Communist architecture, outstanding beer, Franz Kafka’s grave and a nuclear bunker – here’s my guide to the best things to do in Žižkov Prague
Whether you’ve come to see the ‘second ugliest building in the world’, a Cold War-era nuclear bunker, or you’re visiting some of the best bars in the city, there are some fascinating things to do in Žižkov Prague.
Žižkov used to be a separate town from Prague, and though it has long since been absorbed into the Czech capital, it still has its own very distinct identity. It has long been known for its bohemian identity, attracting figures such as author Jaroslav Hašek. And from this, the spirit of the ‘Free Republic of Žižkov’ grew.
Žižkov, which makes up most of the Prague 3 district, is about as far removed from the Prague sightseeing most visitors indulge in (around the Old Town and Charles Bridge) as it’s possible to get.
It’s grittier, attracting more of (for want of a better word) ‘alternative’ crowd, and it’s an overwhelmingly working-class district. At one stage the Communists wanted to demolish the area and rebuild it with wider streets and tower blocks, but the Velvet Revolution put paid to that.
So here’s my guide to Žižkov, with directions to each place I describe, and suggested tours and places to stay in the area.
Things To Do In Žižkov Prague
Admire – Or Climb – the Žižkov TV Tower
The Žižkov TV Tower is up there with the quirkiest of Prague architecture, one of the Communists’ last contributions to the city before the Velvet Revolution of 1989 dislodged them.
Like some of the Metro stations built in the 1970s and 1980s, the Tower is a classic 1980s take on the future space age. It also looks like the metal monsters from The Tripods TV series from the 1980s. It also rather resembles a massive steel hypodermic syringe, dominating the western Prague skyline. Every time I Iooked at the Tower from afar, I half-expected it to squirt a huge jet of liquid over the surrounding district.
One story I heard several times while living in Prague was that the Tower was meant to interfere with unwanted West German TV signals. It didn’t really help the Communists, who were ousted in the 1989 Velvet Revolution – the Tower wasn’t fully operational until 1992!
It’s now decorated with several of David Černý’s ‘barcode babies’ crawling up the shafts of the tower. From afar they look very cute. Up close they have barcode babies and look more than a little sinister.
It has been voted the second ugliest building in the world, but this is a little harsh. It’s one of the best towers in Prague to visit, though detractors might suggest that the virtue of being inside it is that you can’t see its exterior.
The tower is 216 metres high, and the viewing gallery is less than halfway up, 93 metres above ground level. It offers fascinating views over the city – perhaps not the best views for photography, but it gives you a brilliant view of the layout of the city.
Tickets: You can buy your ticket – valid for a full day – here.
See Also: Landmarks of Prague – 22 Amazing Prague Sights You Can’t Miss
Explore Some Legendary Žižkov Pubs
Prague is a beer lover’s paradise, with several of the best beers (Pilsner Urquell, Staropramen, Krusovice, Kozel and the best of the lot, Gambrinus) you’ll taste in your life. And Žižkov goes a step further, with what is said to be the heaviest concentration of pubs in the world, with supposedly around 300 in the district.
I’m not sure about 300, but I can tell you with authority that there are a lot of pubs in the area. And that I’ve stopped by at 25-30 of them myself. They are a mixed bag. Some of the larger ones, like Planeta Žižkov, serve a range of beers and standard Czech meals (svičková, pork knuckle, duck with dumplings and cabbage, goulash) while some don’t serve food, especially a few of the street corner bars, just the beer.
My close friend from Germany visited us seven or eight times when we lived in Prague, and at least one night each trip we did a leisurely, civilised Žižkov pub crawl. Žižkov is a largely working-class district, and beer the favoured drink of a great many Czechs (you can’t blame them…). On one of our more recent evenings there, he nearly choked on his beer as he saw a wine bar across the street from us. “A wine bar? In Žižkov? What is the world coming to?”
Palac Akropolis
The Palac Akropolis is one of the most striking buildings in Žižkov, a street corner theatre and arts centre built at the beginning of the Art Deco period in the late 1920s. Its yellow, red and blue façade stands out, even in a suburb full of colourful apartment buildings.
It was completed in 1928 by architect Rudolf Svoboda, and it was hoped to turn the Akropolis into one of the major theatres in Prague. This didn’t happen because of its location too far from the city centre.
