While Prague’s UNESCO status Old Town has become overrun with mobs of tourists, stag/hen parties and tacky souvenir shops, the charming district of Praha 3 remains largely ignored, despite containing two of the more interesting sights in the city and plenty of restaurants actually frequented by locals.
Vítkov Hill rises up just northeast of the main train station and is covered with leafy pathways packed with with Czech joggers and bikers. I’m glad I had a couple bottles of water on me, as the hike up was a bit of a workout. At the top is the Národní památník na Vitkově (National Monument), which honors war heroes throughout Czech/Czechoslovak history. The complex houses a museum, cafe and Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, but the most iconic feature is the statue of Jan Žížka, a Czech general who defeated the army of the Holy Roman Emperor on Vítkov Hill in 1420.
The monument also offers great views of Old Town, Prague Castle and the surrounding brightly-colored buildings of Praha 3.
The Praha 3 district was created in 1960 and contains several smaller political subdivisions, including the area of Žížkov, named after Jan Žížka. The streets of Žížkov were the most beautiful and peaceful I found in the city. The buildings pop with bursts of pastels and outdoor cafes were full of patrons sipping on beer.
Although I may have joined the citizens of Prague for a drink or two, this photo is not crooked! The entire neighborhood is built on a hill, giving it a Prague meets San Francisco’s Nob Hill feel.
It is impossible to miss the massive Žížkov televizní věž (TV Tower) that seems to have been dropped off in middle of the area by visitors from outer space. In actuality, construction on the tower began in 1985 and the tip of antenna reaches 216m (709ft). Today the tower has two restaurants, a one-room hotel (14,500 Kč/$710) and viewing platforms about halfway up the structure. While the platforms do offer a nice 360-degree view of the city, they are not open-air and any pictures you take will be through glass windows.
The real reason the TV Tower is an absolute must-see is the sculpture display, “Miminka,” (Babies) by Czech artist David Černý. Each baby is made of fiberglass and they were installed on the side of the tower in 2000 for what was only supposed to be a temporary exhibition. Miminka proved to be so popular that it was brought back the following year as a permanent fixture on the tower.
The babies really are some of the strangest things I’ve ever seen. From far away I mistook them for ants, but as I got closer and closer to the tower I did a double take and realized they were (naked!) babies!! I don’t know how long I stared at them, but in the difficult search for genuinely unique experiences, this has to rank as one of them.