UNYP graduation ceremony to be held in Prague’s Municipal House for the first time

We are excited and proud to announce this year’s graduation which will take place on 24th June, 2022 and will recognize the past three graduating classes: 2020, 2021, and 2022. We as UNYP are honored by the opportunity to hold our graduation in a new venue after 20 years. Anyone who has ever visited Prague will have noticed the iconic Art Nouveau building near Náměstí Republiky and the Palladium shopping mall, The Prague Municipal House (“Obecní dům” in Czech). This venue has played a significant historical role in the Czech Republic, and will be a great setting to congratulate the classes from the past three years.  

Residency of Czech Kings
The location of today’s Municipal House was formerly occupied by a royal palace that was built by Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia in around 1380. This building served as a royal residence until 1484, when the king moved back to Prague Castle. Because of this event, the Municipal House is considered to be the starting point of the Kings Road; all new kings had to make a symbolic journey from the Municipal House to Prague Castle before coronation. The old royal residence was demolished in the early 1900s, and the current Municipal House was opened on December 16, 1912. 

The First Czechoslovak Republic
On October 28, 1918, the Municipal House served as a venue for the declaration of the First Czechoslovak Republic, also known as the Czechoslovak Declaration of Independence. This event was a result of the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Habsburg Empire, and is still celebrated today as a Czech national holiday. The purpose of this declaration was to announce and define a new country, separate and independent from Austria-Hungary. Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk’s declaration was inspired by  the United States Declaration of Independence, and solidified Czechoslovakia as a democratic republic, ensuring freedom of speech, press and religion. 

Ground Zero for the modern Czech Republic
Over 30 years ago, on Sunday November 26, 1989, the Municipal House served as the venue for the first face-to-face dialogue between the old communist regime and the new democratic Civic Forum. Václav Havel, who would soon become president of Czechoslovakia, met with Ladislav Adamec, the communist prime minister at the time, in a conference that would resulted in the official transition to democracy in Czechoslovakia. 1989 was a turbulent year in Czechoslovakia, culminating with the Velvet Revolution on November 17, which marked the official creation of the modern and independent Czechoslovakia. Czechoslovakia would later split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia, in a peaceful process known as the Velvet Divorce. 
UNYP is very proud to have secured a venue of such magnitude for this year’s UNYP graduation ceremony. The Municipal House location has played a part in the creation of the Czech identity, and we believe that this summer it will also serve as a starting point for the many success stories of our alumni. Stay tuned for more details about the UNYP Graduation Ceremony 2022.