Czechia marks 35 years since Velvet Revolution

November 17th is the anniversary of the Velvet Revolution, the events of 1989 by which Czechoslovakia transitioned from a one-party communist state to a democratic and capitalist society. The day will be marked with memorials, concerts and demonstrations across the country, with a particular focus being Prague’s Národní třída, the street where a student protest on this day sparked the revolution. The day also commemorates 85 years since the Nazi closure of Czech universities, an event that inspired the protests of 1989 fifty years later.

People have been gathering on Národní třída since the early morning to remember the events of November 1989. President Pavel has visited to pay respects, as have Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský and Mayor of Prague Bohuslav Svoboda. The day will also involve an anti-government protest on Wenceslas Square, and a protest by the Million Moments for Democracy movement on Old Town Square. In the evening, the non-profit organisation Post Bellum will hand out its annual Memory of the Nation awards.