The Czech Republic commemorates the anniversary of the end of World War I on 11 November 1918 as the Veteran Day.

In Prague, war veterans will be remembered on Náměstí Míru square at an event organized by the local town hall in cooperation with the Association of Veterans of the Czech Republic, the Czech Army Military History Institute and the Czechoslovak Legionnaires Community.

In the morning, the memorial celebration will be given over to schoolchildren, some of whom will participate in performances. The main program will start at 2 pm and will be opened by Prague 2 Mayor Jana Černochová together with representatives of the Ministry of Defense and the Czech Armed Forces.

Military equipment will be shown to the public by soldiers, and a sextet of musicians will perform.

Stalls will have products with military themes. The program will be complemented by exhibitions and screenings of military documentaries. There will also be poppies, which are the symbol of World War I battlefields.

From 4 pm, people can light candles for soldiers who have fallen in conflicts since World War I.

There will be another memorial celebration at the National Monument at Vítkov in Prague 3. This one is more formal and will include a wreath-laying. Medals and honors will also be awarded. Minister of Defense Martin Stropnický will participate, along with other government representatives and diplomats.

The day will end with an open-air mass paying tribute to fallen soldiers.

The War Veterans’ Day, marking the day when the armistice came into force at the close of WWI 101 years ago, has been celebrated in the Czech Republic since 2001.

The Czech military registers about 530 living WWII veterans, compared with 800 two years ago.