Editing Lennon Wall (section)

==History==

=== Under communist Czechoslovakia ===
Located in a secluded square across from the [[Embassy of France, Prague|French Embassy]], the wall had love poems and short messages against the [[Czechoslovak Socialist Republic|communist Czechoslovak government]] since the 1960s, but the first message connected to John Lennon was painted following the 1980 [[Murder of John Lennon|assassination of Lennon]], when an unknown artist painted a single image of the singer-songwriter and some lyrics onto a stone slab foundation of a former public fountain. Following this, a small memorial was created with candles, flowers, photographs and newspaper clippings talking about the murder. Western media was banned in the country at the time, therefore the image and memorial was seen by the authorities as representative of western culture and political resistance, thus in April 1981 it was painted over with green paint and removed by the [[StB|Czechoslovak secret police]] who saw it as a protest against the government. The day after the wall was repainted it was filled with political messages, such as "[[Jan Palach|Palach]] would cry", and poems once again. The wall would be repainted and re-graffiti-ed after that, with cameras and over-night guards being stationed at the wall to prevent further attempts, but this was ultimately fruitless as the wall would always end up being marked anyway.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/pragues-famous-john-lennon-wall-it-over-or-just-reborn-180953415/|title=Prague's Famous John Lennon Wall: Is It Over, or Reborn? |website=Smithsonian.com |access-date=3 October 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Pamětní místa na komunistický režim |url=http://www.pametnimista.usd.cas.cz/praha-1-lennonova-zed/ |access-date=16 October 2024|language=cs}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Blažek |first1=Petr |title=Lennonova zeď v Praze: neformální shromáždění mládeže na Kampě 1980 - 1989 |last2=Laube |first2=Roman |last3=Pospíšil |first3=Filip |date=2003 |publisher=Ústav pro Soudobé Dějiny AV ČR |isbn=978-80-7285-032-7 |location=Prague}}</ref>

In 1988, the wall was a source of irritation for [[Gustáv Husák]]'s [[Marxism–Leninism|Marxist–Leninist]] government. 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,{{Which|date=October 2024}} 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 market]] [[capitalism]].{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}}

=== Post velvet revolution and contemporary developments ===
After the fall of the [[Iron Curtain|iron curtain]] and replacement of the communist government the wall continuously underwent change and the original portrait of Lennon was long lost under layers of new paint and graffiti.

On 17 November 2014, the 25th anniversary of the [[Velvet Revolution]], a group of art students called Prážská Služba repainted the wall to white leaving a single line of black text, “wall is over”{{sic}}.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2019-11-07 |title=Z Lennonovy zdi je nově venkovní galerie. Vévodí jí ikonický portrét zpěváka The Beatles |url=https://www.irozhlas.cz/zpravy-domov/lennonova-zed-praha-1-aktualne-2019-premalovani_1911071931_ako|website=[[Czech Radio]]|access-date=18 October 2024|language=cs}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bureš |first=Vítězslav |date=18 November 2024|title=Studenti přetřeli Lennonovu zeď na bílo, majiteli se později omluvili |url=https://www.idnes.cz/nastaveni-souhlasu?url=https%3a%2f%2fwww.idnes.cz%2fpraha%2fzpravy%2flennonova-zed-na-kampe-byla-kompletne-pretrena-na-bilo.A141118_115348_praha-zpravy_bur|website=[[Mladá fronta Dnes]]|publisher=[[Mafra (company)|Mafra]]|access-date=18 October 2024|language=cs}}</ref> The Knights of Malta initially filed a criminal complaint for vandalism against the students, which they later retracted after contacting them.<ref>{{cite web|title=Wall Is Over! Lennonovu zeď v Praze přetřeli na bílo|url=http://www.ceskatelevize.cz/ct24/regiony/292765-wall-is-over-lennonovu-zed-v-praze-pretreli-na-bilo/|language=cs|trans-title=Wall is Over! Lennon Wall in Prague painted over in white|website=[[Czech Television]]|access-date=18 November 2014}}</ref>

On 22 April 2019, [[Earth Day]], the environmentalist group [[Extinction Rebellion]] repainted the wall as a demand for the Czech government to act on [[climate change]]. The wall was almost entirely painted white, with the unpainted parts of the wall reading in  large, negative space, block print letters ''Klimatická Nouze'' ({{Lit|Climate Emergency}}). Members of the public were encouraged to add their messages, resulting in calls for action painted in several languages. A large 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.<ref>{{cite web |title=Extinction Rebellion: Update #7 – To Parliament, and Beyond |url=https://rebellion.earth/2019/04/25/update-7-to-parliament-and-beyond/ |website=Extinction Rebellion |date=24 April 2019 |access-date=11 July 2019}}</ref>

