Václav Havel Gallery and Vyšehrad Tour

Today in my English class (Literature and Place of Central Europe) we went on a little field trip! We walked about 3 minutes from Old Town Square to Řetězová 7 where the Václav Havel Galerie is located. We have currently been reading a few pieces by Havel, who is a Czech playwright and politician. He was born in Prague, and was the last president of Czechoslovakia, and the first of the Czech Republic. The gallery focused on his literary works and how Havel has become a Czech myth: a story that links people, a story told by some community that helps it understand its history and its own mentality. Havel stood against the Communism that he grew up amidst, and became a symbol for the freedom struggle of Central and Eastern Europe. He was the leader of the 1989 Velvet Revolution and since his term of 13 years at Prague Castle as the country's first post-Communist President, he has maintained his role as a leading moral authority.

A look into his "library"

Several of his quotes on posters

These are some of his famous quotes:

"The only lost cause is one we give up on before we enter the struggle"
- Amnesty International's essay "From Prisoner to President – A Tribute"

"The tragedy of modern man is not that he knows less and less about the meaning of his own life, but that it bothers him less and less."
- Letters to Olga (1988)

Right after class, I went on a tour. NYU offered a few optional guided tours during orientation week, and due to more interest, the program's student council arranged for an additional tour for the student body to go to Vyšehrad, which is located on a hill overlooking the Vltava River.

Vyšehrad is a 1000 year old citadel where, according to legends, Prague was founded.  It was the seat of the first Czech kings, and today you can see the fortifications on rocky cliffs overlooking the city, and also explore the national cemetery, where Antonin Dvořák, Bedrich Smetana, painter Alfons Mucha and many other well known Czechs are buried.

Part of the cemetery

Some pretty columns and alcoves... and also a cemetery

Church of St. Peter and Paul

Cemetery of nun's graves

Rotunda of St. Martin from 11th century. Small weddings (of 10-20 people) have been held here!

Typical day living in Prague... Go to class, go to a gallery commemorating a Czech myth, and go on a tour of a centuries old landmark.