The Heart of Prague

policemen line wenceslas square

Wenceslas Square, the center of Prague, has seen a great deal. Named after Saint Wenceslas, the patron saint of Bohemia, the 750 meter boulevard was once a horse market during the Middle Ages. In the 19th century, the square was re-named. The National Museum and statue of St. Wenceslas lies at one end, with the street sloping down towards the Old Town section of Prague. Today, hotels, shops, and restaurants line the massive square, and packs of roving tourists are a permanent fixture. Capitalism has made its mark in the 20 years since communism’s fall, with McDonald’s and casino signs glittering against the succession of buildings.

But before chain restaurants and shops took over, Wenceslas Square was used by the Nazis for mass demonstrations. In 1969, the student Jan Palach, in protest to the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, set himself on fire. 20 years later, protesters flooded the square in defiance of the Communist regime, bringing change with the beginning of the Velvet Revolution.

These are merely a few of the events that mark Wenceslas Square’s colorful history. It was recently the site of an anti-radar demonstration, which was actually banned by city hall but happened anyway to the insistence of the organizers, the No to Bases group. The Sunday protest came a few hours after President Obama spoke at Prague Castle. I went to check it out, and although it attracted a fair number of demonstrators, it seemed to be outweighed by the number of photographers, curious bystanders, and tourists sitting at the side, eating their ice cream. However, there was an intimidating number of police who arrived to line up across the street, blocking traffic for a little over an hour. They simply surveyed the protestors, who were blowing up balloons and holding posters that said “Yes, We Can – Say No to Radar.” At around 5 p.m., the demonstrators began on a march. Within ten minutes, the onlookers dispersed and the lines of policemen moved away to let traffic resume.

Although this protest may not be one of the more significant events that have occurred in the historic square, it is yet another indication of Wenceslas Square as a hotspot of activity. Though one can bemoan the transformation it has undergone in the last few decades, it cannot be denied that it is still an important place in a city full of treasures.