Prague’s riverside districts, left in ruins when the banks burst 15 years ago, are now abuzz with development projects, including lively arts and entertainment spaces, shops and cafes
Saturday evening and Kasárna Karlín, a new arts centre which opened on the right bank of Prague’s Vltava river this June, is buzzing with activity. Behind the peeling facades, the vast former barracks includes an alfresco cafe screening films (with English subtitles), deck chairs and a jumbo sandpit. The space doubles as a concert venue and exhibition area, and there are plans to introduce beach volleyball, table tennis and football soon. On barbecue nights, a campfire lights up the square.
It’s hard to believe that, 15 years ago, the Karlín area was devastated when the river burst its banks. When the deluge hit, the neighbourhood – wedged inauspiciously between Vítkov ridge and the river – had been rapidly changing. Architects including renowned Ricardo Bofill from Spain, had remodelled its disused factories, multinationals were moving in, and attention had turned to Karlín’s neglected art nouveau tenements.
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Source: Gaurdian
