Velvet Revolution monument at Národní street, Monument and commemorative plaque at Národní street in Prague, Czech Republic

The monument on Národní street features eight bronze hands arranged in a victory gesture, integrated directly into the facade of the Czech Bar Association building. The inscription displays 17.11.1989, marking the exact location where a turning point occurred.

On 17 November 1989, a permitted Socialist Youth Union march marking the 50th anniversary of the Nazi closure of Czech universities ended with many participants heading into the city centre. Police cordons trapped them on Národní třída, and riot officers beat those who tried to escape through the Kaňka Palace passage, called the 'beating alley'. The plaque was installed there illegally on the night of 20 February 1990.

The plaque is the work of artistic blacksmith Otakar Příhoda and Miroslav Krátký, who installed it without permission in February 1990. The authors stayed anonymous until Kurt Gebauer revealed them. Every 17 November, state officials and citizens lay wreaths and flowers beneath it.

The memorial remains accessible year-round on the exterior wall of the Bar Association building and sits near several public transportation stops. Its location in the old city center makes it easy to visit and find.

In 2009 artist Roman Týc attached two extra bronze plates to the memorial with magnets: hailing hands dated 17.11.1939 on the left and raised middle fingers dated 17.11.2009 on the right. He called the intervention "Není co slavit" (Nothing to celebrate); the plates were removed the next day and the original was undamaged.