The Lennon Wall (
Czech: Lennonova zeď) or John Lennon Wall (Czech: Zeď Johna Lennona) is a wall in
Prague,
Czech Republic. Since the 1980s, this once-typical wall has been filled with
John Lennon–inspired
graffiti,
lyrics from
Beatles' songs, and designs relating to local and global causes.
History and ongoing development
Located in a small and secluded square across from the
French Embassy, the wall had been decorated by
love poems and short messages against the regime since the 1960s. It received its first decoration connected to John Lennon—a symbol of freedom,
western culture, and political struggle—following the 1980
assassination of John Lennon, when an unknown artist painted a single image of the singer-songwriter and some lyrics.[1]
In 1988, the wall was a source of irritation for
Gustáv Husák's communist regime. Following a short-lived era of
democratization and political
liberalization known as the
Prague Spring, the newly-installed communist government dismantled the reforms, inspiring anger and resistance. Young
Czechs wrote their grievances on the wall and, according to a report of the time, this led to a clash between hundreds of students and security police on the nearby
Charles Bridge. The
liberalization movement these students followed was described as Lennonism (not to be confused with
Leninism), and Czech authorities described participants variously as alcoholic, mentally deranged, sociopathic, and agents of Western
free marketcapitalism.
The wall continuously undergoes change, and the original portrait of Lennon is long lost under layers of new paint. Even when the wall was repainted by authorities, by the next day, it was again full of poems and flowers. Today, the wall represents a symbol of global ideals such as love and
peace.
On 17 November 2014, the 25th anniversary of the
Velvet Revolution, the wall was painted over in pure white by a group of art students, leaving only the text “wall is over” [sic]. The Knights of Malta initially filed a criminal complaint for
vandalism against the students, which they later retracted after contacting them.[3]
The wall mural is still there as of 23 July 2017. And the “Wall is Over” bit has been changed to “War Is Over” from the song
Happy Xmas (War Is Over).
On 22 April 2019,
Earth Day, the action group
Extinction Rebellion repainted the entire wall with slogans demanding action from the Czech government on
climate change. “KLIMATICKÁ NOUZE” was painted in large
block print letters, which reads “
climate emergency” in
Czech. Members of the public were encouraged to add their own messages during the process, resulting in calls for action painted in several languages. A giant image of a skull was also painted. The repaint was carried out in a manner which allowed some of the existing artwork to be included on the new wall.[4]
In July 2019, artists painted a memorial on the wall for Hong Kong democracy activist
Marco Leung Ling-kit, who became known as a martyr and a symbol of hope for the
2019 anti-extradition bill protest movement.[5] The image on the wall depicts the yellow raincoat he was wearing during the
banner drop that eventually led to a fall from the building, along with some words of solidarity: “Hong Kong,
Add oil.”[6][7]
On 4 August 2019, it was reported that the wall would be put under
CCTV surveillance to block unlawful graffiti and combat the swaths of tourists that pass by it every day.[8]
In October 2019, the
Sovereign Military Order of Malta, together with
Prague 1, started the reconstruction of the Lennon Wall which lasted until November. They reacted thus to the recent situation of vandalism on the wall and its surroundings connected to the
overtourism which became unbearable that summer. The place should have regained its respectable form, which was going to be introduced on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution in November as an open-air gallery with new rules.[9] On 7 November 2019, the new face of the Lennon Wall as an open-air gallery was created and introduced to the public. Over 30 Czech and foreign professional artists gathered by as the Czech designer Pavel Šťastný painted the Wall. New rules of the Wall no longer allow spraying; people can leave their messages connected to freedom and love only in the white free zones and in more sensitive materials than sprays, e.g. pencil, marker, or chalk. Cameras and police monitor the wall to ensure the artistic portion is not defaced.[10]
In July 2021, a new museum about the history of the Lennon Wall, the Lennon Wall Story, was set in Prokopska Street 8 in the cool underground. The Lennon Wall Story is a new museum that tracks the history and art of one of Prague’s major attractions. Located just a few hundred metres from the famous Lennon Wall itself, the museum seeks to entice visitors with dozens of photos, historic objects, Beatles memorabilia and a half hour documentary about the history of the wall, known for political and artistic expression.[11]
A message from Hong Kong citizens in 2019 on the John Lennon wall in Prague. It reads “~To the people of the Czech Republic 30 years ago you won the fight against the Communists. Now Hongkong is fighting against the Chinese tyranny [sic]. TP Please Support Hong Kong”
The Lennon Wall (
Czech: Lennonova zeď) or John Lennon Wall (Czech: Zeď Johna Lennona) is a wall in
Prague,
Czech Republic. Since the 1980s, this once-typical wall has been filled with
John Lennon–inspired
graffiti,
lyrics from
Beatles' songs, and designs relating to local and global causes.
