Václav Havel Library to be renamed First Presidential Library

The Václav Havel Library will be renamed the First Presidential Library, following the wishes of Dagmar Havlová, the former president’s widow, its board chairman David Dušek told the Czech News Agency on Thursday.

The library can no longer use Havel’s name because it no longer has Havlová’s permission. It will also no longer be involved in organising the prestigious Václav Havel Human Rights Prize, but plans to continue developing Havel’s legacy and preserve as many of its previous projects as possible.

The library was founded by Havlová, Karel Schwarzenberg and sociologist Miloslav Petrusek in 2004, after Havel left the presidency.