The site was unveiled by Ambassador of the Czech Republic Petr Gandalovič, Consul General of the Czech Republic in New York Martin Dvořák, Honorary General Consul of the Czech Republic in Philadelphia Peter Rafaeli, Military Attaché of the Czech Republic Colonel Karel Schuch, the Deputy Mayor for Economic Development and Director of Commerce of the City of Philadelphia Alan Greenberger, and the Director of Operations and Landscape Management of the City of Philadelphia Christopher Palmer.

Located on the City’s prominent Benjamin Franklin Parkway, the site consists of a comfortable bench installed close to the Czech flag, which proudly stands along the Parkway, and a freshly planted linden tree, the national tree of the Czech Republic, both marked by commemorative plaques. The Havel Corner offers a scenic place to reflect upon the legacy of President Havel as well as the enduring Czech-American friendship.

The date of the dedication marked 20 years since President Havel was awarded with the 1994 Philadelphia Liberty Medal for his successful pursuit of cultural and political freedoms. In his acceptance speech, Havel discussed The Need for Transcendence in the Postmodern World, the content of which is still widely cited and undoubtedly current even today. Symbolically, the award ceremony took place at Philadelphia’s Independence Hall where the independence of Czechoslovakia was proclaimed in 1918 by the then President Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk.