Letná Park

Letná Park

Letná Park (Czech: Letenské sady) is a large park on Letná hill, built on a plateau above steep embankments along the Vltava River in Prague, Czech Republic.[1][2] Letná's elevation and location afford commanding views of the Prague Old Town (Staré Město).

"Leten", originally called "summer camp" or "place to sunbathe" gained its importance in the Middle Ages, when the first military camps were located there due to their strategic location.[1] The areas were mainly vineyards and gardens.[2] It was not until the end of the 19th century that it began to be systematically colonized. Over time, the plains of this area of the city became a place of meeting, entertainment and recreation.

In 1955, a large monument to Joseph Stalin was erected at the edge of Letná Park. This statue was destroyed in 1962 and the Prague Metronome now occupies the site.[1][2][3]

In the 'Normalisation' period after the Warsaw Pact troops invastion of 1968, the park was the location for the founding event of the Český automobilový klub žen [Czech Women’s Automobile Club]. In January 1969 a group of women driving instructors and motoring journalists put on a public skills test for women drivers, which led to the formation of the club.[4] The club is still active.

During the Velvet Revolution, a plain next to the Letná Park (Letenská pláň) was the site of some important demonstrations against the Communist government. On the 25th and 26 November 1989 approximately 750,000 people protested in here.[1][5]

Singer Michael Jackson kicked off his HIStory World Tour at the park on September 7, 1996, approximately 130,000 people attended the concert.[1]

On June 23, 2019, more than 250,000 people gathered on the Letná plain, calling on Prime Minister Andrej Babiš to resign amid allegations of conflict of interest and criminal fraud.[6]

Nowadays the Letná Park is conceived more as an area of recreation, leisure and outdoor sports practice.[1][3][7] The area around the metronome is a popular skateboarding location.[8]

Buildings, monuments and attractions

• Hanavský Pavilion is a cast-iron structure built in 1891 in Neo-Baroque style for the Jubilee World Fair (General Land Centennial Exhibition).[3][9] Coordinates: 50°05′37.45″N 14°24′45.12″E
• The oldest carousel in Europe, constructed in 1892, is located in the Letná Park. The carousel has been reconstructed and after 16 years reopened in July 2022.[3][10] Coordinates: 50°05′47.75″N 14°25′30.00″E
• A large marble pedestal with Metronome which used to be the base of a large statue of Stalin, and is still referred to as Stalin's Monument. Coordinates: 50°05′41.38″N 14°24′57.97″E
• The northern part of the park is delimited by Sparta's stadium and Molochov's functionalist façade.

• 
  Famous postcard view towards bridges in Downtown Prague
• 
  Metronom
• 
  Hanavský Pavilion
• 
  Letná Carousel
• 
  Gogolova street
• 
  Statue of pebble

References

1. "Parque de Letná en Praga, la mejor vista de los puentes". Viajero errante (in Spanish). December 28, 2017. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
2. "Parque Letná". Guía Praga (in Spanish). Retrieved July 13, 2019.
3. "Letná Park". Avantgarde Prague. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
4. "Historie AMKŽ. JAK TO VŠECHNO ZAČALO". AMKŽ. 2011. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
5. Cravens, Craig Stephen (2006). Culture and Customs of the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 18. ISBN 9780313334122.
6. Bereň, Michael (June 23, 2019). "Na Letné se sešlo čtvrt milionu demonstrantů. Babiš: Nerozumím jim" (in Czech). Deník. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
7. "Parque y Jardines de Letná". Praga.info (in Spanish). Retrieved July 13, 2019.
8. Velinger, Jan (April 5, 2006). "Beautiful Letna Park - wide walkways, gorgeous trees, the ghost of Stalin, and the skateboarder's cure". Radio Prague. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
9. Sarralde, José Luis (April 29, 2012). "Praga – Cómo ver las panorámicas de los puentes sobre el rio Moldava desde Letna Park". Guías Viajar (in Spanish). Retrieved July 13, 2019.
10. Johnston, Josie (April 13, 2005). "Money makes the merry-go-round: The fight to save the Letna carousel". Radio Prague.