Havel's Legacy Passes into the Care of Prague City Library

The right to use the name and legacy of former Czech President Václav Havel will now belong to the Prague City Library. This was announced on Monday by the politician's widow, Dagmar Havlová, who had earlier stripped this license from the organization that once bore his name.

Until now, the rights to use the president's name had been held by the Václav Havel Library. However, it lost them amid a prolonged conflict over the organization's future direction, which came to a head several months ago with the departure of Havlová herself, along with the library's longtime patrons.

A New Custodian of the Legacy

"I have already transferred the license free of charge to another entity that I trust," Havlová said nearly two weeks ago, without revealing the recipient at the time. On Monday, it emerged that this entity would indeed be the Prague City Library. According to Havlová, the goal of the transfer is to preserve continuity and ensure long-term care for the legacy of the former president, writer and playwright.

On the same day, at Marián Square in Prague — home not only to City Hall but also to the central branch of the Prague City Library — another one of the Václav Havel benches will be officially unveiled. A concert will follow the opening ceremony.

Source: novinky.cz