It is located at the base of Petřín hill, Újezd street in the Malá Strana or the Lesser Town area.

It was unveiled on the 22 May 2002, twelve years after the fall of communism in the Eastern Bloc, and is the work of Czech sculptor Olbram Zoubek and architects Jan Kerel and Zdeněk Holzel.

There is also a bronze strip that runs along the centre of the memorial, showing the estimated numbers of individuals that faced state repression during the communist era: A bronze plaque nearby reads: "The memorial to the victims of communism is dedicated to all victims not only those who were jailed or executed but also those whose lives were ruined by totalitarian despotism.

"On February 24, 2018, the adjacent pedestrian way to the memorial was named "Alej obětí totality" as suggested to the Prague City Council by Ivan Margolius.

[2] Then-President Václav Havel, despite having been a leading dissident in the communist era, was not an original invitee and only received an invitation two days before the ceremony.