The Žižkov TV Tower is located in Prague, in the Žižkov district, hence the name.
Construction of the tower began in 1985 in socialist Czechoslovakia, and the work was completed in 1992. Its height is 216 meters, making it the tallest building in the Czech Republic. The total mass of the tower is about 12 thousand tons. It is part of the World Federation of Tall Towers.
Among the international reviews you can find its description both as a local landmark and as the ugliest building. The close location of the tower to the Jewish cemetery, the electromagnetic background, and the violation of the general panorama of Prague are criticized.
The Žižkov television tower consists of three concrete pillars, which are connected by transverse platforms with television and radio broadcasting equipment located on them, a restaurant, a cafe and observation rooms. In appearance, the tower looks like a rocket on a launch pad.
The figures of crawling children attract attention here. This unique composition “Babies” was created by David Cherny in 2000.
An elevator takes visitors to the restaurant at an altitude of 66 meters, and from there to an observation deck at an altitude of 93 meters. The view from it is simply unique, visibility reaches 100 km. The elevator moves at a speed of 4 m/sec.
There is also a meteorological laboratory in the Žižkov TV Tower.
During the construction of the tower, Prague residents actively held protests. Many were dissatisfied with the 216-meter metallic “nail” that stood out too much against the backdrop of medieval Prague. People called such an ugly building a “rocket on takeoff.”
The townspeople tried out the “rocket” look a little when the famous sculptor David Cherny placed a dozen black dolls on the tower, “crawling” along the steep supports. These lovely cast-iron compositions have made old Prague one of the most innovative cities in Europe. Today, the Žižkov Television Tower in Prague has become the most important landmark of the city.
At night, the TV tower in Žižkov is beautifully illuminated. Basically, the illumination corresponds to the colors of the Czech flag, but from time to time they may change, for example, on the eve of holidays or according to the seasons.
Soon the main Prague TV Tower will be modified again, but this will mainly affect its interior. Some rooms are planned to be converted into apartments for living.
The Žižkov TV Tower has become a landmark for many tourists and a meeting place for local residents.
Žižkov TV Tower is the tallest building in Prague. The tower offers visitors a 360° view, an observation deck with themed cabins, an interactive exhibition, a restaurant, a café, a bar and a luxury apartment.
There is always controversy surrounding the Žižkovský vysílač TV Tower in Prague. Should we consider it a landmark, a triumph of modern technology, or, on the contrary, a disgrace of Czech architecture?
The Žižkov TV Tower in Prague's Vinohrady district was built between 1985 and 1992, according to the design of the architects Aulicki, Böhm and Kozak. The basis of the high-rise (216 m) structure is made up of three concrete pillars. They are connected to each other by “cube” platforms. On the first level (height 66 m), in the lower “cube”, there is the restaurant “Oblaca”. On the second level (height 93 m) there are three glazed observation cabins. These are the highest observation decks in the Czech Republic. They have podiums for photography and paid viewing telescopes. People go up to the observation booths by high-speed elevator (speed - 4 m/s).
The tower looks like a silver rocket frozen on the launch pad. To soften the urban appearance of the TV tower, creative sculptor David Cerny in 2000 decorated the structure with ten figures of crawling babies. The weight of each cast iron “baby” is 100 kg. The symbolic black figures have no faces.
The TV tower looks beautiful at night when the lights are turned on. Its rays correspond to the three colors of the Czech flag: white, red, blue.
Working hours
Žižkov Tower is open 08:00-24:00.
Ticket price
Adult – 200 CZK;
student – 140 CZK;
children - 120 CZK.
How to get there
There is no public transport to the tower itself, so you will have to walk a few blocks, which is about 250 m. You can take the metro or tram 11, 13 to the Jiřího z Poděbrad stop. If you take tram 26, 5, 9, get off at the Lipanská stop, and then you need to climb steeply. You can get to the tower by taxi.
How do I save on hotels?
It's very simple - look not only on booking. I prefer the search engine RoomGuru. He searches for discounts on Booking and 70 other booking sites simultaneously.