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 [[2019–20 Hong Kong protests|2019 anti-extradition bill protest movement]].<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://time.com/5607742/hong-kong-protester-dies-anti-extradition/|title=A Hong Kong Extradition Protester Who Fell to His Death Is Being Hailed as a 'Martyr'|date=15 June 2019|magazine=Time|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190617121634/https://time.com/5607742/hong-kong-protester-dies-anti-extradition/|archive-date=17 June 2019|issn=0040-781X|oclc=1311479}}</ref> 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]].”<ref>{{cite web |title=Marco Leung Memorial Art @ Lennon Wall in Prague |url=https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D_PWvEPUEAAfIZN.jpg |website=Twitter CDN |access-date=12 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190712034111/https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D_PWvEPUEAAfIZN.jpg |archive-date=12 July 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="thestandard_com_hk">{{cite web|first=Phoenix|last=Un|title=Imagine that – 'support HK' messages on Prague wall |url=http://www.thestandard.com.hk/section-news.php?id=209751 |website=The Standard |access-date=18 July 2019}}</ref>

In October 2019, the [[Sovereign Military Order of Malta]] and the administrative district of [[Prague 1]] started a reconstruction of the Lennon Wall. A representative of the Order of Malta, Johannes Lobkowicz, in regards to why the wall would be renovated, said "Our goal was to stop the wall from being a cheap tourist attraction, where anyone could draw nonsense or vulgarisms. It wasn't a dignified state [for the wall]".<ref name=":0" /> Under the direction of Czech designer Pavel Šťastný over 30 Czech and foreign professional artists painted the wall with new designs. During the renovation a central piece made of reflective metal with a black outline of John Lennon was also installed. The wall opened to the public on the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution, 7 November 2019, as an open-air gallery with new rules - busking and spraying was banned, marking the wall was now only allowed in the designated white zones and in impermanent materials e.g. pencils, markers, or chalk. Police and cameras were stationed at the wall to deter further spray painting and rule breaking.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.expats.cz/weekly-czech-news/pragues-john-lennon-wall-opens-with-new-murals-and-new-rules/|title=Prague's John Lennon Wall opens with new murals and new rules|last=Johnston|first=Raymond|date=8 November 2019|website=Expats.cz|access-date=14 November 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|first=Michael|last=Bereň|date=4 October 2019 |title=Lennonova zeď dostane novou podobu. Vznikne tu venkovní galerie? |url=https://prazsky.denik.cz/zpravy_region/lennonova-zed-nova-podoba-venkovni-galerie-listopadu-vyroci-revoluce20191004.html |newspaper=Pražský Deník}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Tait |first=Robert |date=4 August 2019 |title=Imagine no graffiti: new regulation to fall on Prague's Lennon wall |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/aug/04/imagine-no-graffiti-new-regulation-to-fall-on-pragues-lennon-wall |access-date=4 August 2019 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

At the same time as the wall was being renovated the wall was also declared a memorial site, this being the first time the wall was given an officially recognized status as an important landmark.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pamětní místa na komunistický režim |url=http://www.pametnimista.usd.cas.cz/praha-1-lennonova-zed/|website=pametnimista|access-date=18 October 2024|language=cs}}</ref><ref name=":0" />

In July 2021, a new museum about the history of the Lennon Wall, the Lennon Wall Story, was opened on Prokopská Street 8. The museum features varying objects related to the wall, such as photos, historic objects and Beatles memorabilia.<ref>{{Cite web |date=5 August 2021|title=Prague's Lennon Wall gets its own museum |url=https://english.radio.cz/pragues-lennon-wall-gets-its-own-museum-8724970 |access-date=23 June 2022|website=Radio Prague International}}</ref>

On 15 May 2024 the Romani artist Maxim Muchow added a portrait of the late Romani singer Věra Bílá to the wall.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://romea.cz/en/romea-tv-en-2/watch-romani-artist-maxim-muchow-paint-his-portrait-of-the-late-legendary-romani-singer-vera-bila-on-the-john-lennon-wall-in-prague |title=Watch Romani artist Maxim Muchow paint his portrait of the late legendary Romani singer Věra Bílá on the John Lennon Wall in Prague|last=Balážová|first=Jarmila|date=17 May 2024|website=Romea.cz/en|access-date=17 May 2024}}</ref>

{{wide image|Lennon Wall Nov2018 RRR (1 of 1).jpg|1200px|The Lennon Wall, November 2018|100%}}