Invitation to Commemorate Jan Palach
07.01.2026 / 18:53 | Aktualizováno: 07.01.2026 / 18:55
Dear residents of Luxembourg, dear friends,
We warmly invite you to a quiet and dignified gathering at the Jan Palach Memorial on the anniversary of his death, on Monday, 19 January 2026, at 6:00 pm, at Jan Palach Square, L-1136 Luxembourg, in the very heart of the city, in close proximity to Place d’Armes.
Join us in paying tribute, by lighting a candle together, to the memory of a courageous young man whose act became a lasting symbol of resistance against oppression and the loss of freedom.
On 16 January 1969, Czech philosophy student Jan Palach set himself on fire in Wenceslas Square in Prague in protest against the invasion of Warsaw Pact troops in August 1968, which violently put an end to reform efforts aimed at creating a freer and more democratic society in what was then Czechoslovakia. He died from his burns on 19 January 1969.
His act was not a call for death, but a call to awaken consciences—a call for the courage to defend freedom, democracy, and human dignity, even at the cost of the greatest sacrifice.
The people of Luxembourg were among the first abroad to take notice of Palach’s sacrifice and to respond to it publicly. Here too, his name became a symbol of solidarity with a nation whose freedom had been trampled, and a reminder of our shared European responsibility.
Remembering Jan Palach remains deeply meaningful today. At a time when war, propaganda, and the questioning of democratic values are once again present in Europe, his sacrifice reminds us that freedom, democracy, and human dignity are never a given—they require courage, vigilance, and solidarity.
Light a candle with us as a sign of respect for the past, responsibility in the present, and hope for the future.