Updated 02/12/2020 Views 497 Comments 0
One of the attractions of Prague is the television tower, which I call the “Tiwi Tower”, because the Czech version of the pronunciation (Žižkov something like that) has not yet caught on with me. Looking ahead, I immediately recommend this area for you to stay in case you are not delighted with the tourist center of Prague. This area is quite convenient, quiet, calm, and prices in cafes and restaurants are lower. But getting from here is not so difficult. The same place is only 10 minutes away by tram. There is also a metro in this area. Now let's return to the TV tower in Prague.
For all its strangeness, the tower is the best viewpoint of the city, from where you can view all corners of Prague with comfort and a camera. 360 degree view. Although it should be noted that the central part is quite far from here and you can recognize the main attractions only by silhouettes.
Not the most popular attraction, so there are no crowds, which is great. The observation deck is equipped with telescopes and hanging chairs in the “Men in Black” style, which, coupled with the small number of visitors, makes the observation deck a very cozy and interesting place to visit.
I traditionally came before sunset to take photos of day and night Prague at once. So there is a problem with night photos: the light from the interior illumination (blue and red) is reflected in the glass and all this is visible in the photo. Plus the glass is cloudy and dirty. But during the day it doesn't really bother me.
In the evening, the outside of the tower begins to shine “with all the colors of the rainbow” - lights like the Czech flag come on. If there are clouds in the sky, then it looks like “fire”. It's like being in a science fiction movie.
At the top of the tower there is a restaurant called "Clouds" and your seat (i.e. window size) will depend on the amount of your order. The drinks (bar) have smaller windows and a worse view. A full meal will have a tall window and an excellent panoramic view. On the day I arrived (Friday) in the afternoon, there were no seats in the restaurant. They said that we had to book in advance. Consider this point. Therefore, I limited myself to only the observation deck. But according to reviews, the restaurant is overpriced and the quality is average. So I wasn't upset.
The restaurant downstairs on the ground “Mimino” is also, according to reviews, not ice. So it’s better to come here only to the observation deck.
Žižkov TV Tower in Prague - Czech Republic flag Historical reference
The Žižkov TV Tower is considered the tallest building in Prague, in particular and in the entire Czech Republic - globally. It was designed in 1985 - it was from there that this “unprecedented” futurism of the era of socialist realism came to us, which was brought to life already in 1992. And against the backdrop of the beautiful city, this tower does not look “at all.”
In 2000, as an experiment and to “decorate” the tower, ten sculptures of crawling, faceless, black babies were placed on it. On all the main resources dedicated to Prague, you can see in the photo the tower with babies. But they are no longer in my photographs - they were removed in 2017 for reconstruction and never returned. The tower isn't one of the most amazing buildings anyway, and these babies are just like fragments of the horror game "Silent Hill", although I probably would have liked it.
By the way, the building occupies some top rating among the ugly buildings in the world, which somehow inexplicably made it a source of pride for the Czech Republic (but this is not accurate). The height is 260 meters and the tower is visible from almost all areas of Prague. There is even a joke that the best views of Prague are from the Žižkov Tower because you cannot see the Žižkov Tower from it.
Žižkov Tower is a television and radio broadcasting tower in the Žižkov district of Prague. The tallest building and the highest observation deck in the Czech Republic, a freak of socialist realism, a surreal masterpiece - all this is about her. PragaTrips tells j the controversial building and looks at Prague from there.
Scandalous construction
Construction of the tower began in 1985 next to the Old Jewish Cemetery, where people have been buried since 1680. By that time, the necropolis had experienced many unpleasant events, but still retained cultural and historical value and was on the Czech Heritage List. The builders of the tower razed a noticeable part of the cemetery, and they did it in a barbaric manner: ancient tombstones, along with construction waste, were simply taken to a landfill. The residents of Prague had not yet seen the tower, but they were already condemning it.
When the tower was finished, there was no more sympathy for it. It looked like a bulky and unaesthetic work of architecture in the style of socialist realism - for Prague residents accustomed to Gothic, Renaissance and other baroque styles, this was unbearable. She annoyed the townspeople with her appearance: the Žižkov TV Tower is visible from everywhere in Prague, so it spoils the panorama everywhere. If you don’t want to see the tower, all you have to do is climb it yourself.
