Národní, formerly Národní třída, is one of the important avenues in
Prague, capital of the
Czech Republic.
It is placed on the boundary of
New Town and
Old Town
In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins after thorough renovations. There are ma ...
, in the southwest direction from the centre of the city. This avenue connects
Legion Bridge bridge with
Jungmannovo náměstí. In medieval times, there were
fortification wall
A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications with towers, bastions and gates ...
s.
In the 1900s, the name of the avenue was Nové Aleje (New Avenue, German: ''Neue Allee''), but its name was changed through the years: V alejích, V nových alejích, V stromořadí, Uršulinská, U Řetězového mostu or Ferdinandova.
In the 19th century, important buildings and institutions, such as the
National Theatre and the
Czech Academy of Sciences
The Czech Academy of Sciences (abbr. CAS, cs, Akademie věd České republiky, abbr. AV ČR) was established in 1992 by the Czech National Council as the Czech successor of the former Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences and its tradition goes ba ...
were built here.
On Friday November 17, 1989, riot police violently suppressed here a peaceful
student demonstration
Student activism or campus activism is work by students to cause political, environmental, economic, or social change. Although often focused on schools, curriculum, and educational funding, student groups have influenced greater political e ...
, which is thought as the initiation of
Velvet Revolution. Národní třída continued to be an eventful locale during the rest of the revolution.
See also
*
Národní třída (metro station)
References
Streets in Prague
Velvet Revolution
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