Vaclav Havel Library

Thirty years ago, on March 27th 1996, Her Majesty Elizabeth II, the Queen of the United Kingdom, visited the Czech Republic. It was one of the most significant, prestigious, and long-anticipated visits to our country, accompanied by an exceptionally strict protocol.

The Queen was accompanied by her husband, Prince Philip, and their programme included encounters with Czech traditions, including a tasting of traditional Czech cuisine.
However, these strict rules did not apply to the spontaneous and enthusiastic welcome in the streets or to the unforgettable atmosphere in Brno.

Details of their programme can be found in the presidential calendar at kalendarvh.cz.
Photo: Alan Pajer

Sign up for the Visegrad Summer School 🎓🏫

The Václav Havel Library is a partner of the Visegrad Summer School which is intended for young professionals, researchers, doctoral students, and representatives of non-governmental organizations, think tanks, media, public administration, and cultural institutions interested in democracy, international relations, media, new technologies, and contemporary information challenges.

The Visegrad Summer School is looking for participants who are professionally and socially engaged, motivated to deepen their expertise, strengthen their analytical skills, and build meaningful international networks across the V4 region, the Western Balkans, and the Eastern Partnership countries.
👉 Application information:

Visegrad Summer School Applications for the 24th Visegrad Summer School are coming in and we’re already excited about the inspiring submissions we’ve received. Thank you to everyone who has applied so far - we truly appreciate your interest and can’t wait to read more.

We are delighted that Václav Havel’s work is reaching far beyond the borders of the Czech Republic. One example is the exhibition Václav Havel’s Anticodes, which is currently on view in Agrinio, Greece.

If you are interested in borrowing one of our exhibitions for your institution, you can find an overview of them in our exhibition archive:
https://edu.vaclavhavel.cz/cs/vystavy

"LOOK, HAVEL!"

Have you ever met Václav Havel, or perhaps caught sight of him from a distance? Did you take a photograph of him — or do you know someone who did? Become part of the Havel 90 anniversary project!

Česká centra/Czech Centres, together with Knihovna Václava Havla, invite members of the general public abroad to submit their photographs of Václav Havel to mark the 90th anniversary of his birth.
Ideally, the photographs should be accompanied by the story behind them. All submissions will be carefully catalogued and preserved in the Václav Havel Library Digital Archive. Selected photographs and stories will be showcased internationally as part of an exhibition project.

Please send your photographs and stories by 30th April 2026 to:
[email protected] and [email protected]

Image: Václav Havel and The Rolling Stones (Prague, 1995); photo Ondřej Němec

Stories about smuggling books during the dissident era, learning Czech from Rudé právo, the Velvet Revolution, and behind-the-scenes politics, from the differing attitudes of Havel and Klaus to warnings about the current threat to independent media posed by technology and populism.

Another guest on "In Conversation with..." was Misha Glenny, who studied at Charles University and covered the fall of communism, the return of democracy to Czechoslovakia, and the war in the former Yugoslavia for the BBC.

You can watch the entire recording on the Havel Channel here: https://havelchannel.cz/cs/02194/in-conversation-with-misha-glenny
Photo (c) Ondřej Němec, Knihovna Václava Havla

Prague’s Cimrman English Theatre has been performing English-language versions of plays from the legendary Divadlo Járy Cimrmana for over a decade. But does this distinctive, very Czech sense of humour really translate into English? And how accurate are comparisons with the British comedy troupe Monty Python?

These and other questions were discussed by three core members of the Cimrman English Theatre – Brian Stewart, Adam Stewart and Peter Hosking – as part of the In Conversation With… series, hosted by Ian Willoughby of Radio Prague International.

👉The full recording is available on Havel Channel:

Does the Czech humour really translate into English? Prague’s Cimrman English Theatre Prague’s Cimrman English Theatre has been performing English-language versions of plays from the...

Václav Havel returned to world politics when Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney based his acclaimed speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos on his essay The Power of the Powerless.