The fact that it was strongly associated with the communist regime did not add to the love for the tower - a dangerous connection in Czechoslovakia in the late 80s. And if you consider that the tower was opened in 1992, then it had no chance of being welcomed.
The building was given two mocking nicknames, hinting at its socialist origins. With the nickname “Belyak’s Needle”, Prague residents teased both the tower and Vasil Belyak, a member of the Presidium of the Federal Assembly of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, who was a tailor before he began to gather federally. The second popular name is “Finger Yakesha”, after the surname of the then chairman of the local Communist Party. The tower was also called Baikonur and a rocket, but this is not so offensive.
In addition, the tower jammed “enemy” stations like the BBC or Voice of America. Finally, the residents of Prague were afraid that the tower would attract lightning and poison the city with electromagnetic radiation.
Design
The height of the Žižkov TV Tower in Prague is 216 meters. It consists of three steel pipes, which are connected in three places at different heights by “cubes” - transverse platforms where observation rooms and other infrastructure are located. In place of three thin pipes there could be one thick one - this idea was discussed during the design, when the impact of the future tower on the panorama of Prague was assessed. But the chief architect Vaclav Aulicki insisted on dividing the silhouette.
Three tubes stand on a foundation made of reinforced concrete slab with a diameter of 30 meters; the weight of the tower is 11.8 thousand tons. Visitors and employees are transported upstairs at a speed of 4 m/s by two public elevators and one service elevator; there are also 736 steps. You can get to the observation deck by elevator in 20 seconds, by stairs - in as long as you can.
Since 2000, the tower has been illuminated with the colors of the Czech flag.
David Cerny's Babies
Every year, Europe chooses the continent's cultural capital. In 2000 there were nine of them, among them Prague. For this occasion, they decided to decorate the tower, and the famous modern sculptor David Cerny, whose works can be seen in many places in the Czech capital, got down to business.
He placed huge faceless bronze babies on the walls of the tower, who seemed to be crawling along the three pillars of the structure. Cherny made the children without faces because at that time there was a campaign against abortion in the Czech Republic - the artist thus expressed his attitude towards this operation.
The statues appeared on May 29, 2000, but were removed in November: the fastenings were not reliable and would not have withstood the snow-covered figures. But Prague residents fell in love with Cerny’s babies - they gave the tower a surreal look in the spirit of modern art and thereby smoothed out the hated socialist realism. A campaign began to return them to the tower, and the author managed to find a sponsor for new, more powerful mounts. In October 2001, ten creepy children appeared on the tower, and the sculptor himself chose places for them. Soon we will have to do something with them, because the shelf life is 20 years.
An interesting question is the weight of babies. On the Internet you can find information that everyone weighs 100 kilograms - this does not seem to be true. The purpose of the sculptures is not only decorative - they also balance the tower. Together, the 100-kilogram children would weigh a ton—nothing for a structure weighing 11,800 tons. And the sculptures look much healthier. You can verify this on the island of Kampa, where several of these babies are crawling right along the street near the Museum of Modern Art - apparently, Cerny made them in reserve.
They are made of bronze, and even if empty inside, they cannot weigh 100 kilograms. The guides give figures of 700–750 kilograms.
Observation deck
The Žižkov Tower in Prague has three glass observation booths, which are located on the second transverse platform at a height of 93 meters. The observation space acquired its current retrofuturistic appearance after restoration in 2012.
The observation observatory offers a 360-degree panorama of the city, and if you want to see details, then telescopes are at your service. Looking through a telescope at some landmark, you can listen to its sounds - the ringing of Orloj or Loreta, the noise of the Vltava or a tram. You will sit in transparent hanging bubble chairs.
In the center of the observation deck there is a room that connects three themed cabins. There they show a movie about the tower and there is a model of the TV tower itself.
