After 1948 the compound wall of the Knights of Malta became a place of protest over the rise to communism. In the 1960’s it became known as the “Crying Wall” where people would paint lyrics and messages all over it. The secret police tried to clean the graffiti off the wall many times, but eventually gave up as angry citizens re-painted it every night.
When John Lennon died in 1980 the “Crying Wall” turned into a Lennon memorial and thus was renamed to be the John Lennon Wall. His music became a staple for many young Czechs as a great amount of Western pop music was banned by the communists. Today the wall serves as a symbol for peace and love.
