels with statements about passivity. Both installations are free to visit, and the second is to be shown after the festival also on Korzo Národní during the November celebrations of the anniversary of the Velvet Revolution.[3][4] Part of the festival conference Signal Forum is the panel Dare to Dream, which draws on Havel’s intellectual legacy.[3]
Conference on the Václav Havel Prize
The fourteenth international conference in honour of the laureate of the Václav Havel Prize for Human Rights took place in Prague. The 2026 laureate is the Iranian lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh. The conference, on the theme The Weight of the Word, offered stories of imprisoned laureates and contributions by experts. Those who took part included the Russian teacher and author of the documentary Mr Nobody Against Putin, Pavel Talankin, and the Belarusian opposition politician Maryia Kalesnikava.[5]
Speech by Miloš Vystrčil at the unveiling of the plaque
The President of the Senate, Miloš Vystrčil (ODS), said at the ceremonial unveiling of the memorial plaque in the Senate on 5 October 2026 that Havel’s criticism of the immoral conduct of the powerful and of their lack of self-reflection is relevant for present-day politicians too. In his view, they should use their privileges to serve citizens and resist turning into arrogant dignitaries. Vystrčil quoted from Havel’s 1991 speech in Copenhagen that politics places heightened demands on moral sense, the capacity for critical self-reflection and real responsibility. He said that today’s politicians should read the speech again, some of them several times, without naming anyone.[6][7]
The plaque is placed on a wall near the sala terrena in the Wallenstein Garden and bears words from Havel’s speech during his first visit to the Senate in 1997: the upper chamber should be a respected forum of wise people who think of the long-term interests of the state and place them above personal, party or group interests. The unveiling took place as part of the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Senate.[6][7]
Dagmar Havlová said that her husband believed that even in an unfree time it makes sense to tell the truth, and that his legacy should not be only a part of history but also the conscience of his contemporaries.[6][7]
Sources
- Forum 24 — 5 October 2026
- Pražský deník
- Pražský deník
- Deník N
- ČT24
- FORUM 24 — 5 October 2026
- ČTK / České noviny — 5 October 2026