Author: Raymond Johnston Published on 27.08.2021 13:52 (Updated on 27.08.2021) Reading time: 4 minutes
Although most people think of Prague as a unified metropolis, over time it has grown by absorbing the surrounding cities. On September 12, 1901, 120 years ago, the Libeň community joined Prague.
Most of the neighborhood belongs to Prague 8. The administrative department of the region will celebrate the anniversary in front of the White House on August 28th from 2 pm to 6 pm in the administrative building of U Meteoru 6, with music and performances. The guided community tour (in Czech) will start from Libeňský zámek. These activities are free. There are also theater performances that require tickets in zámek at 7:30 in the evening.
Prague itself is not as old as most people think. Hradecani, Mala Strana, the new city and the old city were not unified under one city until 1784. Joseph joined in 1850, followed by Vysehrad in 1883 and Holesovice-Bubner in 1884.
Libeň followed closely behind. On April 16, 1901, the Provincial Law was approved. This allowed the annexation to take place in September. Libeň became the eighth district of Prague, and this name is still used today.
Vinohrady, Žižkov, Smíchov and Vršovice were not considered typical parts of the city until 1922. The last major expansion was in 1974, making Prague what it is today.
In May of this year, Prague 8 district placed two information panels in front of Libeňský zámek (one of the area’s historical attractions and the administrative center).
“I am very happy to sleep in your arms, Prague; always be our careful mother!” one of the groups pointed out.
The first panel provides an overview of the annexation of Prague by Libeň, including the celebration on September 12, 1901. The second panel shows the important milestones from the first written mention to the introduction of kerosene street lights and tram services. Libeň was established as a town in 1898, only three years after it merged with the city.
According to the Prague 8 website, Libeň had only 746 houses in the year before joining the city. Then it began to expand into farmland, building new two- and three-story houses. This stage of development stopped at the beginning of the First World War.
The history of Libeň can be traced back to the Stone Age, as traces of early settlement have been found. In 1363, the place was first mentioned in writing as Libeň. Because it is located near Prague, but has a vast open space, it first attracted wealthy citizens as residents. The castle that grew into today’s Libeňský zámek was already standing as early as the end of the 1500s.
In 1608, the castle hosted the Roman Emperor Rudolf II and his brother Matthias of Habsburg, who signed the Treaty of Libezh, dividing power between them and resolving family differences .
The current Rococo style building was built in 1770. It was refurbished to repair the damage caused by the Prussian invasion of Bohemia in 1757. Queen Maria Theresa contributed to the restoration work and has also visited.
The transformation into a factory-owned working-class community began in the 19th century, when machinery factories, textile factories, breweries, breweries, and concrete factories were taken over from vineyards and farmland.
This is also a diverse community. The former synagogue still stands in Palmovka, one of the main hubs of the region. There is a place nearby that used to be a Jewish cemetery, but these marks were destroyed in the last century.
Most of the houses from the 19th century still exist, but the factories are no longer in operation and many have been demolished. The O2 Arena is located in Prague 9, but is technically part of Libeň. It was built on the original site of the former ČKD locomotive factory.
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One of the most famous incidents in the region was that on May 27, 1942, the Czechoslovak paratroopers assassinated Reinhard Heydrich, the acting protector of the Empire. Heydrich died of injuries on June 4. The mission is called Operation Great Apes and has become the subject of many movies and books.
The Operation Apes Memorial was built in 2009, near the location where the paratroopers hit Heydrich’s car with a grenade, wounding him with shrapnel. Since the highway now covers the location, it is difficult to find the exact area. The memorial hall features three figures with open arms on steel pillars. A large mural depicting the same incident was unveiled earlier this year.
Perhaps the most famous person from this community is the writer Bohumil Hrabal, who has lived there since the 1950s. He fell to his death in 1997 from the window of Bulovka Hospital, also located in the area.
There is a mural depicting him near the Palmovka metro station and bus stop. There is a plaque on the site of the house where he once lived. The foundation stone was laid for the Bohumil Hrabal Center in 2004, but so far the center has not carried out other work.
When the Palmovka area is redeveloped, a square named after Hrabar should be created where the current bus station is located.
Other celebrities in the area include 19th century poet Karel Hlaváček, late 19th and early 20th century opera singer Ernestine Schumann-Heink, and 20th century surrealist writer Stanislav Vávra.
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Post time: Dec-10-2021