If there is one constant in life, it’s that things never remain the same. Like all neighbourhoods, the one I live in, Holešovice, changes too. This article is a photographic ode to place I currently call home.
History
Holešovice was on the outskirts of Prague until 18 November 1884, when Tomas Cerny – Prague’s new mayor – included it as its 7th district1. At the time, there were 11 000 people living in the area.
Surrounded by the river as it is, Holešovice soon hosted heavy industry including a major port and a train station for cargo. River trade with Hamburg would berth here in Prague. They would move the cargo to trains and send everything further south. The 2002 floods obliterated the port and the train station1.
The future
The restored and flood-protected area is now a calm residential and office zone and is where I live. There are many plans to continue renovating and rebuilding the district. The city announced urbanisation plans to transform derelict industrial zones into small neighbourhoods. They’ll lay new tram lines for better coverage and several thousand people will move here.
There will be more hustle and bustle of course. Like any major city, property prices keep rising which means the demand will always be there. With those numbers, we’ll soon see more chic restaurants, cozy cafes and premium services too. The neighbourhood has a hipster-ish vibe to it and I’m guessing some of that will be lost. Who knows?
In the meantime, here is a photographic ode to the place I currently call home. It’s all laid out here – city life and countryside, sacred and profane.
I took most of these photos between summer and the mild winter of 2018. The architectural styling will remain – Praguers are proud of this – but the run down parts will not.
Which is not to say there isn’t a certain charm to the way things are.
Share this with friends who like their neighbourhoods the way they are.