The first president of the Czech Republic was Václav Havel, who served from 1993 to 2003. He was a playwright and poet who had been an important figure in the Velvet Revolution that brought down the Communist regime in 1989. He was also a leader of the Civic Forum, a coalition of opposition groups that helped to bring about the end of the Communist rule. Havel was known for his commitment to human rights and democracy, and he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2003.