Zizkov Prague Revisited
Zizkov is still as authentic as ever. There is still no McDonald's, KFC, Subway or Starbucks in Zizkov. Let's hope it stays this way. However, there is an emergence of trendier and hipper cafes and bars. 85% of all tourists to Prague will never venture into Zizkov even though, it is only 3 tram stops from Wenceslas Square (the city centre) and there are some quality hotels, pensions and hostels there.
The Palac Akropolis is recognized as a centre of cultural events in the area. Palac Akropolis was built as a cinema in the 1930s. It was used for showing propaganda films both during the Nazi Occupation and Communism. Two of Prague’s most-visible landmarks are in Žižkov: the National Monument, with its giant statue of Jan Žižka on horseback (by Bohumil Kafka, it is the largest equestrian statue in the world and the 216 meter-high Žižkov Television Tower, Prague’s tallest structure are located in Zizkov. The Zizkov TV Tower was built by the communists during the 1980s to scramble television signals from West German television channels at the time. Artist David Cerny added the crawling babies during the 1990s.
The very large Olšany Cemetery also takes up much of the district. The adjacent New Jewish Cemetery, one of two historic Jewish burial places in the district (the other being the Žižkov Cemetery next to the Žižkov Tower), contains the grave of Czech-German writer Franz Kafka.
The Járy Cimrmana Theatre is famous through out the Czech and Slovak Republics. Everybody knows it. The theatre has a kind of a cult status and theatre goers often have to buy their tickets 8 months in advance. I have seen people queuing for tickets through the night in the middle of winter in temperatures of -15 Celius.
Reigrovy Sady Beer Garden is located in Zizkov. It is one the largest and most popular beer gardens in Prague and the number of stalls serving beer and food is ever expanding. Depending on the day there can be up to 12 different stalls opened. They even have their own micro brew called Reigr. It seats approx 2,000 people.
