Memorial "November 1989"

How the Memorial to November 1989 Was Created and Why It Is Located at "Freedom of Square" (translated from original naming "Námestie slobody")

The initiative to create a memorial dedicated to November 1989 came from a group of citizens after a decade had passed since November 17 had been declared a public holiday in the Slovak Republic, while state institutions remained inactive.

In 2011, the Initiative Memorial was therefore established. Its members included Ján Budaj — founder and chairman of the Public Against Violence movement (VPN), Professor Rudolf Sikora — visual artist and convener of the Artistic Association, priest Anton Srholec — chairman of the Confederation of Political Prisoners, Eugen Gindl — journalist and first editor-in-chief of the revolutionary newspaper Verejnosť, architect Ing. Arch. Bohuslav Kraus — architect and member of the VPN Coordination Committee, Ing. Vladimír Ondruš — the first VPN nominee to the Government of National Understanding, and conductor Anton Popovič — one of the leaders of the Student Movement in 1989.

The Initiative requested that the City Council of the capital provide space for the memorial at Freedom Square.

Until 1989, this square had been the site of annual commemorations on February 25, marking the establishment of communist totalitarian rule. Towering above it stood one of the largest sculptural monuments of the communist regime, dedicated to the chairman of the Communist Party, Klement Gottwald. The entire appearance of the square had been subordinated to the political interests of the regime — their aim was to minimize public space as much as possible in order to prevent civic gatherings. Public space was therefore narrowed into concrete corridors. Most of the area was occupied by raised concrete “islands” between the corridors, which were off-limits to the public. The fountain also reduced the available space. Its pumps had surface outlets so they could be used to disperse potential gatherings.

Symbolically, it was precisely here, on November 21, 1989, that the first mass protest of the Velvet Revolution (approximately 15,000 citizens) took place. The crowd filled the entire area of Gottwald Square — people even stood inside the fountain and stepped out of the corridors onto the grassy “forbidden zones.” It was here that the Public Against Violence movement was introduced to the masses and began organizing further events of the Velvet Revolution.

In the mud and snow on the prohibited raised areas remained the footprints of people who had begun to take public affairs into their own hands in this very square. This moment inspired the creators of the November 1989 Memorial.

However, it was first necessary to establish the idea that the Velvet Revolution memorial should be located specifically at Freedom Square. This idea was supported not only by the Initiative Memorial but also by many other key figures of November 1989. It was also positively evaluated by experts who were at that time working on plans for the reconstruction of Freedom Square.

In 2014, the Initiative Memorial obtained the approval of the Bratislava City Council to place the November 1989 Memorial at the square (Resolution No. 1574/2014). It subsequently raised funds to organize an international competition for the memorial’s artistic design. In the competition brief, prepared in consultation with the Slovak Union of Visual Artists, the Initiative defined the requirements for the memorial’s form and functionality. The design had to take into account the planned reconstruction of Freedom Square, which was intended to serve both for leisure and for civic gatherings. In the same year, the Initiative established a jury for the anonymous competition it announced.

The jury was chaired by Professor Jozef Jankovič and included literary theorist Mária Bátorová, Bratislava’s Chief Architect Ingrid Konrad, journalist and playwright Eugen Gindl, Professor Kurt Gebauer of the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague, visual artist Rudolf Sikora, architect Peter Gero, art theorist Petra Hanáková, art theorist Mira Keratová, historian Mária Filková, and Pavol Kráľ, chairman of the Slovak Union of Visual Artists.

More than 30 authors submitted proposals. Even before the jury’s decision, the Initiative Memorial organized a public exhibition of all submitted designs (November 2014). The public could express their opinions in writing or mark their preferred work with a sticker. Such public participation had never before occurred in the selection of any memorial in the city.

The jury decided not to award a first prize. It recommended six proposals to the Initiative Memorial for a second round of selection. In the following period, jury chairman Jozef Jankovič and Initiative organizer Ján Budaj worked with several of the six recommended proposals.

The goal was to further develop the memorial’s form so that it would best meet both the competition criteria and public expectations. From this dialogue emerged the final design — the concept of the “footprint,” created by architects Emanuel Zatlúkaj and Branislav Lackovič in collaboration with sculptor Jakub Trajter.

Ján Budaj and the authors then successfully presented and defended the concept of the November 1989 Memorial before the expert commissions of the City of Bratislava. Finally, together with the Mayor of Bratislava, they presented the memorial design to the public in 2019.

Implementation could begin, but the funds approved by the City Council were insufficient.

In 2021, the Government of the Slovak Republic also addressed the memorial. It approved financial support in the same amount as the City of Bratislava — €200,000. In addition, the government decided that after completion the memorial would become an official ceremonial site of the Slovak Republic.

However, realization was delayed by external circumstances — first the COVID-19 pandemic, and then a sharp increase in energy prices and non-ferrous metals caused by Russia’s attack on Ukraine in 2022.

During 2023, energy and non-ferrous metal prices returned to lower levels. Nevertheless, the government that emerged from the 2023 elections postponed the provision of financial support for the memorial.

The government announced its final position only in the summer of 2024: it decided not to provide financial resources for the memorial before 2027 (i.e., after the end of its term in office). This decision prevented the memorial from being unveiled on the 35th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution.

In the autumn of 2024, the Initiative Memorial and the authors began searching for sponsors, including the Slovenská sporiteľňa Foundation. In 2025, the foundation decided to financially support the construction of the November 1989 Memorial, making it possible to proceed with implementation (July – October 2025). The memorial was unveiled on November 17, 2025.

It consists of a concrete block occupying exactly the same spot where one of the raised and “forbidden” grassy areas once stood. On the front face of the memorial, the inscription “1989” is embedded in the concrete. In the concrete surface of the pavement in front of the memorial, the inscription “NOVEMBER” appears.

On the horizontal surface of the memorial, brass footprints of several hundred individuals are placed. The footprints of people lead toward the seat of power. In this way, the memorial will serve not only as a reminder of the Velvet Revolution but also of the fact that power in our state originates from its citizens.

The November 1989 Memorial is complemented by digital communication materials, whose texts were created in cooperation between the City of Bratislava and the Slovenská sporiteľňa Foundation. Through a QR code, passers-by can easily access basic information about the November days of 1989 as well as information about the authors of the November 1989 Memorial.