About this place
The Pavel Tigrid plaque hangs on the outer wall of the Old Jewish Cemetery on U starého hřbitova street in Prague's Josefov quarter, facing house No. 3, where the Czech journalist and politician spent the last decade of his life.
Why is the plaque located here?
Tigrid settled at U starého hřbitova No. 3 after returning from exile and lived there from 1993 until his death in 2003. The plaque itself was mounted on the cemetery wall opposite the house rather than on the building's own facade, which is why the site is commonly referenced by the street name rather than the exact house number. This was Tigrid's last private address in Prague, following decades spent abroad.
What does the inscription say?
The text records that a journalist and politician named Pavel Tigrid lived in house No. 3 on this street from 1993 to 2003, and it also notes his role as publisher of an exile magazine and his contribution to the fall of communism in Czechoslovakia. The plaque itself is a bronze piece featuring a relief portrait of Tigrid.
When was the plaque unveiled?
It was unveiled on 25 October 2007, marking what would have been Tigrid's 90th birthday — he had died four years earlier, in 2003. The ceremony was attended by former president Václav Havel, president Václav Klaus, Tigrid's widow Ivana Tigridová, and politician and writer Petr Pithart, a lineup that reflects the standing Tigrid held in independent Czechoslovakia and later the Czech Republic.
Who created the plaque?
The relief portrait was designed by academic sculptor Michal Vitanovský, and the casting was carried out at the workshop of Jiří Šilhan. The bronze plaque is one of many memorial plaques scattered across Prague that commemorate figures tied to anti-communist opposition and political exile.
Who was Pavel Tigrid?
Pavel Tigrid (1917-2003) was a writer, essayist and political commentator, and one of the leading figures of postwar Czech exile. He left the country in 1939 ahead of the Nazi occupation and spent the war years working for the BBC in London. After the communist takeover of 1948 he remained abroad for the next four decades, serving as program director for Radio Free Europe and, above all, as the long-running publisher of the magazine "Svědectví" ("Testimony"), one of the most important publishing platforms for Czechoslovak democratic opposition operating outside the country. He returned home only in 1989, after the Velvet Revolution, becoming an advisor to president Václav Havel, and served as Czech minister of culture from 1994 to 1996.
What else is worth seeing nearby?
The plaque sits right next to the Old Jewish Cemetery, one of Josefov's key attractions, and is within a few hundred meters of the Old-New Synagogue and the other sites that make up Prague's Jewish Museum. It makes a natural stop for visitors touring Josefov who also want to trace recent Czech political history along the way.
Frequently asked questions
Where exactly is the Pavel Tigrid plaque located? On the outer wall of the Old Jewish Cemetery on U starého hřbitova street in Josefov, facing house No. 3, where Tigrid lived from 1993 to 2003.
When was the plaque unveiled? On 25 October 2007, on the anniversary of Pavel Tigrid's 90th birthday, with Václav Havel, Václav Klaus and Tigrid's widow in attendance.
Why is Pavel Tigrid commemorated at this specific spot? Because the house facing the plaque was where he lived during the final decade of his life, after returning from years of political exile.
Who was Pavel Tigrid? A journalist and exile publicist, longtime publisher of the magazine "Svědectví," program director for Radio Free Europe, and later Czech minister of culture after 1989.
Who made the plaque? Sculptor Michal Vitanovský created the relief portrait, cast at the workshop of Jiří Šilhan.
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