The Akropolis wasn’t used as an arts centre or theatre during the Communist era, but it was reopened and remodelled in 1991. It now consists of a theatre, music venue, jazz bar, café and restaurant. For information on its upcoming schedule, check the Palac Akropolis website.
Visit Riegrovy Sady, One Of The Best Parks In Prague
Riegrovy Sady – Rieger Gardens, but nobody calls it that – is one of the best Prague parks. It’s on the border of Žižkov and the neighbouring, very different suburb of Vinohrady,
The park has a fantastic location on the edge of the hilltop overlooking the whole city. A short walk from the entrance takes you to the beer garden, where on summer evenings customers take their drinks a short distance down the hill and sit on the grass, savouring one of the best sunsets in Prague behind St Vitus Cathedral and Prague Castle.
Getting there: The entrance at the end of Na Svihance is closest to the beer garden. To get there, take trams 11 or 13 or the Metro line A to Jiřího z Poděbrad, then walk along the square of the same name and up Slavikova. Na Svihance is on your left.
See The Jaroslav Hašek Statue
For several years, Žižkov was home to Jaroslav Hašek, author of The Good Soldier Švejk. This unfinished satire on war and authority figures is one of the most famous works of Czech literature, and has been translated into over 60 languages worldwide.
It’s a very quirky statue, with the head a bust on a plinth which represents his body. The horse resembles a table, with a straight horizontal body and four legs. It was designed by Karel Nepraš, and completed by his daughter, Karolina Neprašova, after his death, and installed in 2005.
It’s on Prokopovo náměstí, just down the hill from the church of St Procopius.
Getting there: Trams 5.9, 15 or 26 to Lipanská, then a 3-minute walk down Cimburkova.
See One Of The Few Cubist Churches In The World – The Bethlehem Chapel
Cubism was an art movement in the early 20th century, made popular by the likes of Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. Its painters are widely known, but its architects far less so. Bohemia (as it was known then), and Prague in particular, was one of the few places where it caught on, even to a small extent. And its window of opportunity was cut brutally short by the outbreak of World War I – less than four years after the first Cubist buildings were completed.
Cubist architecture followed on from the end of Art Nouveau, with a move towards more straight lines and shapes, especially diamonds and hexagons, used to decorate the exteriors of buildings – the latter of which you can see at the Bethlehem Chapel. The lettering both on the outside of the chapel and inside behind the pulpit are also Cubist style, as is the pattern of shapes on the walls.
The Bethlehem Chapel isn’t easy to find. It’s in a courtyard behind an apartment building, on the north side of Prokopova, almost opposite a Tesco Express.
Getting there: The nearest tram stop is Lipanská (5, 9, 15 and 26 stop there), then walk down Lipanská street to Prokopova, where you turn left, cross the street and walk another 50 metres or so.
See Also: 22 Most Beautiful Churches in Prague
St Prokop’s Church
St Prokop’s Church is far easier to find, its 72-metre (236 feet) spire one of the main Žižkov landmarks.
It was built around the turn of the 20th century in Gothic Revival style by Josef Mocker. He was a prominent architect of that period who also designed and built the church of St Ludmila in nearby Vinohrady, and restored St Vitus Cathedral in Prague Castle and Karlštejn Castle in Central Bohemia.
Just before the church opened, it received the unexpected gift of a painting by the 17th-century Bohemian artist Karel Škréta, a depiction of St Wenceslas Defending Prague Against The Swedes. This came from the nearby Emmaus Monastery in Prague New Town.
Getting there: Trams 5. 9, 15 or 26 stop at Lipanská, 50 metres or so past the church.
Prague Army Museum
This Museum is dedicated to the history of the Czech Army from its beginnings in the mid-18th century to the present.
The exhibition begins with the army in 1740, and a display of swords, axes and bayonets, and one of the best sections is the First World war exhibit, which includes a reconstructed trench (minus the mud, of course).
The Second World War section begins with a perfectly preserved border post which had been in place until the 1938 Munich Agreement, which split and fatally weakened Czechoslovakia. It then covers Czechoslovak army contributions on other fronts around Europe, and one of the main events of World War Two including the assassination of Nazi mass murderer and governor of Bohemia and Moravia, Reinhard Heydrich. Some items from the shootout in which the assassins and their accomplices died.
The Heydrich assassination site in Prague is only around two miles away by tram – the number 3 service runs there from Florenc, just down the hill.
