Karlín without barriers

Karlín Square → Church of St Cyril and Methodius → Křižíkova →

Karlín is an interesting and diversified district with a friendly atmosphere, lively streets, countless café gardens and greenery, enhanced by its location at the foot of the wooded Vítkov hill. Over the last ten years this erstwhile Prague suburb has been undergoing dynamic transformation. Numerous brownfield and industrial sites have served as examples of thoughtful urban regeneration, with evident efforts to keep the quality elements of the original architecture. However, the accessibility of public transport thus far leaves something to be desired. Two Karlín metro stations have a few more years to go before providing barrier-free access, and local tram stops are not ideally adapted either.

We will start the outing through Karlín at the “Karlínské náměstí” tram stop, which has partially accessible platforms in both directions. After the adjacent adapted crossing with slanted kerbs, we get to a large area with park landscaping, mature greenery and a marble fountain. The area also includes a children’s playground and public toilets with a barrier-free cubicle. The firm surfaces are mostly mosaic paving.

From the southwest corner of the park we will take another adapted crossing over Křižíkova street to the dominant feature of the entire district, the Church of St Cyril and Methodius. The construction of the Roman Catholic basilica, made between 1854 and 1863 in the Neo-Romanesque style, was sponsored, among other things, by Emperor Ferdinand V himself and the widow of his predecessor, Empress Caroline Augusta of Bavaria, after whom the entire newly founded Prague suburb was named. The very portal and church door, featuring scenes by the painter Josef Mánes suggest that this church is worth a visit. The bright interior is decorated with works by other leading artists of their time. The steps in front of the entrance can be overcome thanks to a slatted ramp on the right side.

From the church of St Cyril and Methodius we will go east through Křižíkova street. Right up to the crossing with Thámova street, we can opt for either walkway. Both are good, with level mosaic paving. There are also several accessible cafés on both sides of the street, but multiple establishments have at least one step at the entrance. From spring to autumn, however, there are numerous restaurant seating areas outdoors, directly on the walkway.

We come across an interesting building on the right side. The designer behind the refurbishment of the brick-red functionalist Karlín Palace and the of the former Corso Karlín industrial hall is the Catalan architect Ricardo Bofill. Both buildings now serve as administrative and business centres, but they are worth at least a look. It is these buildings with several similar implementations throughout the district that show the opportunities offered to contemporary architecture by Karlín.

From the intersection with Thámova street continue along Křižíkova street on either side to Březinova street. The walkways here are lined with mature trees and are broad and level with mosaic paving, with just the occasional transverse slope.

→ Kaizel’s Park (Kaizlovy sady) → Invalidovna → Lyčkovo Square →

From Křižíkova we first turn left into Březinova street, then right into Petr Slezák street. Along the walkways on the right side, past the renovated apartment buildings from the first decades of the twentieth century, we approach the intersection with Urxova street, where the kerb is slanted, but it is quite steep and poorly surfaced. We continue along the left walkway of Urxova to Sokolovská, which will take us to another Karlín park, Kaizlovy sady.

The park, with a pond and mature greenery, is nice in itself, but it is exceptional for the magnificent Baroque building of the Invalidovna, the erstwhile care home for injured ex-servicemen, which was designed by Kilián Ignác Dientzenhofer. The extensive complex, conceived to cover an area about eight times larger than today, is finally being overhauled, after many years of dilapidation. In 2018, the Invalidovna came under the management of the National Heritage Institute, which is now restoring this site to its former glory and also opening up parts of it to the public.

From the green space we will go to Křižíkova street and through the middle of Lyčkovo square, whose dominant feature is the beautiful Art Nouveau building of the elementary school, then on to Sovova street. A more difficult section with uneven terrain awaits us. Right at the beginning we come across a place for crossing with rough paving and more pronounced spars. We will continue along the right walkway of Sovova street, but even that does not have an ideal surface. The asphalt is patchy in many places and in rainy weather deep puddles form in the depressions. After arriving at a small square, turn right, take the crossing over Březinova ulice and then head left. The crossing has fairly steep dropped curbs and rough paving stones on the road.

Another nearby crossing across Pernerova street to the recently completed Butterfly complex is much better suited. The Butterfly building is interesting in shape and technique, with four ellipses connected to make the two wings, and a central atrium. The organic tone of the premises is underlined by the greenery-covered façade, all against the verdent backdrop of Vítkov Hill. The architecture may be good, but so is the beer from the local small (and barrier-free) brewery located in its southern part.

→ Pernerova → Vítkova → Pobřežní → Karlínské Square

The next section of the route, which leads through the quiet Pernerova street, will introduce us to other sensitively renovated industrial buildings, Machine House and Forum Karlin. Along the way, we can come across transversely sloped walkways with an asphalt or paved surface.

Turn off into Vítkova ulice, where you can take an interesting diversion to the Negrelli Viaduct, which is not only Prague’s second oldest bridge, but is also the city’s longest railway viaduct.

We will continue along Vítková street along the left walkway past another monument in the Neo Romanesque style, the Karlín Synagogue. However, it is not barrier-free.

At the northern end, the building of Main Point Karlin visually closes off the street, exemplifying a distinctive modern building with an emphasis on environmentally friendly solutions. Although Main Point has the function of an office building, it is not closed to the general public. The Kooperativa Gallery with a café on the 1st floor is open to visitors free of charge from Tuesday to Sunday.

Through Pobřežní and U Nádražní lávky streets, we will return to Karlínské square, to the tram stop.