History and ongoing development
Located in a small and secluded square across from the
French Embassy, the wall had been decorated by
love poems and short messages against the regime since the 1960s. It received its first decoration connected to John Lennon—a symbol of freedom,
western culture, and political struggle—following the 1980
assassination of John Lennon, when an unknown artist painted a single image of the singer-songwriter and some lyrics.[1]
In 1988, the wall was a source of irritation for
Gustáv Husák's communist regime. Following a short-lived era of
democratization and political
liberalization known as the
Prague Spring, the newly-installed communist government dismantled the reforms, inspiring anger and resistance. Young
Czechs wrote their grievances on the wall and, according to a report of the time, this led to a clash between hundreds of students and security police on the nearby
Charles Bridge. The
liberalization movement these students followed was described as Lennonism (not to be confused with
Leninism), and Czech authorities described participants variously as alcoholic, mentally deranged, sociopathic, and agents of Western
free marketcapitalism.
The wall continuously undergoes change, and the original portrait of Lennon is long lost under layers of new paint. Even when the wall was repainted by authorities, by the next day, it was again full of poems and flowers. Today, the wall represents a symbol of global ideals such as love and
peace.
On 17 November 2014, the 25th anniversary of the
Velvet Revolution, the wall was painted over in pure white by a group of art students, leaving only the text “wall is over” [sic]. The Knights of Malta initially filed a criminal complaint for
vandalism against the students, which they later retracted after contacting them.[3]
The wall mural is still there as of 23 July 2017. And the “Wall is Over” bit has been changed to “War Is Over” from the song
Happy Xmas (War Is Over).
On 22 April 2019,
Earth Day, the action group
Extinction Rebellion repainted the entire wall with slogans demanding action from the Czech government on
climate change. “KLIMATICKÁ NOUZE” was painted in large
block print letters, which reads “
climate emergency” in
Czech. Members of the public were encouraged to add their own messages during the process, resulting in calls for action painted in several languages. A giant image of a skull was also painted. The repaint was carried out in a manner which allowed some of the existing artwork to be included on the new wall.[4]
In July 2019, artists painted a memorial on the wall for Hong Kong democracy activist
Marco Leung Ling-kit, who became known as a martyr and a symbol of hope for the
2019 anti-extradition bill protest movement.[5] The image on the wall depicts the yellow raincoat he was wearing during the
banner drop that eventually led to a fall from the building, along with some words of solidarity: “Hong Kong,
Add oil.”[6][7]
On 4 August 2019, it was reported that the wall would be put under
CCTV surveillance to block unlawful graffiti and combat the swaths of tourists that pass by it every day.[8]
In October 2019, the
Sovereign Military Order of Malta, together with
Prague 1, started the reconstruction of the Lennon Wall which lasted until November. They reacted thus to the recent situation of vandalism on the wall and its surroundings connected to the
overtourism which became unbearable that summer. The place should have regained its respectable form, which was going to be introduced on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution in November as an open-air gallery with new rules.[9] On 7 November 2019, the new face of the Lennon Wall as an open-air gallery was created and introduced to the public. Over 30 Czech and foreign professional artists gathered by as the Czech designer Pavel Šťastný painted the Wall. New rules of the Wall no longer allow spraying; people can leave their messages connected to freedom and love only in the white free zones and in more sensitive materials than sprays, e.g. pencil, marker, or chalk. Cameras and police monitor the wall to ensure the artistic portion is not defaced.[10]
In July 2021, a new museum about the history of the Lennon Wall, the Lennon Wall Story, was set in Prokopska Street 8 in the cool underground. The Lennon Wall Story is a new museum that tracks the history and art of one of Prague’s major attractions. Located just a few hundred metres from the famous Lennon Wall itself, the museum seeks to entice visitors with dozens of photos, historic objects, Beatles memorabilia and a half hour documentary about the history of the wall, known for political and artistic expression.[11]
A message from Hong Kong citizens in 2019 on the John Lennon wall in Prague. It reads “~To the people of the Czech Republic 30 years ago you won the fight against the Communists. Now Hongkong is fighting against the Chinese tyranny [sic]. TP Please Support Hong Kong”