Vaclav Havel, the first postcommunist president of Czechoslovakia and then of the newly established Czech Republic, died on December 18, 2011, at the age of 75. On the first anniversary of Havel's death, many Czechs are paying tribute to the memory of the writer and democracy icon. The photos collected here are the work of two photographers, Bohdan Holomicek and Tomki Nemec, members of Havel's inner circle who captured moments from his private life as he transitioned from communist-era dissident to head of state.
Vaclav Havel's Legacy, Through The Lenses Of Friends
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The president addresses crowds at Prague Castle on February 25, 1990. He had just returned from a visit to the United States, where he spoke before the U.S. Congress.
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Havel, a rock fan, meets members of the Rolling Stones on August 18, 1990, the day of the music legends' first concert in postcommunist Czechoslovakia.
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British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher accompanies the Czechoslovak president on Wenceslas Square during an official visit to Prague on September 18, 1990.
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Havel wades in the Atlantic Ocean in Cabo da Roca, Portugal, near the westernmost tip of the European continent, on December 14, 1990.