Neighbourhoods at a Glance - Prague and Czech Republic - page 321

Enjoy the ultimate Žižkov experience - a crawl of its classic, crowded pubs, in-
cluding U Vystřeleného oka ( CLICK HERE ).
Rock up to a live gig at the Palác Akropolis ( CLICK HERE ), a stalwart of
Prague's alternative music scene.
Descend into the earth at the unique Bunkr Parukářka ( CLICK HERE ), a club
located in a 1950s nuclear bunker.
Explore: Žižkov & Karlín
Named after the one-eyed Hussite hero Jan Žižka, Žižkov was one of Prague's earliest
industrial suburbs. It has long had a reputation as a rough-and-ready, working-class
neighbourhood, and was full of left-wing revolutionary fervour well before the com-
munist takeover of 1948 - in fact, it was an independent municipality from 1881 till
1922 and was known as the 'people's republic of Žižkov'.
Today it is one of Prague's liveliest districts, with more bars per capita than any
other part of Prague. It's still pretty rough around the edges, which puts off a lot of
visitors, though the streets are as safe as the rest of the city. There are a couple of ma-
jor sights (the National Monument and the TV Tower) which could be covered in an
afternoon, but the main attraction here is the bars - devote at least one night to explor-
ing Žižkov's pub scene.
The mostly residential suburb of Karlín is squeezed between Žižkov Hill and the
Vltava River. It was devastated by the floods of 2002, and since then has been under-
going massive redevelopment, with office complexes rising along the river banks. The
older part of the district, along Křižíkova, has lots of lovely old art-nouveau buildings
and is great for some aimless wandering - Lýčkovo náměstí is one of the prettiest
squares in the city.
Local Life
» Popular Hangouts Tourists are notable by their absence in Žižkov and Karlín, so
most places are 'local'. Café Pavlač ( CLICK HERE ) is a popular place for weekend
brunch, while Kuře V Hodinkách ( CLICK HERE ) pulls in local crowds with live mu-
sic as well as good food.