Gold half-ounce medal "Václav Havel" proof

Gold half-ounce medal "Václav Havel" proof

Václav Havel (born October 5, 1936 – died December 18, 2011), the last Czechoslovak and first Czech president, left politics in 2003 at the end of his last term in office. This allowed him to continue his original profession as a playwright. He also made his debut as a film director when he filmed his last play, Leaving, which he wrote after ending his political career.

Václav Havel was one of the most important Czech dissidents and a symbol of the Velvet Revolution, which led to the fall of the communist regime in Czechoslovakia. Thanks to his role in the events of 1989, he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize several times. He was first elected president in December 1989 and remained in office until 2003, when he was replaced by Václav Klaus.

Havel gained worldwide fame not only as a politician and dissident, but also as a playwright and one of the leading authors of absurd theater plays.

Václav Havel, a man of great ideas, was already during his lifetime a symbol of something that some understood and others rejected. It may be impossible for dramatic and political work to have a different international impact. In Czech society, Havel was highly respected and admired, but at the same time rejected and dismissed. Due to a strange transmutation, the main motto of his fans and followers – Truth and Love – became negative expressions in the mouths of his opponents. However, this does not diminish his greatness and influence. He became a supporting symbol in the discussion and search for truth – something very rare and unique in Czech society. Much has been written about him, and more will surely follow.

Truth and love have many interpretations, and the symbol of Havel will help to reveal them forever.

The main motif on the obverse is a statue of Václav Havel, accompanied by text in lines. On the reverse, in the center, is Václav Havel's colorful signature and an inscription in two languages that reads "Pravda a láska zvítězí nad lží a nenávistí" (Truth and love will prevail over lies and hatred).

The medal was created in collaboration with the Dagmar and Václav Havel Foundation VIZE 97.

Limited edition of 100 pieces, numbered.