Nearby the Charles Bridge lays a wall which has been devoted to former Beatle John Lennon. Originally it started out as graffiti painted by a Mexican artist after Lennon’s death and it soon became a shrine inspiring more artists to add Lennon, Beatles and peace messages, poetry and paintings. During the Communist rule of the city there were many clashes with security police and students and hippies. The wall was repainted constantly by the authorities only to be repainted again by what the regime called alcoholics, mentally deranged, sociopathic, and agents of Western capitalism. Today the wall is remembered for helping bring the collapse of Communism to the former Czechoslovakia with the rise of the peaceful Velvet Revolution in November 1989. Today people enjoy the artwork and are often seen singing Beatles songs in the nearby Kampa park without the fear of persecution and risk of having a state paid holiday in the local prison.
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