38 Beneš Square

Although Benešovo náměstí (Beneš Square) only came into being in the 19th century, it fairly quickly became a busy place with tram lines. At that time it was called Školní (School Square). In the 20th century it was renamed Dr. Edvard Beneš Square, then Dr. Zdeněk Nejedlý Square, and after the Velvet Revolution Beneš Square once again. Today we see it mainly as a junction of bus and trolleybus lines. Its role in the history of the town, however, is far more important: it was right here in 1989 that the first step was taken towards the democracy that was being born.

From 11th to 13th November, three environmental demonstrations took place here, each stronger than the last. Intensive coal mining and burning had made air pollution unbearable. At the end of the 1980s, smog choked the town for much of the year. Going outside, or even airing your flat, was a danger to your health. It was publicly admitted that “northern Bohemia is above all the raw-material and industrial base of the republic”. Yet nobody dared to say that the unbreathable air was directly linked to the political situation in the country. The atmosphere on Beneš Square in those November days of ‘89 was described by the monthly Revue Teplice, which no longer exists. In the article “Student November”, Pavel Ryjáček writes:

10th November, Friday. Teplice lies under a lid of fog, and so children are once again forbidden to go outside… Somewhere in the streets, invitations to an environmental demonstration appear. Nobody knows who wrote them, but the news spreads by word of mouth.

11th November, Saturday. For the first time, the citizens of the town break a long-standing habit and gather in the town centre, even though nobody has given them permission. The purpose of the event, though, is anxiously kept purely environmental. People are afraid to sing the national anthem.

12th November, Sunday. People gather again, but this time with the security forces in attendance. Supposedly they are blocking traffic in the town… Radio and television keep strictly silent about it.

13th November, Monday. Nobody can ignore the third demonstration any more. The security forces intervene outrageously. After Prague and two other of the largest cities, Teplice is the first town to feel the brutality of the security forces at first hand, but also the elation of taking part in a demonstration… The foundation is laid for student Prague to chant “Teplice, Teplice” before long…

As we know, the communist regime fell before the end of that year. A bronze plaque on the fountain still recalls that the demonstrations in Teplice were a forerunner of the key events on Národní třída in Prague.