Wenceslas Square, more akin to a broad boulevard than a typical European city square, is steeped in Czech history. It was here that a grand Mass was conducted amidst the revolutionary events of 1848, and in 1918 the birth of the new Czechoslovak Republic was joyously celebrated. This monumental site was also the location of multiple anti-communist protests in 1989. Prior to this, the square had been a medieval marketplace for horses, being officially named after Bohemia's patron saint during the 19th century nationalist revival.