City wall promenade

History

• This important street in the metropolis on the border of the Old and New Towns was transformed from the walls that defined the urban agglomeration in the 13th century. The walls in the Old Town were no longer needed on the day of the foundation of the New Town of Prague in 1348 – a hundred years after their completion. Charles IV opened a democratic discussion and proposed to demolish the walls. However, this did not happen.
• The area was subsequently transformed into an inner city periphery full of garbage, crumbling houses, and swarming pigs. Restrictions on physical accessibility have degraded the public spaces of both Prague towns for over 400 years. In 1787, Joseph II decided to demolish the walls and fill in the moat by issuing an imperial decree on the unification of the towns. This was the year in which the area began to gain in attractiveness and market value.
• The transformation meant an influx of visitors and the construction of commercial palaces, banking institutions, restaurants, cafes and luxury apartment buildings. Today’s Národní Street was planted with lime trees and called the Bohemian Promenade. Na Příkopě Street, on the other hand, was the German promenade, lined with chestnut trees. At the end of the 19th century, both of these tree avenues gave way to the construction of a horse-drawn tramway. The tracks remained there until 1985.

Current state

The City Wall Promenade is located on the border of Prague’s Old and New Towns. The imprint of the Old Town walls can still be read in the course of Národní, 28. října, Na Příkopě, and Revoluční Streets.

A number of important Prague squares are also integral parts of this ring. Jungmannovo náměstí Square with its memorial, Wenceslas Square ending at the Golden Cross in the very center of the promenade, and náměstí Republiky Square as a center of trade of city-wide importance.

The mouth of the City Wall Promenade is closed on the west side by Legion Bridge, and on the northern side by the unfinished embankment in front of Štefánik Bridge.

Along the City Wall Promenade we can find historical traces of fortifications (the Powder Tower), as well as important public institutions (the National Theater, the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, the Municipal House), and commercial palaces.

• Market - Given the importance of náměstí Republiky Square and its strategic commercial location, the concept proposes a public indoor market on the site of the current farmers’ market. An open city hall will become an initiation point for the area and promote the development of other cultural and social activities.
• The area in front of Štefánik Bridge - The realignment of the intersection and the cancellation of the Těšnov Tunnel will bring Prague a completely new public space and the possibility of establishing new public institutions on the right bank of the Vltava River of city-wide importance. The new area in front of the bridge may thus become another important square on the City Wall Promenade.
• Greenery - To improve the microclimatic situation in the area, the gradual replacement of existing trees and the creation of a new green city axis will be necessary. In urban environments, however, it is becoming increasingly difficult to ensure long-term growth prospects for trees. The establishment of greenery in the so-called structural substrate together with the creation of rainwater retention systems offer a comprehensive solution to the problems associated with planting and maintaining greenery. Sufficient moisture can be brought to the roots of each tree through the street drainage system. The trees thus have a sufficient water supply and any excess water drains away. These measures, together with appropriate tree selection, will ensure that newly planted avenues and individual trees will thrive better. In addition, the retention system will retain the majority of rainfall in the city.

• Transport - The goal of the concept is to create conditions for the possible future introduction of tram transport along the entire length of the City Wall Promenade with a connection to the lines on Wenceslas Square and náměstí Republiky Square. This area was historically served by trams. The advantages of the proposed solution include improved mobility along the entire length of the promenade and better accessibility from other parts of the city. The proposed changes for vehicle traffic mainly concern restricting transit passage through the Old Town, creating individual separately serviced areas, and reducing the number of short-term parking spaces. Fundamental changes will be made by closing the passage through the Powder Tower, as well as from Jungmannova Street to Perlová Street, and by restricting individual car traffic in part of Národní třída Avenue. In this way, it will be possible to expand the pedestrian zone from the intersection of Národní třída Avenue with Spálená Street to the mouth of náměstí Republiky Square into Revoluční Street. A backbone cycle path will pass through the area, and cyclists will have their own cycle lane, with the exception of the pedestrian zone, where the space will be shared.

Information tour 2019

Together with Aoc architekti, IPR prepared an information container that was placed directly on the City Wall Promenade route for ten days in November 2019. The goals of the event were to present the history of the area and its possible development to citizens, and at the same time to get suggestions from them.