Fodor's Expert Review Václavské náměstí
This "square"—more of a very long, very thin rectangle—was first laid out by Charles IV in 1348, and began its existence as a horse market at the center of Nové Mĕsto. Today, it functions as the commercial heart of the city center and is far brasher and more modern than Staroměstské náměstí (Old Town Square). Throughout much of Czech history, Wenceslas Square has served as the focal point for public demonstrations and celebrations. It was here in the heady days of November 1989 that some 500,000 people gathered to protest the policies of the then-communist regime. After a week of demonstrations, the government capitulated without a shot fired or the loss of a single life. After that, the first democratic government in 40 years (under playwright-president Václav Havel) was swept into office. This peaceful transfer of power is referred to as the Velvet Revolution. (The subsequent "Velvet Divorce," when Czechoslovakia was peacefully divided into the Czech Republic and the Slovak... READ MORE
This "square"—more of a very long, very thin rectangle—was first laid out by Charles IV in 1348, and began its existence as a horse market at the center of Nové Mĕsto. Today, it functions as the commercial heart of the city center and is far brasher and more modern than Staroměstské náměstí (Old Town Square). Throughout much of Czech history, Wenceslas Square has served as the focal point for public demonstrations and celebrations. It was here in the heady days of November 1989 that some 500,000 people gathered to protest the policies of the then-communist regime. After a week of demonstrations, the government capitulated without a shot fired or the loss of a single life. After that, the first democratic government in 40 years (under playwright-president Václav Havel) was swept into office. This peaceful transfer of power is referred to as the Velvet Revolution. (The subsequent "Velvet Divorce," when Czechoslovakia was peacefully divided into the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic, took effect in 1993.)
Look up when you glimpse the Marks & Spencer shop sign—during the Velvet Revolution in 1989, Václav Havel addressed the crowds from this building's balcony.
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