10 Little-Known Facts About Prague’s Lennon Wall That Will Surprise You
The Lennon Wall in Prague is more than just a colorful tourist attraction - it is a living symbol of freedom and peace. This iconic wall has a rich and surprising history - from its links to the Knights of Malta to its unexpected connection to the Hong Kong protests. Whether you're a Beatles fan, a history buff, or a street art enthusiast, enjoy a deep dive into 10 fascinating facts about one of Prague's most famous landmarks.
Lennon Wall 10 Fun Facts
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The Lennon Wall vs. The Regime: How a Graffiti Message Challenged Authority in 1980s Prague
The police became more interested in the Lennon Wall in the 1980s after a sign on the wall read "You have Lenin, leave us Lennon!" Thereafter, a man appointed by the authorities, wearing a lab coat and holding a brush, regularly visited the site and was responsible for erasing this inscription on the wall, as well as other inscriptions inappropriate for the regime, not only on the wall but also in the surrounding area of Kampa.
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The Beatles in Bratislava? Unraveling the Myth of Their Mysterious Stopover
There is a popular legend that The Beatles made a short stop in Bratislava (now the capital of Slovakia) on their way to the Alps to film their 1965 film Help! However, this story is more of a myth than a verified historical fact.
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The Iconic John Lennon Portrait: How Mario Torero's Mural Defined the Lennon Wall
The first non-anonymous artwork on the Lennon Wall was a huge portrait of John Lennon by Chilean artist and activist Mario Torero. For tourists, this painting has become a symbol of the wall itself.
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The Knights of Malta and the Historic Legacy of the Lennon Wall
Lennon's Wall and the surrounding area belong to the Sovereign Order of the Knights of Malta, one of the largest and most powerful Christian orders of chivalry in the Middle Ages. It was rivaled only by the Knights Templar or the Teutonic Knights. Vladislaus I, Duke of Bohemia, after his return from the Crusades, gave the Knights of Malta a plot of land in the Lesser Town. According to tradition, they were supposed to defend Judith's Bridge among other activities, so the King gave them a residence not far from here. Judith's Bridge was the predecessor of Charles Bridge, it was the oldest stone bridge in the Czech lands.
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The Lennon Wall After the Velvet Revolution
After the Velvet Revolution in 1990, the poster boards installed by the communist regime were removed from Lennon's wall to cover the protest signs and prevent people from adding more. For almost a decade, the visible remains of the first annual rallies on Kampa were preserved "archaeologically" underneath: the symbolic tombstone of John Lennon, the inscriptions and drawings from December 1980.
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From Protest to Attraction: The Lennon Wall’s Transformation After 2000
After 2000, the Lennon Wall in Prague became one of the main tourist attractions in the Czech Republic. Some locals even started to call it the "Tourist Wall".
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Yoko Ono's 2003 Visit: Messages and Candlelight at the Lennon Wall
In 2003, a temporary exhibition was held at the nearby Kampa Museum by Yoko Ono, who signed her name on Lennon's wall, lit a candle, and wrote several messages on it in small letters.
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Pete Best Signs Lennon's Wall & Visits Prague for Beatlemania Exhibition
In 2010, Pete Best, the original drummer of The Beatles, signed Lennon's wall and was invited to Prague by the National Museum to promote the Beatlemania exhibition.
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Lennon Wall Painted Over with 'The Wall is Over' Message
On November 17th, 2014, the entire Lennon wall was painted over and left with only one message "The Wall is Over." This act was done by a group of art students called Pražská Služba. The writing was quickly altered into "The War is Over." The Knights of Malta initially filed a criminal complaint for vandalism against these students but later retracted it after contacting them.
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Hong Kong Protests – Czech Artist's Tribute to Freedom and Hope
The placement of a large flyer with the words "Lennon Wall" in the center of Hong Kong during the protests against Chinese restrictions was not the work of local activists but of Veronika Rozmahelová, a Czech woman who was in Hong Kong at the time. The aim was to build a copy of Lennon's wall in Prague, where people could express their desire for freedom in an artistic form, and to give hope to the protesters.
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Source: BLAŽEK, Petr; LAUBE, Roman; POSPÍŠIL, Filip. Lennonova zeď v Praze: Studie, rozhovory, dokumenty. Praha: Muzeum paměti XX. století, 2020. 536 s. ISBN 978-80-907989-0-8.
