Melantrich

Frommer's Review

Midway up the right side of Wenceslas Square at no. 36 (now the British Marks and Spencer store), you will see a balcony jutting from the Melantrich publishing house. This is where, in late November 1989, Havel made his first appearances in front of the hundreds of thousands who were clamoring for his leadership in a peaceful coup d'état. His mumbling yet stoically defiant speeches solidified his position as the popular choice to guide Czechoslovakia out of the dark days. Soon, Alexander Dubcek -- leader of 1968's failed attempt to deliver "Socialism with a Human Face" which led to his banishment after the Warsaw Pact invasion -- joined Havel along with blacklisted singers and artists to mark the beginning of the end of 4 decades of totalitarian rule.

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