John Lennon Wall
One of the most colorful places in Prague that’s filled in with symbolism and meaning is John Lennon Wall. It is located in the popular district of Mala Strana, at Velkoprevorsky square and it’s a favorite spot to many travelers.
Lennon Wall is a symbol of hope and desire of thousands of Prague’s students to live in “peace and love”. As a matter of fact, the other name the wall is popular with is “Peace and Love Wall”. It is a kind of an equivalent of the Berlin Wall. Lennon Wall is a wall monastery which is 20 meters long and fully painted in graffiti with messages for more peaceful future.
Up to 1980th year it was called Crying wall, because here the youths often unburden their heart when being disappointed and with hurt feelings. After the murder of the legendary English musician John Lennon by admirer, the maniac Marc Chapmen, the wall turned into a meeting point for all people who sorrowed over his death. Beetles lovers come here to bring flowers, light candles, leave messages, as well as to turn the place into Lennon’s memorial. Soon after this, the musician’s face was painted on the wall to become a symbol of a freer and fairer future, while his song Imagine turned into a hymn for the young people who want to live in a world with no boundaries or barriers.
This is how spontaneously the wall has transformed into a political protest against communism. It has been regularly painted with different slogans devoted to love, peace, and equity – all those things that weren’t loved or admired by the ex-government back in those times and that were, by the way, periodically removed. The more the notices were deleted, the more young people got motivated to protect their symbol of hope, to protect their wall.
After the downfall of the totalitarian regime in the 1989th year, Lennon Wall lost its previous function and turns into a more tourist attraction rather than political meeting point, but though, people still come here to bring their own message for more peaceful and humane future.
You can visit Lennon Wall of Love and Peace in Prague at any time you want and to get a bit closer to those times it was a great symbol of the city. Have a look at all those written message drawn on the wall and think about what kind of world you want to live in!
More top attractions in Prague:
Prague – the city
Prague Castle
Vysehrad
St Vitus Cathedral
The Astronomical clock
Charles Bridge
Old Town Square
National Museum
Dancing house
Vltava cruises
Havel’s Market
