Jan Palach Memorial – Sculptural composition of the Son’s and Mother’s Houses

This unique sculpture sited near the Faculty of Arts is devoted to the faculty’s student Jan Palach, commemorated for his self-immolation of 16 January 1969 in protest against the Soviet occupation. The sculptural pair called in the original ‘The House of the Suicide and The House of the Mother of the Suicide’ is a work of art by the American sculptor and architect of Czech origin, John Hejduk. The Son’s House, in a paler hue, represents Jan Palach. The Mother’s House is darker, as if corroded, representing Palach’s desperate mother. The installation with its symbolic flames is augmented by a plaque with the poem ‘The Funeral of Jan Palach’ by American writer David Shapiro.