Restaurant, hotel, exhibition
In the first connecting “cube” at height 66 there is a restaurant and bar “Oblaka”. From there you also have a great view of the city, and the restaurant itself is furnished in a space style. A spiral staircase of metal steps leads upstairs from the restaurant, on which are engraved the silhouettes and names of other towers in the world and their height.
This staircase leads to the hotel. This is a six-star hotel with one room, but what a one: high-tech, panoramic windows, a horsehair bed, the whole of Prague can be seen even from the large bathroom.
There is an art exhibition on the fourth floor, the paintings on which are constantly updated.
Tickets
A ticket to the observation deck for an adult costs 250 CZK (10 euros). For schoolchildren, students and pensioners they charge 180 CZK, for children from 3 to 14 years old – 160 CZK, children under three years old are admitted free. There are family tickets for 590 CZK.
How to get there
The closest metro station to the Žižkov Tower in Prague is Jiřího z Poděbrad. This is also the name of the tram stop, where routes No. 11, 13, 15, 31 go. Both the metro and trams are not located near the tower itself - you have to walk 250 meters.
As promised earlier, today we will see the Žižkov TV Tower. A little information about this building:
- located in the Prague 3 area, also called Vinohrady.
- construction began in 1985, but ended only in 1992, project: Aulicki, Kozak and Boehm.
- the height of the tower is 216 meters and it is the tallest building in the Czech Republic.
- for visitors there is an observation deck at an altitude of 93 meters and a restaurant at an altitude of 66 meters, the passenger elevator moves at a speed of 4 m/sec.
- in addition to television and radio broadcasting equipment, the tower houses a meteorological station.
- the tower is decorated with sculptures by David Cherny. This is a very popular artist and sculptor, his works are often found in Prague, you have already seen some of them in previous posts about Prague, in particular, the inverted horse of St. Wenceslas and the Pissing Men. More of David Cherny's work can be viewed on his website.
View of the tower from the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart. The cathedral is also quite unusual in its architecture, built in 1932 by Josip Jože.
View from Ondrickova street.
The tower is interesting not only for its views, but also for its own sake. Here are the same sculptures by David Cherny depicting babies without faces. A couple of their brothers can be found near the Kampa Museum in Mala Strana.
Each weighs about 100 kg (they’re strong, you can’t say anything). There was a history with them: they were placed on the tower for a short period in 2000, in honor of Prague being declared a European City of Culture. Then they were removed, fearing that they would collapse due to the snow that accumulated in winter. However, the townspeople really liked them and collected signatures for their return. In 2001, the kids returned to their place.
Can anyone tell me what they basically symbolize, why they have something like a barcode instead of faces? I scoured the net and still couldn't find the answer.
There are many of them here.
Naked babies.
Here's a bigger one. What is this thing he has instead of a face?
The butts are dry and without any diapers.
And here is the entrance to the tower: no hassles like we have in Ostankino - I came, I saw, I visited!
At the top there is a photo chronicle of construction, and you can also find images of various television towers and skyscrapers from around the world. No photographs of Ostankino, like other Moscow towers, have been seen.
There are also paid telescopes and special podiums on the observation deck from which you can look and film over the heads of other visitors.
Alas, like all television towers and most public observation platforms around the world, everything here is glazed, and this glass is far from ideal. So I apologize in advance for the poor quality, glare and other delights.
Neighborhood.
Olshanka Avenue with the hotel of the same name in the foreground and the building of the O2 telecommunications company.
This building is closer. From a distance it can be mistaken for an air traffic control tower. Nearby is the Žižkovsky train station, as I understand it, a freight train station (Nákladové nádraží Žižkov).
Libeň area.
View towards the historical center of Prague and the Main Station, from which you can go to any city in Europe, including Moscow (we came to it and left it back).
Hradcany.
Church of St. Prokop.
Frantisek Skrop Square (the composer is Czech).
Church of St. Ludmila.
National Museum.
Some kind of high-rise.
Masaryk station.
The historical center again.
Petřín Hill.
In the next episode, we’ll take a break from the city views and look at the animals: Prague has a very enchanting zoo, considered one of the best in the world. That's where we'll go.
In previous episodes.