The Czech Republic - places tourists don´t go. /Part 1/

Prague

 

 Prague is no doubt one of the most beautiful cities in Europe and thus it´s not surprising its historical centre, being one huge tourist attraction with thousands of tourists roaming its streets. Some places are so crowded you have to slow down in order to get through and especially on weekends, the Czech language is almost non-existent. 

Whether you like this artificial environment of souvenir shops and overpriced restaurants or not, there are still many interesting places that could be considered a tourist no man´s land. 

 

 

Prague - Žižkov

One of these less known places is the old residential district of Zizkov. In 1922 Zizkov, till then an independent town, was incorporated into Prague and became a town district. Most of the residential housing, you can see today was built at the turn of the 20th century and from the beginning it was intended to be a workmen quarter. In other words, this was the place where the poorest people lived. Thus it became a very attractive place to stay for many Czech writers and other bohemians.
 Today, Zizkov has two dominating features. On of them is the hill called Vitkov. On the top of this hill, you can find a giantic statue of Jan Zizka. This was the site of a famous battle during which the Czech Hussite leader Jan Zizka /hence the name Zizkov/ achieved one of his many victories. Communistic propaganda used the figure of Jan Zizka to create a mythical hero who had already in the 15th century initiated class struggle, thus becoming the first real Czech Comrade.  The second dominating feature is another monument of socialism - the Zizkov TV tower.
 

 Although Prague is well known for its architectonic uniqueness, almost no one is aware of the partially executed monstrous plan to destroy the old buildings and to  replace them with one of the highlights of socialism - prefabricated houses. And Zizkov was the first place and probably not the last one to be "revitalized" in this way.

 The easiest way how to get there is to take the tram line 9 to "Lipanská". In my opinion, this is the best place from where you can start your own exploration of Zizkov.

In the 1980s Czech Comrades headed by secretary Stepan, initiated a systematic destruction and replacement of everything old.

Two symbols of the Czech socialism. Skoda 120, locally produced until 1990! And a typical "Panelak" which was a block of housing units made of often very poorly prefabricated concrete panels.

Fortunately the destruction of old Prague was halted with the outbreak of the Velvet Revolution in 1989. And thus we can still admire the old architecture instead of being depressed by the conformity of socialism. Nevertheless dozens of these beautiful old buildings fell victim to ignorance and incredible stupidity.

A typical socialistic neighbourhood consisting primarily of prefabricated houses, located on the outskirts of Prague.

Fair of St. Mathews is the biggest fair in the Czech Republic. This fair has a beautiful retro atmosphere. The nearest "Výstaviště Holešovice" tram stop is accessible by the tram lines 12, 17, 24 and you can also use the historical tram 91. This year the fair will be held until 21. 4. 2013.