The Piazzetta of the National Theatre will bear the name of Václav Havel Square

Prague - The Piazzetta of the National Theatre will bear the name of Václav Havel Square. The naming of the space after the former president was approved today by the Prague councilors, the magistrate informed in a press release. The proposal came from the theatre director, Jan Burian.

"I believe that this space excellently captures and represents what Havel strove for. For meetings, for discussion, for free thinking, and for humanity," said Mayor Adriana Krnáčová (ANO).

There have been critical voices that the piazzetta is too small a space to bear Havel's name. "After all, it is not a square, but just a small area between buildings, which is only suitable for boys to play marbles," said former Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg (TOP 09) to the server Lidovky.cz.

Dagmar Havlová and the former president's spokesman Ladislav Špaček agree with the naming of the piazzetta, as does the director of the Václav Havel Library, Michael Žantovský. In a text message to ČTK, Žantovský appreciated that the place recalls Havel's relationship with the theatre. "I think it's a good idea and a dignified place symbolizing the connection of Václav Havel with the theatre and the history of the Czech nation," said Žantovský.

For Havel's uncelebrated 80th birthday, he will also receive a large heart from sculptor Kurt Gebauer. The sculpture, standing 160 centimeters tall, will be made of granite and installed right at the new Václav Havel Square. People will be able to write messages in the heart.

The space by the National Theatre was designed by Czech architect Karel Prager as part of the new stage construction project.

So far, there are no streets in Prague named after Havel; his name is borne by the international airport. Elsewhere in the Czech Republic, in addition to streets, schools, a theatre, a park, and other places also bear his name. Although not directly after Havel, a minor planet was named after Ferdinand Vaněk, a character from his play Audience. In Litoměřice, there is a park named after Václav Havel, and streets bearing his name can be found in Brno and Kadaň.

Abroad, a square in Israeli Haifa was named after Havel last June. In Poland, a street in Gdańsk and a small alley with an adjoining park in the center of Opole were named after Havel. In Strasbourg, France, one of the buildings of the European Parliament was named after Havel, and in Paris, the Václav Havel Library was ceremoniously opened in 2013. Nearly two dozen Václav Havel benches have also been installed in various places around the world and in the Czech Republic.

In a few days, people will commemorate what would have been Havel's 80th birthday. On the day of his birth, October 5, a gathering will take place at Wenceslas Square. Ten days later, 80 well-wishers will come to Prague's Lucerna to celebrate Havel's uncelebrated anniversary. The former president passed away in December 2011.