In a touching tribute to the achievements and legacy of Václav Havel, an ardent supporter of democracy, a memorial bench inscribed with the late leader’s personal motto has been erected in the gardens of Monaco’s Pavillon Bosio.  

On Wednesday 29th May, Prince Albert II of Monaco met with Michal Fleischmann, the Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the Principality, in the gardens of the arts school on Avenue des Pins to inaugurate the Václav Havel Bench.

Several other notable figures from the Principality also attended the event, including: Patrice Cellario, Minister of the Interior; Céline Caron-Dagioni, Minister of Equipment, Environment and Urban Planning; and Isabelle Berro-Amadei, Minister of Foreign Relations and Cooperation.

Havel, who died in 2011, is remembered as the last President of Czechoslovakia, the overseer of the peaceful dissolution of the nation and the first President of the Czech Republic. He has become a symbol of democracy worldwide.

Monaco now stands as one nation among more than 50 others, including countries in the Middle East, across Europe and in the Americas, to have erected a tribute in his honour.

The Václav Havel Bench in Monaco was designed by Bořek Šípek and is inscribed with the late leader’s personal motto: “Truth and love must prevail over lies and hatred.”

It features two metal garden chairs, representing equality, connected by a round table for unity. From the centre of the table grows a Linden tree, the national tree of the Czech Republic.

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Photo credit: Manuel Vitali / Monaco Communications Department