See Also: Prague World War 2 Sites – 15 Fascinating Places To Visit
Walk the Žižkov Tunnel
The Žižkov Tunnel was built during the Communist era to provide a short cut under Vitkov Hill between Žižkov and the district of Karlin (which forms much of Prague 8).
It runs slightly downhill from the Žižkov side and is over 300 metres long. Somewhere along the way a doorway leads to a nuclear fallout shelter which has been disused since 1989. The Communist regime is said to believe that there was a seam of gold beneath the hill – but if there was they didn’t strike it.
The tunnel entrance on the Žižkov side is opposite the junction of Chlumova and Husitska, next to the Planeta Žižkov pub and restaurant.
If you’re trying to access the tunnel from the Karlin side, it’s at the end of Thamova, just after the junction with Pernerova. It’s a 5-minute walk from Karlinské náměstí – walk behind the church, take the next left, it’s only one block from there.
The sign (pictured) above the Karlin entrance – ‘Neboj’ – means ‘Don’t worry’. I’ve always found Prague to be a safe city, and the same goes for Žižkov. But I’d never let my wife or any female friends walk the tunnel alone at night.
Visit The National Memorial On Vitkov Hill
Vitkov Hill lies immediately to the north of Žižkov, and it’s a short, steep walk up to the modernist National Memorial, which is sometimes referred to as the National Monument.
The Memorial is dedicated to the Czechoslovak Legion, which fought for and attained independence from the Habsburg Empire at the end of the First World War in 1918. The Monument was an important statement of Czechoslovak (and later Czech) statehood and was commissioned in the 1920s. It was nearing completion in 1938 when the Munich Agreement gave a large part of the country to Nazi Germany, which was in control of the rest of it by March 1939.
After the end of the Second World War the Communists gradually assumed control, and they used the Monument for their own purposes. It housed the tomb of the first Communist President, Klement Gottwald, and those of some of his colleagues and successors. After the 1989 Velvet Revolution, their remains were removed to Olšany Cemetery.
The other main sight on the hill is the huge statue of Hussite leader Jan Žižka, who fought and won several battles in the 1410s and 1420s, including one on this very hill in 1420 against Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund. He continued to command the Hussite forces even after going completely blind, but died, possibly from a carbuncle infection, in 1424. The suburb below the hill is named after him. The equestrian figure of Žižka – one of the most famous Prague statues – is one of the largest of its kind in the world.
Getting there: You need to climb the hill on foot. The easiest route is via the Army Museum (see earlier entry). Simply follow the winding path up the hill just after the Museum, which passes a couple of viewpoints along the way. It shouldn’t take you more than ten minutes from the Museum to the top.
Old Jewish Cemetery
If you’re interested in the history of Jewish Prague, I strongly recommend a visit to this evocative cemetery that is now in the shadow of the Žižkov TV Tower.
The Old Jewish Cemetery in Josefov, Prague’s historic Jewish district, couldn’t be used to bury plague victims during the 1680 outbreak, so it was decided to establish this new burial ground outside the city boundaries in what is now Žižkov.
Around 40,000 people were buried there between 1680 and 1890, when burials began at the New Jewish Cemetery in nearby Olšany. Much of the Cemetery has sadly been lost, but a large section survives on the same square as Mahlerovy sady gardens and the TV Tower. Some gravestones were broken up to be used to pave Wenceslas Square in 1987 – an awful thought. Some of them were retrieved and used to build a small monument in the Cemetery.
There are many centuries-old gravestones, and many visit to see the grave of 18th-century rabbi Noda bi-Yehuda.
The Cemetery is free to visit Sundays to Thursdays 9.00 am to 4.00 pm, and 9.00 am to 2.00 pm on Fridays. It’s closed on Saturdays, the Jewish Sabbath.
Olšany Cemetery
Olšany Cemetery (Olšanské hřbitovy) is the largest cemetery in the Czech Republic, covering an area of over 50 hectares. It’s on the south-eastern side of Žižkov, and the cemetery is so large that it has been divided by a main road.
The Cemetery was founded in 1680, and it is believed that around two million people have been buried there since then. The original cemetery (area I) is on the western side of the complex, and it was opened to accommodate plague victims. At the time it was outside the Prague city boundary, and it was expanded in 1860 and again in the 20th century.
