Jan Palach and Jan Zajíc memorial unveiling ceremony

Miloš Vystrčil and David Vávra untie the tricolour and five metres of white fabric fall to the ground. Finally, all the guests and visitors of the ceremony – the street is full of them – get to see full beauty of the memorial. Today is the 55th anniversary of Jan Palach’s self-immolation in front of the National Museum at the Wenceslas Square in Prague. We, the members of the ECCB’s congregation in Děčín, have been commemorating this anniversary with a memorial gathering on the steps of our church for many years now. Perhaps it was on these very stairs that it occurred to Mr Randák it would be a good idea to remember the actions of both Jan Palach and Jan Zajíc, who strived to rouse the Czechoslovak public which was slowly sinking into apathy after the invasion of the Warsaw Pact troops in 1969, with an artistic artifact at our church. In spite of the fact that neither of the two young men were connected with Děčín in any way and we can assume they have never been here, we, the Protestants of Dečín, thus claim their heroic cry in a time of bowed heads and silent mouths. „One must fight the evil they can handle,“ wrote Jan Palach. This appeal is still valid today and we want to remind people of it in our town as well. Heads down, apathy and resignation are still all around us today. That is why the light of the legacy of our brave ancestors needs to be shone here too.

The Synodal Senior and the Mayor descend from the church onto the street and they place their palms on the glass palm prints of the women of the Palach and Zajíc families. The memorial, glowing white, turns blue and, after a while, red. Above, a star shines, which, according to the author, is meant to refer to the hope given by the birth of Christ, like the star above Bethlehem. Then, Bohdan Mikolášek’s iconic song „Silence“ is played, after which the official guests lay their flowers and participants light candles, placing them on the pavement under the memorial. On the wall behind it, you can still see the white letters of the now illegible inscription that someone wrote there after the 1968 invasion.

And we go into the church to hear the greetings of the distinguished guests. Among them are Christian Behr, the superintendent of the Dresden-Central region, Bettina Westfeld, president of the Evangelische Landeskirche, René Hermann, the chief catechist of the Dresden-Central region, and Martin Pošta, the Děčín deputy for culture. Another song by Mikolášek continues the programme, which culminates with words by the author of the memorial, David Vávra.

And the ceremony is over. We go over to the nearby café with our distinguished guests to get warm, looking at the memorial through the windows. We called it „Light for Děčín“. It shines into the dim street and people come and place their hands on it. It occurs to me at that moment that at least for some, this touch means an intimate contact with the legacy of the two Johns. They give their hand to confirm, perhaps above all to themselves, but also to others, that truth, love, and freedom are important values that are worth sacrificing something in our lives for.

Tomáš Matějovský