It is an oddly touching memorial next to the European Parliament. Two chairs and a table surround a linden tree in the Leopold Park.
This charming monument decorated with red hearts is dedicated to the Czech president Václav Havel. Known as Havel’s Place, it was designed by the architect Bořek Šipek.
The bench was unveiled on 12 October 2021 as one of a series of identical memorials in cities around the world.
Its aim is to encourage democratic dialogue in the spirit of the Velvet Revolution of 1989.
Derek Blyth’s hidden secret of the day: Derek Blyth is the author of the bestselling “The 500 Hidden Secrets of Belgium”. He picks out one of his favourite hidden secrets for The Brussels Times every day.
