Jan Palach was a Czech university student who poured petroleum over himself and burned himself to death on January 16, 1969. He committed this act in protest of the Soviet occupation of his country. Jan Zajic was another Czech student who also burned himself in almost the same exact spot roughly a month after Jan Palach did so.
The memorial itself lies a short distance from the fountain in Wenceslas Square in Prague. It was created by artist Barbora Vesela, and built by architects Cestmir Houska and Jiri Vesely. The memorial has a cross-shaped form that is basically imbedded in the grounds at Wenceslas Square. The curved shape of the cross brings parts of the memorial upward from the flat ground surface. It was designed that way to make it look as if it has melted into the pavement. The cross faces the spot where Jan Palach fell to the ground after setting himself on fire. The left branch of the cross has the names of the two students and their respective dates on it.
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| The Memorial in January |
The reason a cross was chosen to be the symbol for this memorial is that "sacrifice has always been associated with the symbol of a cross." In addition to that, throughout Christian tradition, the cross has brought redemption to followers. It is not uncommon for the memorial to be surrounded by flowers, especially in January around the time when both of these tragic events took place.
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| Left Branch - Names and Dates |
In addition to this bronze cross memorial, there are also several other memorials to Palach and Zajic in cities throughout Europe.
I believe that this memorial is an example of sanctification. According the the Lonely Planet website, the date of Jan Palach's death (January 16) is now commemorated annually. Not only is this date recognized every year, but the memorial itself was placed in the middle of Wenceslas Square. If this had not been deemed a sanctified place or event, nobody would have allowed for a memorial to be placed within the pavement of such an important part of the city.
Sources:
Category. "Memorial to Jan Palach and Jan Zajic." Eastern Europe Travel. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2013. .
"Jan Palach memorial | Visiting Prague." Visiting Prague. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2013. .
"Jan Palach Memorial in Prague, Czech Republic - Lonely Planet." Lonely Planet Travel Guides and Travel Information. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2013. .
"Prague: The Jan Palach Memorial - TripAdvisor." Reviews of Hotels, Flights and Vacation Rentals - TripAdvisor. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2013. .
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