Žižkov Tower, Prague, Czech Republic

Prague from above

Where? When? How much does it cost?

The Television Tower in Prague is also called the Žižkov Television Tower or in Czech Žižkovská televizní věž. The address is Mahlerovy sady 1, postal code 130 00, Praha 3-Žižžkov. The nearest public transport stations are U Prdlavky station 500 meters away from the tower and where the bus line 101 stops and Jiřího z Poděbrad station 600 meters away where you can reach by tram lines 11, 13, 96, bus line 101 and metro line A. The TV Tower is open daily between 9:00 and 23:30. The price of a standard admission ticket is 300 CZK = €12.75 and a family ticket is 640 CZK = €27.19. There are other categories of tickets with discounts for seniors, disabled, children, students, even dogs. Children under 3 are free.

History of the tower

The Prague TV Tower is not only the tallest building in the capital of the Czech Republic, but also a landmark. The reason for building the tower was that Prague needed a stronger TV and radio broadcasting tower, as the signal from the Petrin Tower was too weak. Experts calculated that a tower over 200 meters high would be needed to meet the requirement. The project has faced much criticism for uprooting a cemetery in the Jewish quarter.

About the Žižkov Television Tower

The Žižkov TV tower is 216 meters high and weighs about 2,200 tons. The tower is also famous for its 10 metal sculptures of children climbing the tower, created by Czech artist David Černý. The tower was built between 1985 and 1992 in the high-tech style. The architect is Václav Aulický.

1. The Tower and the Babies

The TV tower consists of 3 parallel vertical structures. Due to its location on the top of a hill and especially its height of 216 meters it is visible from a distance. In 2000, as part of the Prague - European Capital of Culture project, 10 huge laminated metal sculptures of babies were mounted on the exterior of the tower. One baby is 3.5 meters long, 2.6 meters wide and weighs 150 kg. The sculptures can be seen up close in the park on Kampa Island. The artist behind the work is Czech-born David Cerny. As the idea was loved, a year later they were permanently fixed to the tower. Since 2006, the tower has been dressed in the colors of the Czech tricolor in the evenings. In 2009 the Prague TV Tower was named the world's second ugliest building by the Australian website Virtual Tourist.

TV tower antenna

TV tower babies

A landmark

TV Tower

2 babies

2. Panoramic platform

It stands 93 meters high and acts as a 360-degree observation point. The viewing radius reaches up to 100 km. A modern elevator takes you up to the platform. In the center of the platform there is a round room with benches where you can watch films presenting this tourist attraction. From here, 3 glass rooms open onto a 360-degree view of Prague. Temporary exhibitions are displayed in the rooms.

presentation movie

north of the city

New Town

Towers of the world

from the panoramic platform

Old Town

it's raining in Prague

binoculars in the panoramic room

93 m above the ground

3. Room with armchairs

One of the panoramic rooms has armchairs anchored to the ceiling, where you can listen to cosmic sounds, the roar of the sea or musical compositions.

angel wings

painting exhibition

room with armchairs

4. Tower Park

The tower is located in Tower Park, where there's an amphitheater, a skating rink and a miniature golf course.

Recommendation

If you get to Prague, visit the TV Tower. The view over the city is enchanting. There is also a restaurant, a garden, a bistro, an event studio and a one-room hotel in or around the tower. It might be a good idea to visit the tower in the evening or on a rainy day.

All the best!

Steps: