The opening of the Palach Memorial in Všetaty has been postponed to October

Všetaty (Mělnicko) – The opening of the Jan Palach memorial in his family home in Všetaty, Mělnicko, has been postponed again. This was reported by Czech Television citing museum spokesperson Lenka Boučková. The Palach memorial in Všetaty was supposed to open on the last weekend of September, but it is now scheduled for October 9th. The exhibition is managed by the National Museum.

“The date of October 9th was chosen to coordinate the programs of significant guests that the National Museum plans to invite for the opening of the memorial,” Boučková told Czech Television.

The memorial dedicated to student Jan Palach, who self-immolated in January 1969 in protest against the resignation of the people following the occupation of the country by the Warsaw Pact troops, was supposed to open as early as this August. This was delayed due to construction complications, and a September date was then set.

The outer walls of Palach's house have been preserved, and a metal prism runs through the building as a symbol of evil and societal division. Next to the house is a new building where a multimedia exhibition will be held. The memorial will also screen a documentary about Jan Palach, which was prepared specifically for this purpose by documentarian Olga Sommerová.

The interactive exhibition in the memorial aims to show visitors Palach's family, his life, and what gradually happened to Palach's legacy after his death. Among the exhibits will be the school bag that Palach had with him on the day of his self-immolation and an authentic sign from the confectionery run by his father. A statue of Jan by sculptor Olbram Zoubek, created as a reflection of Palach's act, will also be displayed.

The deteriorating birthplace of Palach was purchased by the National Museum in 2014, which was followed by the announcement of an architectural and artistic competition for the shape of the memorial. After evaluating and processing the project according to the winning design, a tender for a contract worth 16 million crowns was announced, but due to a lack of interest from companies, it had to be repeated multiple times, and a contractor was only found on the fourth attempt. Therefore, the work only began last August.