May 1, 2004. Midnight. This square filled with hundreds of people staring up at the sky as fireworks exploded overhead. The Czech Republic had just become part of the European Union.
It was the biggest expansion in EU history. 10 countries joined at once, adding 75 million new citizens to the bloc. For the Czechs, it meant something more. After 40 years of Soviet domination, they were officially back where they felt they belonged.
Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla spoke to the crowd as the celebration peaked. Thousands more gathered on Letna Plain across the river. Open air parties broke out everywhere. President Václav Klaus stood here in the Old Town Square too, though he had long been one of the EU's biggest critics.
Here's the twist: the Czech Republic was actually the last Central European country to even apply for membership. They didn't submit their application until January 1996, years after Poland and Hungary. Public support was shaky at best. In the years before 2004, only 45 to 55 percent of Czechs said they wanted to join, the lowest among neighboring countries. Some even protested in the streets against accession.
But when referendum day came in June 2003, 77 percent voted yes. And on this spring night, doubt gave way to fireworks and champagne.