Ostrava hosts exhibition marking Václav Havel's 90th anniversary

Ostrava is hosting an outdoor exhibition on Masaryk Square to commemorate the upcoming 90th anniversary of Václav Havel's birth. Organized by the Ostrava City Magistrate from September 24 to October 6, 2026, the event highlights the former president's deep connections to the region.

Key historical links include Havel's maternal grandfather, Hugo Vavrečka, who was born in Silesian Ostrava, and Havel's own experiences with political persecution. The exhibition details his 1969 public criticism of censorship, his imprisonment in the Heřmanice prison in Ostrava during the 1980s, and his first official working visit as the newly elected President of Czechoslovakia in January 1990.

The commemorative program includes discussions, readings, film screenings, and theatrical performances, culminating in a happening on October 5, the exact 90th anniversary of his birth.