On Sunday, a bench dedicated to Václav Havel, the first President of Czechoslovakia after the fall of the communist totalitarian regime was unveiled on Vajanského Embankment in Bratislava. The day of the bench's unveiling was symbolically set on July 5 to mark the 30th anniversary of Havel's election. The bench was designed by Czech architect and designer Bořek Šípek. It is comprised of a round table with a tree in the middle of it, which is surrounded by two chairs. It should symbolise open dialogue. The Václav Havel bench has been lent to the Old Town for 99 years.
The first bench of Vaclav Havel was unveiled on October 3, 2013 in the premises of Georgetown University in Washington. The next were located in Geneva, Lisbon, Oxford and New York. In Slovakia, a Vaclav Havel bench has already been installed in Košice and the one in Bratislava's Old Town is the 36th bench in a row in the world.