The whole cemetery is a cultural monument, and there are numerous superb Art Nouveau gravestones in the second part of the cemetery, to the west of Želivského. This part of the cemetery isn’t well signposted, and there’s only a rudimentary map at the entrance (photograph it on your phone for reference) which doesn’t tell you a whole lot.
The New Jewish Cemetery and military burial grounds are to the east of Želivského. The latter have cemeteries for each of Czechoslovakia’s Allies from the end of World War Two, including British, American and Soviet. The latter is the one place in Prague where you can see overtly Soviet symbolism in Prague, a city that was delighted to throw off the shackles of Moscow-imposed Communism in the Velvet Revolution in 1989.
Getting there: Trams 11, 13 and 15 to Olšanské hřbitovy for the original (western) cemetery. For the Jewish and military cemeteries, you can take the Metro to Želivského (green line A) which is a few hundred metres beyond the tram terminus. Everything is walkable from there, including the grave in the following section.
Visit The Grave Of Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka is now the most famous author to hail from Prague, and a mini-industry has grown up around him and his works in recent years. During the Communist period his works were banned by the authorities, no doubt because the gloomy world he evoked – especially in The Trial – bore such a strong resemblance to what they themselves were enforcing.
Franz Kafka is also probably the most famous person to have been buried in the Olšany cemeteries – and this is reflected in his grave actually being signposted! This makes his grave very easy to find.
Pass the synagogue at the entrance to the New Jewish Cemetery, and follow the path along the southern cemetery wall. A sign directs you the last 250 metres to his grave, in which his parents Hermann and Julie, who both outlived him, are also interred.
Getting there: Metro line A to Želivského, or trams 7, 10, 11 or 26 to the tram stop of the same name.
Terminal Žižkov Flea Market
You often find some truly wondrous artefacts in flea markets across the former Communist parts of Europe, and flea markets are one of my wife Faye’s great passions. I’ve grown to love them too, as much to photograph as anything, but I would always cast a slightly nervous eye at Faye, especially whenever there was a piece of furniture about. As I would be the one carrying it home of the tram or bus.
We went to the Terminal Žižkov flea market with high hopes of finding some quirky treasures from the Communist period. It was a bit of a let-down, but we did manage to find a sort-of-Cubist wall clock – which we never got to work – and the Communist-era globe (pictured) for my son.
These sorts of places are always pot luck, and dealers are often on the lookout for gullible foreigners. A few words of Czech, like ‘Kolik to je?’ (‘how much is it’) can be useful, but when the answer comes back in Czech and you haven’t got a clue what it means, you end up giving the game away anyway. We once had a guy in the Budapest stadium flea market trying to pass off a 1980s coffee cup as ‘18th century’. Feign disinterest and walk away and they may be a bit more helpful!
Getting there: Trams 5, 7, 9, 11, 15 and 26 to Nákladové nádraží Žižkov
Parukařka Park Nuclear Bunker
Parukařka Park – its name means ‘Wig Maker Park’ – occupies the Hill of the Holy Cross between the Vitkov Hill and Olšany Cemetery. It’s a great neighbourhood park with three kids’ playgrounds, an excellent pub and some great views over the suburb. The one reason international visitors head here is to visit the Bezovka Nuclear Bunker which you enter via the Park.
Bezovka was built during the early 1950s and at first had a capacity of 5,000 people. It now holds around half that number, as only part of it has been maintained. It’s well worth visiting. I went there on an open day in 2021, when it usually opened just one day a month. Information has subsequently been scant, and the Bunkr Bezovka website (google it, a link won’t work from here) isn’t maintained or updated often. The only way to reliably arrange access is through this Communist Prague guided tour, which also includes the Velvet Revolution Memorial and Wenceslas Square.
Alternatively, if you’re looking to experience something of Communist Prague, you could also book yourself a place on a tour of the Cold War Museum Prague, which lies below the Hotel Jalta on Wenceslas Square.
Getting there: Trams 5, 9, 15 or 26 to Olšanské náměstí, then a 200 metre walk (left along Prokopova) to the park entrance.
Watch an FK Viktoria Žižkov football match
FK Viktoria Žižkov are a small neighbourhood football club at the bottom of the hill in Žižkov, and seeing a home match is a great experience if you prefer your football more homespun than the corporate, overpriced petrodollar-funded commodity it has become.
