Bakala to end support for Václav Havel Library amid internal disputes

Czech businessman Zdeněk Bakala will stop funding the Václav Havel Library from next year over disagreements with its director, economist Tomáš Sedláček, according to Seznam Zprávy.

The news outlet also reported that the library’s entire 17-member staff plans to leave by early September. Sedláček, who has led the institution since March 2025, declined to comment.

According to Seznam Zprávy, the departures stem from disputes involving both Sedláček and the library’s co-founder Dagmar Havlová.

The non-profit Václav Havel Library was founded in 2004. Its mission is to preserve Havel’s literary, theatrical, and political legacy, focusing on freedom and democracy.