I am moving to Žižkov. Workers and millionaires lived in the district, today it is a dynamic cultural center.
Žižkov is no longer a forgotten district inhabited by workers in the shadow of the luxurious Vinohrady. It shares a common history with the neighboring city district and the working-class past is not exactly a truthful characteristic. In the past, millionaires as well as workers concentrated here, as did figures of Czech culture such as Jaroslav Hašek or Toyen. Today, the district is developing thanks to new construction, and the locals appreciate the amount of urban greenery as well as the cultural genius loci.
Although there is often talk of a great contrast between the wealthy Vinohrady and the working-class Žižkov, people generally do not notice the difference when they cross the borders of these city districts. This is not surprising. Historically, it was one small town next to Prague called Royal Vinohrady. Only in the last quarter of the 19th century, the city divided into Vinohrady I and II.
The first part was soon renamed to Žižkov. At that time, the newly established village had only just over 4,000 inhabitants, currently Žižkov has about 58,000 people registered for permanent residence, with probably thousands of people living there with an official permanent residence elsewhere. There is room for them. In the 1950s, according to the census, Žižkov had about 90,000 neighbors.
Žižkov was not only a workers' district, but also a millionaire's one
The city district owes its name to the Vítkov hill. It was here that a crucial battle took place between the units of Jan Žižka, who repulsed the troops of Sigismund of Luxembourg. The heir to the Czech throne could have besieged the whole of Prague and starved out the city along with Žižka, but he thought it would be better to let the whole problem subside. The subsequent Hussite wars made the old-fashioned captain Jan Žižka a terror of the whole of Europe and the name of the district commemorates his personality.
Vítkov is no longer a battlefield today, but a park on a hill, sought after by locals and Praguers from surrounding city districts. Especially athletes, who like to push themselves while running will enjoy overcoming vertical meters at Vítkov. The wartime past of the place is recalled by the Army Museum Žižkov. The memorial of the oldest and current military traditions is a popular destination for dads with children, visiting interactive exhibitions here has a touch of a boyish "military" adventure.
Žižkov is shrouded in a myth about a working-class quarter. Factory workers certainly lived here, but after its incorporation into Greater Prague in 1920, this peripheral part of Prague differed little from other city districts. At the end of the 1940s, when the communists were taking over power, there was a high concentration of payers of the millionaire's tax.
Today, Žižkov is a sought-after place to live for romantics who love the atmosphere of the turn of the 19th and 20th century buildings. Inside the old buildings, there are usually renovated apartments. Balcony houses are synonymous with Žižkov, but that could soon change. New buildings are being added, and with them investment in civic amenities. The transformation of the brownfield around the freight station into a residential district is now the focus of interest.
"The gateway to the district will be the building of the former freight station, which we will transform into a socio-cultural center. We will build a school campus here, there will be commercial and administrative spaces and also city apartments in the superstructures. A generous promenade with a tram line, which will ensure transport accessibility of the whole area, will run through the district,"
informed about new plans for X architect and deputy mayor of Prague Petr Hlaváček.
Žižkov was threatened with blockhouse renovation, it is still a cultural center
The modern construction will thus bring a new characteristic to Žižkov, but rather in a positive sense of the word. The neighborhood could look completely different today. The communist planners in Žižkov counted on extensive renovation and replacement of typical tenements with then modern panel construction. Fortunately, they didn't find the energy for full implementation.
The architectural ambitions of socialists are today mostly reminiscent of the Žižkov Tower. The building got close to the title of one of the ugliest buildings in the world, but the Prague landmark has already grown close to the hearts of the locals and negative connotations are no longer as strongly associated with it.
The tower has become part of the genius loci of a specific neighborhood, which was noticed by legends of Czech culture, such as writers Jaroslav Hašek and his friend František Sauer, who were famous for their bohemian lifestyle. Žižkov was also home to Nobel laureate Jaroslav Seifert or painter Toyen.
Žižkov offers a rich cultural life even today. In addition to a plethora of quaint pubs, we can find the popular Jára Cimrman Theater, Ponec Theater, or stylish Aero Cinema here.
Sources: author's article, x.com, SeznamZprávy, Žižkovské listy, Wikipedia, VHÚ
