The Initiative asked the City Council of the capital to provide space for the memorial at Námestie slobody (Freedom Square).

Until 1989, this square was annually used to commemorate February 25 as the day of the establishment of communist totality. One of the largest statues of the communist regime stood here, in honor of the Chairman of the Communist Party, Klement Gottwald. The regime’s political interests dictated the entire design of the square – their goal was to minimize public space as much as possible to prevent civic gatherings. Therefore, the public space was narrowed into concrete corridors. The majority of the area was taken up by raised concrete “planters” (“kochlíky”) between the corridors, where entry was forbidden. The fountain also reduced the open area. Its pumps had outlets on the surface so they could be used to disperse possible gatherings.

It is symbolic that the first mass protest of the Velvet Revolution (about 15,000 citizens) took place here on November 21, 1989. The crowd filled the entire area of Gottwald Square; people stood even inside the fountain and stepped out of the corridors onto the grassy “forbidden zones.” The VPN movement introduced itself to this mass of people here and began to organize further events of the Velvet Revolution.

In the mud and snow on the forbidden raised areas, traces were left by the people who, at this square, began to take public affairs into their own hands. This moment inspired the creators of the November 1989 Memorial.

But first it was necessary to push through the idea that the Velvet Revolution memorial should be located precisely at Námestie slobody. In addition to the Memorial Initiative, many other November personalities supported this idea. Experts involved in plans for the reconstruction of Námestie slobody at that time also viewed it positively.

In 2014, the Memorial Initiative obtained approval from the Bratislava City Council to place the November 1989 Memorial (Resolution No. 1574/2014). They subsequently raised funds to organize an international art competition for the design of the memorial. In the competition brief, organized in consultation with the Slovak Union of Visual Arts, the Initiative defined the requirements for the memorial’s form and function. The design also had to take into account plans for the reconstruction of Námestie slobody, which was to serve both as a place for relaxation and civic gatherings.

In 2014, the Memorial Initiative established a Jury for the anonymous competition it announced. It was chaired by Professor Jozef Jankovič, and its members were: literary theorist Mária Bátorová, chief architect of Bratislava Ingrid Konrad, journalist and playwright Eugen Gindl, Professor of the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague Kurt Gebauer, artist Rudolf Sikora, architect Peter Gero, art theorist Petra Hanáková, art theorist Mira Keratová, historian Mária Filková, and chairman of the Slovak Union of Visual Arts Pavol Kráľ. More than 30 authors submitted their proposals to the competition.

Before the Jury’s decision, the Memorial Initiative organized a public exhibition of all the proposals (November 2014). The public could comment in writing or mark the selected work with a sticker. Such public participation had not occurred with any other memorial in the city before.

The jury decided not to award a first prize. It recommended 6 proposals to the Memorial Initiative for a second round of selection. In the period that followed, the chairman of the jury, J. Jankovič, and the organizer of the Memorial Initiative, Ján Budaj, worked with several of the 6 recommended proposals. The aim was to further develop the design of the memorial so that it fulfilled the competition criteria as much as possible and met public expectations. From this dialogue emerged the final proposal—the “Footprints” concept by architects Emanuel Zatlukaj and Branislav Lackovič, in collaboration with the sculptor Jakub Trajter.

Ján Budaj, together with the authors, then defended the November 1989 Memorial concept before the expert commissions of the City of Bratislava. Finally, the design for the November 1989 Memorial was presented to the public in 2019, together with the Mayor of Bratislava.

It was then possible to move forward with realization, but the funds approved for the Memorial by the City Council were insufficient. In 2021, the Government of the Slovak Republic also became involved with the project. It approved financial support equal to that of the City of Bratislava, i.e., 200,000 euros. In addition, the government decreed that upon completion, the memorial would become a statutory site of the Slovak Republic.

However, circumstances prevented realization—first the COVID-19 pandemic, and then, in 2022, a sharp rise in energy and non-ferrous metal prices as a result of Russia’s attack on Ukraine.

Over the course of 2023, prices for energy and non-ferrous metals returned to lower levels. Nevertheless, the government that took office after the 2023 elections postponed providing financial support for the Memorial.

The government finally announced its position in summer 2024: it decided not to provide funds for the Memorial before 2027 (that is, before the end of its mandate). This decision prevented the unveiling of the Memorial in time for the 35th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution.

In autumn 2024, the Memorial Initiative and the authors began seeking sponsors, including from the Slovenská sporiteľňa Foundation. In 2025, the Slovenská sporiteľňa Foundation decided to financially support the construction of the November 1989 Memorial, making it possible to proceed with realization (July–October 2025).

The Memorial was unveiled on November 17, 2025. It consists of a concrete block, occupying exactly the same spot where one of the elevated and “forbidden” grassy areas once stood. The word “1989” is inscribed in concrete on the front face of the Memorial. The word “NOVEMBER” is set into the concrete pavement in front of the Memorial. On the horizontal surface of the Memorial, hundreds of brass footprints are scattered. The footprints point toward the seat of power. The Memorial will thus not only commemorate the Velvet Revolution but also serve as a reminder that power in our state comes from the citizens.

The November 1989 Memorial is complemented by digital communication: texts created in collaboration between the City of Bratislava and the Slovenská sporiteľňa Foundation. Through a QR code, passersby can conveniently access key information about the days of November 1989 as well as about the authors of the November 1989 Memorial.