Every year on 17 November, the world marks International Students’ Day - the only international observance to originate in the Czech Republic. The date carries a double historical weight. In 1939, Nazi forces stormed Czech universities, killing and arresting students and sending many to concentration camps. Fifty years later, on the very same day in 1989, in the wake of the fall of the Berlin Wall, Czech students took to the streets again – this time sparking the Velvet Revolution, the peaceful uprising that ended four decades of communist rule.
With such a history attached to it, 17 November is never just a date in the Czech calendar. And it was no coincidence that the Florence School of Transnational Governance chose this symbolic day to inaugurate its newly dedicated Václav Havel Room - honouring the playwright, dissident, and president who became the moral voice of that revolution.
Among the participants at the Florence STG inauguration were people who witnessed the Velvet Revolution firsthand. Robert Mikoláš, Director of the Czech Centres in Italy, was a history student and member of the strike committee in 1989. His memories capture the atmosphere of that moment: “The Velvet Revolution, symbolised by Václav Havel, was the greatest event of my life. It meant the end of totalitarian misery and the beginning of a life in freedom - for us, and later for our children. For me, Havel is a true hero. He walked out of prison at the start of that historic year and ended it as President. Thanks to people like him, we too can feel like Europeans. Their legacy deserves to be remembered - and lived."
A leading dissident under communism, Havel spent years in prison, yet never accepted the rules of the totalitarian regime. Later, as President, he made a principle of never lying. One of the panelists, Prof. Jacques Rupnik, who served as Havel’s advisor, recalled asking him about this approach. Havel’s response was characteristic: “As a politician, I may not always have revealed the full truth, but I have never told a lie in my public life.”
According to Fabrizio Tassinari, STG Executive Director, one key lesson from Havel for students who use this room is precisely the concept and practice of living in truth: “I don’t envy the young people today. They live in a world where it is not easy to distinguish between good and evil or between what is morally right and morally wrong. Maybe it was clearer in Havel’s time, when the differences between tyranny and freedom or capitalism and socialism were more clearly defined. Today’s world is much more blurred. Havel’s message is about finding the moral integrity within each of us to navigate this world.”
The Václav Havel Room now serves as a lounge where students can meet, work on group assignments, have lunch, or simply relax. Aranka Myslivcová from the Czech Honorary Consulate remarked: “This is not a traditional lecture hall but feels more like a clubroom. I think it reflects very well Havel’s informal, convivial personality.” This multifunctional space fosters student-led debates, informal networking, and reflection, enhancing the intellectual and social fabric of STG.
The inauguration brought together representatives of the Czech Embassy in Rome, the Czech Honorary Consulate, and the Czech Centre, reflecting an emerging collaboration between these institutions and the EUI. Media coverage of the event across Czech outlets has already raised awareness of the Institute in the Czech Republic, which is one of the few EU member states that have not yet joined the Institute. This form of engagement nevertheless represents a small but meaningful step toward closer ties.
As Fabrizio Tassinari noted, “Havel’s legacy is a good starting point. Central Europe, in general, and the Czech Republic, in particular, bring a reservoir of experience in navigating the transition to a market economy and liberal democracy. These transitions are never smooth, and the lessons learned are invaluable for our students and for future policymakers. The Czech Republic would be a wonderful candidate to bring that experience to the benefit of all of Europe.”