Prague has a rich and long history that has shaped its form. However, 5 major changes have had the most significant impact on the way our capital looks today. Which ones are they? We'll tell you in this episode of the Living Prague series.

1. change: The sanitation of Prague
Under this term is hidden a radical redevelopment of the central parts of Prague. The official reason was the poverty and poor sanitary conditions in which Prague's citizens lived in the centre. The result was the demolition of old buildings (e.g. Josefov) and the construction of boulevards in the manner of Paris or Vienna. Thanks to this, we buy luxury goods in the former slums today...

Change 2: Big Prague
When did Prague become a European city? Exactly on 1 January 1922, when the surrounding municipalities joined the metropolis, and overnight Prague grew eight times bigger and tripled its population. It is hard to imagine from today's perspective, but these neighbouring municipalities included Vinohrady, Dejvice, Smíchov and Žižkov.

The 3rd change: Automobile traffic
Cars or pedestrians? This topic is not new; cars have significantly changed the character of our capital city. In terms of cars per capita, we are worse off than, say, Vienna; tree-lined boulevards or charming squares have become intersections and road junctions that pedestrians prefer to avoid. Yet Prague's public transport is among the best in the world. If people used it more, Prague could boast, among other things, better air quality. Where is the worst place to breathe? Watch the video:    • Kde je nejlepší a nejhorší vzduch v P...  

Change 4: The character of neighbourhoods
Prague was once a predominantly industrial city, with most people employed in the local factories. And so not so long ago, crowds of factory workers were roaming the streets of what are now prestigious addresses filled with department stores and office buildings. For example, in Smíchov, Anděl, Holešovice, Vysočany, Karlín or Libeň.

Change 5: Development of tourism
Tourists are important for every city, if only because they bring a lot of money to the city. But the wise saying "everything in moderation" applies here too. For example, in 2019, over 8 million tourists came to Prague, which is too many for a city the size of Prague. Especially when most of the tourists head to Prague 1 and they all basically pile up in one street. This part of the city has become a tourist hotspot where Prague residents are not comfortable. Incidentally, we devoted one of our previous episodes to this issue (   • 5 důvodů proč lidé nechtějí bydlet v ...  ). Let's not even talk about alcohol tourism:    • Největší ostuda Prahy - co zničilo je...  

Can you think of any other significant changes in Prague that we didn't mention in the video? And what other changes do you think the metropolis needs? Let us know in the comments!

0:00 5 biggest changes in Prague
0:36 The redevelopment of Prague
1:38 The Great Prague
2:49 Car traffic
4:00 The Character of Neighborhoods
5:02 Tourism Development

Of course, in the future, Prague will also face important projects that will certainly influence its appearance. For example, we will have the metro line D, which we have covered (   • Kdy bude Metro D a kudy povede?  ), and perhaps also the rapid transit to the airport, which we have also introduced (   • Rychlodráha na trase Praha Letiště Kl...  ), or the Prague Ring Road (   • Proč stále marně čekáme na Pražský ok...  ).

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Daniel, Lukáš, Honza, Martina, Květa, Ruda