The Václav Havel Library collects, researches, disseminates, promotes and advocates the spiritual, literary and political legacy of a great figure of modern Czech history – the author, playwright, thinker, human rights defender and Czechoslovak and Czech president. It also focuses on people, events and phenomena related to the legacy of Václav Havel and strives to place them in the context of the times and of the present.
From August 2014, the Václav Havel Library is located at the address Ostrovní 13, Prague 1. The building’s ground-floor spaces is dedicated to an exhibition “Václav Havel or Havel in a nutshell” and used for VHL club events – all kinds of seminars, readings, exhibitions, lectures, concerts and theatre performances. The Library’s offices, archive, constantly expanding library, and reading room are located on the first floor.
The main aims of the Václav Havel Library include
– Organizing archival, archival-research, documentary, museum and library activities focused on the work of Vaclav Havel and documents or objects related to his activities, and carries out professional analysis of their influence on the life and self-reflection of society
– Serving, in a suitable manner, such as through exhibitions, the purpose of education and popularisation functions, thus presenting to the public the historical significance of the fight for human rights and freedoms in the totalitarian period and the formation of civil society during the establishment of democracy
– Organizing scientific research and publication activities in its areas of interest
Václava Havla Library collects and collects all materials (video, audio and written), additional artifacts and ideas playwright, dissident communist regime, the last Czechoslovak and first Czech president Václava Havla for the purpose of digitization, documentation and promotion of research and personality. It organizes lectures, conducted conferences, organizes educational events for high school degree and contributes to publications.
The main mission of Václava Havla Library include access to documents of the writer, philosophical and political works of Václava Havla; building a digital lab for domestic and foreign researchers, students of universities and secondary schools and interested people from the general public; social and cultural events for the public and making accessible the work of Václava Havla and organizing discussion club meetings on current social issues.
The institution was founded July 26, 2004 as a public benefit corporation, inspired by the American tradition of presidential libraries. For the year 2011, according to the official website was the only such project in Europe. Resided in the street Kateřinská 18, Prague 2. In spring 2011, the entrepreneur Zdeněk Bakala plans to move the headquarters library to house U Drahomířina column Loreto Square after the planned architectural adaptations Ricarda Bofilla. In 2015 the library moved to the island 30, Prague 2, which organizes seminars, readings, exhibitions, concerts and theatrical performances.
The premises of Montmartre Gallery in Chain 7 in the Old Town, is a permanent exhibition “Václav Havel: Czech Myth or Havel in a Nutshell”.
Since 2008 he has been director of the literary critic and lecturer Associate Professor Martin C. Putna, which the June 1, 2011 for one year replaced the former diplomat and dissident Associate Professor Martin Palouš .. In 2012-2015 she served as Director Marta Smolíková. In September 2015 he became director Michael Žantovský. Program director is a writer and journalist Jáchym Topol.
At the birth of the library were Dagmar Havlová, Karel Schwarzenberg and Miloslav Petrusek. Management Board for 2015 consisted Dagmar Havlová, Michal Horáček, Bessel Kok, Michaela Bakala, Martin Palouš, Jacques Rupnik, Nina Smitová and Mark Vydra. Supervisory Board members were Emil Holub, Dita Stejskalová and Ondřej Jonáš.