What's in a Prague street name

Originally published on Twitter on 28 August 2022.

Siwiecova was built in 1980.

Until 2009, this was Havelkova, Václav Havelka (1893-1967, and yes, that was his actual name), was a Communist functionary, so it’s quite amazing the street maintained this name for so long.

Not least given that the street is the home of the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes / Ústav pro studium totalitních režimů.

Ryszard Siwiec, born in 1909, was an accountant from Przemyśl, Poland, a graduate of Kazimierz University in Lviv, and a fighter in the Home Army in WW2.

On 8 September 1968, Siwiec set himself ablaze at a national harvest festival in Warsaw, attended by 100,000 people.

This was a protest against the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, in which Poland had participated.

He died four days later. The authorities were quick to portray Siwiec as mentally ill, and an alcoholic.

His farewell letter to his wife was intercepted by the security services, and not delivered to her until after one-party rule had ended in Poland.

Siwiec’s self-immolation preceded that of Jan Palach by four months.

There is footage here; caution is strongly advised.

Václav Havel awarded Siwiec the Order of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk In 2001.

A memorial ceremony to Siwiec took place a few days ago: https://twitter.com/PavelZacek_69/status/1569253672466399233.