Letná Park () is a large park on

Letná Letná is a hill overlooking Prague historic centre and Vltava River just besides Prague Castle. It neighbours Stromovka, the largest park in Prague. The hill belongs to Holešovice and Bubeneč quarters of Prague 7. The main part of Letn� ...

hill, built on a plateau above steep embankments along the Vltava River in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

. 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. The areas were mainly vineyards and gardens. 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 A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, historical ...

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...

was erected at the edge of Letná Park. This statue was destroyed in 1962 and the Prague Metronome now occupies the site. In the 'Normalisation' period after the Warsaw Pact troops invastion of 1968, the park was the location for the founding event of th
Český automobilový klub žen
zech 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. The club is still active. During the

Velvet Revolution The Velvet Revolution () or Gentle Revolution () was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 28 November 1989. Popular demonstrations against the one-party government of the Communist Pa ...

, a

plain In geography, a plain, commonly known as flatland, is a flat expanse of land that generally does not change much in elevation, and is primarily treeless. Plains occur as lowlands along valleys or at the base of mountains, as coastal plains, and ...

next to the Letná Park (''Letenská pláň'') was the site of some important demonstrations against the

Communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

government. On the 25th and 26 November 1989 approximately 750,000 people protested in here. Singer

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

kicked off his

HIStory World Tour The ''HIS''tory World Tour was the third and final worldwide solo concert tour by American singer and songwriter Michael Jackson, covering Europe, Asia, Oceania, Africa and North America. The tour included a total of 82 concerts spanning the gl ...

at the park on September 7, 1996, approximately 130,000 people attended the concert. On June 23, 2019, more than 250,000 people gathered on the Letná plain, calling on Prime Minister

Andrej Babiš Andrej Babiš (; born 2 September 1954) is a Czech businessman and politician who served as the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, prime minister of the Czech Republic from 2017 to 2021. He previously served as the Finance Minister of the Cze ...

to resign amid allegations of conflict of interest and criminal fraud. Nowadays the Letná Park is conceived more as an area of recreation, leisure and outdoor sports practice. The area around the metronome is a popular

skateboarding Skateboarding is an extreme sport, action sport that involves riding and Skateboarding trick, performing tricks using a skateboard, as well as a recreational activity, an art form, an entertainment industry Profession, job, and a method of tr ...

location.

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). Coordinates: * One of the oldest

carousel A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (International English), or galloper (British English) is a type of amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders. The seats are tradit ...

s in Europe, constructed in 1892, is located in Letná Park. The carousel has been reconstructed and after 16 years reopened in July 2022. Coordinates: * A large marble pedestal with Metronome which used to be the base of a large statue of

Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...

, and is still referred to as Stalin's Monument. Coordinates: * The northern part of the park is delimited by

Sparta Sparta was a prominent city-state in Laconia in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (), while the name Sparta referred to its main settlement in the Evrotas Valley, valley of Evrotas (river), Evrotas rive ...

's stadium and Molochov's functionalist façade. File:Prager Brücken - panoramio.jpg, Famous postcard view towards bridges in Downtown Prague File:Letna Prague metronom 4575b.jpg, Metronom File:Hanau pavilion 2.jpg, Hanavský Pavilion File:Letenský kolotoč.JPG, Letná Carousel File:Praha, Hradčany - Gogolova (Letenské sady).jpg, Gogolova street File:Praha, Letná, socha oblázku.jpg, Statue of pebble

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Letna Park Parks in Prague Prague 7