Viktoria‘s ground only has a capacity of just over 5,000 spectators. It’s hemmed in by apartment buildings, so close to the pitch that you wonder if the club ever has to fork out for repairs tobroken windows.
Since I’ve been following them over the last five years or so, they have been something of an ‘elevator team’, getting promoted to the Czech second division then relegated back to the third, and then dropping back down again. At the time of writing they are mid-table in the second division, having started the season well but lost four of their last five games.
They usually play their home games at 10.15 am on Sundays, and their fans normally use the match to enjoy a few fine Czech beers. It’s as untouristed Prague as you can get. My aforementioned friend from Hamburg is on a lifelong quest to see a league match in every country in Europe, and rates FK Viktoria Žižkov one of his favourite grounds and experiences over the last 35 years.
Where Is Žižkov Prague
Žižkov occupies much of the district of Prague 3, and lies on the east side of the city, around half a mile (800 metres to 1 km) from New Town Prague, and 2.5 km (1.5 miles) from Prague Old Town, the most popular area for tourists.
It is also just a few minutes’ walk up the hill from Praha hlavní nádraží, Prague main train station.
How To Get To Žižkov
Žižkov is very easy to reach, with several ways of doing so by the excellent Prague public transport system. How you get there depends on where you want to go.
Several trams run to Žižkov, and we found the number 15 (destination Olšanské hřbitovy) to be one of the most useful. It runs from Malostranská, across the Vltava River and through the New Town before passing the main train station and heading uphill to Žižkov. Trams 5.9 and 26 also follow this route part of the way.
Line A of the Prague Metro is also useful for getting to Žižkov. Alight at Jiřího z Poděbrad if you’re planning to visit the Žižkov TV Tower, and Želivského if you’re visiting the cemeteries.
Where To Stay in Žižkov Prague
**** – Hotel Ariston – great hotel on Seifertova, ideal for getting around Žižkov or making the short hop into the city centre
**** – Carlton Hotel – elegant, refurbished hotel close to the Žižkov TV Tower
*** – Sir Toby’s Midtown – excellent budget option with doubles, triples and dorm beds available
Things To Do In Žižkov Prague – Final Thoughts
I hope you have enjoyed this guide to Žižkov. It’s a very different side of Prague to what most visitors get to see in the historic centre, and you get none of the crowds you do in the Old Town, which makes a pleasant change.
The area most similar to Žižkov is Holešovice Prague, across the river in the Prague 7 district. Most of the area’s old industry has gone, replaced with art galleries, museums, cafes and more great bars.
Having lived in Prague for over four years, I’ve written a great many articles on the city. Here is a selection for you to browse through:
Top Sights In Prague
55 Amazing Things To Do In Prague – By A Former Local
Charles Bridge Prague – one of the most beautiful bridges in the world
Old Town Square Prague – one of the most beautiful squares in the world
Týn Church Prague – stunning Gothic church with fairytale spires
Landmarks of Prague – 22 unmissable sights in the city
Hidden Gems in Prague -27 off the beaten track sights to seek out
How To Visit Prague Zoo – one of the best in Europe
Prague by Area
Old Town Prague – one of the most captivating old towns in Europe
New Town Prague – the modern heart of the Czech capital – but a taste of the old is never far away
Malá Strana Prague – the enchanting Baroque ‘Lesser Quarter’ below Prague Castle
Kampa Island Prague– the most beautiful and intriguing of Prague’s islands
Vltava River in Prague– everything there is to see along the river in the Czech capital
Themed Articles On Prague
Churches in Prague – 20 wondrous churches from St Vitus Cathedral to a modernist masterpiece in Vinohrady
Communist Prague – 18 Fascinating Places To Explore
Sunsets In Prague – the 10 best places to see them
Prague Streets – the city’s most beautiful streets
Prague Parks – green escapes, riverside walks, beer gardens and more
Prague Gardens – the stunning formal gardens of Prague
Prague World War 2 Sites – including the Heydrich assassination site and more
When To Visit Prague
Prague in Springtime –the best time to explore the city’s stunning parks and gardens
Prague in Autumn – one of the best cities for fall colours in Europe
Prague in Winter – Christmas, cafes, cosy restaurants – and Czech beer!
Prague in Snow – one of Europe’s most beautiful cities is even more magical with a coating of the white stuff