Petřiny is a neighbourhood 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 ...

comprising the oldest panel

housing estate A housing estate (or sometimes housing complex, housing development, subdivision (land), subdivision or community) is a group of homes and other buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to count ...

in the city. It officially comprises three

microdistrict A microdistrict or microraion is a residential complex—a primary structural element of the residential area construction in the Soviet Union and in some post-Soviet and former socialist states. Residential districts in most of the cities a ...

s; Petřiny I, part of

Veleslavín Veleslavín (, ) is a district of Prague, part of Prague 6, situated in the west of the city approximately 5 km from Ruzyně International Airport. It was probably founded in the 10th or 11th century, first recorded in records from the nearby Břev ...

, and Petřiny II and III, belonging to

Břevnov Břevnov () is a cadastral district in the west of Prague, located in Prague 6. The district is home to the Břevnov Monastery (Czech: ''Břevnovský klášter''). On the territory of Břevnov stems Brusnice brook. Břevnov was first mentioned in ...

, all belonging to the administrative district

Prague 6 Prague 6, officially known as the Municipal District of Prague 6 (''Městská část Praha 6''), is the largest Districts of Prague, district in Prague. Located in the northwest, it covers 41.54 km2 and had a population of 100,600 as of 31 D ...

Characteristics

The housing estate in Petřiny was built between 1959 and 1969, with the intention of housing around 15,000 people, and was designed by architects Evžen Benda and Vojtěch Mixa. It was built on an empty field between the military hospital in Prague, the Obora Hvězda game reserve, and the crossroad at Vypich in Břevnov. The streets were named in 1962 and were initially named after communist personalities and

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

casualties. Notable buildings in the estate include the Macromolecular Chemical Institute (''Ústav makromolekulární chemie''), in which

Otto Wichterle Otto Wichterle (; 27 October 1913 – 18 August 1998) was a Czech chemist, best known for his invention of modern soft contact lenses. Wichterle was the author or co-author of approximately 180 patents and over 200 publications. The studie ...

worked, and a memorial to him can be found in front of the building today. Part of the area, as well as a tram stop and a student dormitory, is named ''Větrník'' after a

windmill A windmill is a machine operated by the force of wind acting on vanes or sails to mill grain (gristmills), pump water, generate electricity, or drive other machinery. Windmills were used throughout the high medieval and early modern period ...

which functioned from 1722 to 1905, whose building now serves as a

guesthouse A guest house (or guesthouse, also rest house) is a kind of lodging. In some parts of the world (such as the Caribbean), a guest house is a type of inexpensive hotel-like lodging. In others, it is a private home that has been converted for the e ...

. The newest development of buildings in the housing estate, named ''Sídliště Hvězda'', were designed by Vlado Milunić.

Transport

The area is centered on ''Na Petřinách'' street and its tram line, which connects the area to the centre of Prague by public transport. The area is also located near

Václav Havel Airport Václav () or rarely Vácslav is a Czech male given name. It is among the most common Czech names. The Latinized form of the name is Wenceslaus and the Polish form of the name is Wacław. The name was derived from the old Czech name Veceslav, mean ...

, to which it is connected by bus. The extension of the

Prague Metro The Prague Metro () is the rapid transit network of Prague, Czech Republic. Founded in 1974, the system consists of three lines (Line A (Prague Metro), A, Line B (Prague Metro), B and Line C (Prague Metro), C) serving 61 stationsCounting the thre ...

's A line from Dejvická to Motol, which opened on April 6, 2015, included a station at Petřiny.

Nearby districts

* Liboc * Vokovice *

Střešovice Střešovice is a Districts of Prague, cadastral area in the west of Prague, located in the Prague 6 district. Střešovice is often called the "local Beverly Hills" because it has been home to some famous residents, including Czech President Vác ...

* Strahov * Motol *

Bílá Hora The Battle of White Mountain (; ) was an important battle in the early stages of the Thirty Years' War. It led to the defeat of the Bohemian Revolt and ensured Habsburg control for the next three hundred years. It was fought on 8 November 162 ...

References

External links

Photos of the windmill at Větrník
{{DEFAULTSORT:Petriny Districts of Prague