Srdce pro Václava Havla, sculpture made of metal, Prague, Czech Republic
Srdce pro Václava Havla is a steel sculpture shaped as a glowing red heart, standing on a small plaza beside the National Theatre in New Town. The artwork features one large heart and two smaller illuminated hearts, complemented by a memorial plaque set into the ground.
The sculpture was installed in 2016 to mark the 80th birthday of Václav Havel, a writer and the first president of the Czech Republic after the fall of the communist regime. It was created as a gift through the initiative of his wife Dagmar Havlová and the director of the National Theatre.
The name means Heart for Václav Havel and speaks directly to how people express their respect through art. The sculpture sits in a plaza near the National Theatre, where visitors pause to think about the values this person represented.
The sculpture sits on a plaza between the National Theatre buildings and is easy to reach on foot, especially if you take the metro or tram near the theatre. The location is accessible year-round and the heart's lighting is especially visible in the evening.
An earlier version of the heart was displayed in 2012 by different artists, but the current version with its internal lighting is permanent and symbolizes interconnected hearts expressing unity and solidarity. These details transform it from a simple memorial into something layered with meaning.
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