National Memory Prizes First Awarded
On Saturday, May 8, a festive concert connected with awarding of the National Memory Prizes within the project We Haven´t Backed It Down, organized by the Post Bellum society, was hold in Žofín, Prague. The prizes were handed over by important Czech personalities Václav Havel, Tomáš Halík, Jiří Stránský and Václav Jakeš.
The National Memory Prize is a civil prize given to personalities who proved freedom, honour and dignity by their lives. Based on the design by Jakub Fabel the 4 prizes were manufactured by the Secondary Glass Art School in Kamenický Šenov. The prizes were made of glass and stone. Those materials weren´t selected by chance. Glass represents the hundreds years long glassmaking tradition, often run down nowadays. The stone, situated between glass pillars, comes from the Charles Bridge and was found on the bank of the Vltava river. It symbolizes the idea of our history being in hands of each of us and steps of our activities in the history are just up us. Two glass pillars bearing the names of the personalities handing over and ones winning the prize represent the invisible, but mighty power, helping our nation in keeping its dignity, humanity and principles in course of times. Thus, this power is able to enhance even the symbolic stone from the Charles Bridge.
SUPŠS Kamenický Šenov was entrusted by the manufacture of the prizes on the basis of the collaboration and recommendation of the municipal authorities of the Prague capital city. The organizers highly appreciated the outstanding quality of the work made. During manufacturing the prizes an original technical solution of joining of glass and stone was applied, designed and implemented by a trade master Leoš Smejkal.