This event was followed by a debate between Tomáš Sedláček, director of the Václav Havel Library, Gabriel Eichler, chairman of the board of trustees of the Václav Havel Library, and Emily McLaughlin, Canadian ambassador to the Czech Republic. They discussed Václav Havel's contribution to contemporary world politics, about the shared democratic values between Canada, Czech Republic, and Europe, and why strong coalitions are crucial today.

A recording of the debate can be found on the Havel Channel website here: https://youtu.be/uPse2Qz6ojg
Photo (c): Ondřej Němec, Knihovna Václava Havla

At this year's Davos, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney made what many are calling the most important foreign policy speech in recent years. His remarkable address was anchored in the philosophy of the Czech dissident and president Vaclav Havel, whom he quoted at length in order to illustrate his moral, values-based vision of a new international order. In an excellent new article following that speech, the director of the Knihovna Václava Havla / Vaclav Havel Library, Tomáš Sedláček, goes deeper into this "revival" of Havel via Canada, describing how Havel's philosophy is more relevant than ever, as democracies and open societies come under increasing attack from a rising, multi-pronged authoritarianism.

Weight of the World was lucky enough to speak to Tomas late last year. Our discussion is a perfect companion piece to Carney's speech, and Tomas's recent article on the renewed relevance of Havel and the necessity of his thought as democratic societies still based on the rule of law plot a path forward in today's fractous world. Links to both Tomas's new article and our conversation with Tomas are in the comments below.

The Canadian Prime Minister taught Czech politicians a lesson.

The Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney quoted Václav Havel’s essay The Power of the Powerless, which Havel wrote almost fifty years ago, during his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos. In reference to Donald Trump, he warned against succumbing to fear and alliance in lies.

Havel’s legacy is still relevant also thanks to you, Mr. Prime Minister! Thank you.

In March of 2004, when Václav Havel received the Order of Canada, he noted that he accepted his first honor, the Honorary Doctorate from the University of Toronto, during an era of deep normalization as a banned writer and dissident.

“I can vividly remember my first state visit and later visits to Canada. Although they were short, I always had an intense feeling that the country was kind, understanding, clean, and full of pleasant people. I can also remember my last visit, during which I gave a speech in the Canadian Parliament. I was incredibly nervous because it could have been perceived as slightly controversial. Nevertheless, I was met with great understanding, recognition, extraordinary kindness, and appreciation from the entire Parliament. By mentioning the Toronto Doctorate, Parliament, and this honor, I would simply like to say: My Canadians understand me!”
Embassy of Canada to Czech Republic

This past Friday, the Václav Havel Library devoted the evening to the fate of Ilham Tohti, an Uyghur intellectual nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and laureate of the Václav Havel Prize for Human Rights, who is serving a life sentence in China.

🎥You can now watch the recording of the evening on our HavelChannel: https://youtu.be/PkYd56MhWt0

Sinologist Marie Holzman, activist Teng Biao, and researcher at the Oriental Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences Dilnur Reyhan discussed Tohti's case and the situation of the Uyghurs. The evening began with a few words from Jewer Ilham, Tohti's daughter, who joined virtually.
The debate was opened by Senator Pavel Fischer and moderated by Magdalena Slezáková from Deník N.

Photo (c) Ondřej Němec

Professor Ilham Tohti, an Uyghur intellectual and laureate of the Václav Havel Prize, has been imprisoned for 12 years and sentenced to life in prison in China for simply trying to lead a dialogue between the Chinese and the Uyghurs. His family has had no news of him since 2017.
On January 16 at 7 pm at the Václav Havel Library, those who have long been advocating for his release will discuss the fate of the man nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and the situation of the Uyghurs: Senior Researcher at the Oriental Institute of the Czech Academy of Science Dilnur Reyhan, sinologist Marie Holzman, and activist Teng Biao. The evening will be opened by Senator Pavel Fischer.
The entire program will be in English without Czech interpretation and will be moderated by Magdalena Slezáková from Deník N.
https://fb.me/e/56lCQmy6i