Havel tram roaming Prague’s streets
A special tram commemorating the 30 year anniversary of President Vaclav Havel’s election began making rounds across Prague this Thursday. Havel was elected as Czechia’s first president on January 26, 1993.
The vehicle is operating on the route normally taken by the number 18 tram. Its interior is decorated with a wide range of citations from Václav Havel that emphasise his contributions to the Czech state. The Czech News Agency reports that the tram is part of the Havel for travellers (Havel pro cestující) event, which aims to commemorate the former president’s significance in the history of the modern Czech state.
“Vaclav Havel was independent Czechia’s first president, but his opinions and attitudes are still relevant, even three decades after his election,” Prague’s Mayor Zdeněk Hřib stated in connection to the event.
Those who step inside the vehicle will be able to see items depicting various important events in Czechia’s modern history, including its entry into NATO and the EU or its ice hockey team’s victory at the Winter Olympic Games in Nagano in 1998. Identifying the tram is quite easy as it is wrapped up in the colours of the Czech flag from front to back. It is set to operate across various tram routes throughout 2023.
It’s not the first time that Vaclav Havel’s thoughts and statements are on display to Prague’s commuters. In 2021, the capital’s public transit company installed citations of Havel inside its vehicles to commemorate the 10 year anniversary of his death. Two years earlier, a tram covered in pictures of Havel and his Civic Forum party commemorated the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution.
