Žižkov freight railway station
Praha-Žižkov | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Location | Jana Želivského, Prague 3, Czech Republic |
| Coordinates | 50°05′07″N 14°28′34″E / 50.085278°N 14.476111°E |
| History | |
| Opened | 1 March 1936 |
| Closed | 2002 |
Praha-Žižkov freight railway station (Czech: nákladové nádraží Žižkov) is a railway station formerly used for rail freight transport, located in the Žižkov district of Prague, the capital of the Czechia. It was originally opened in 1936 and ceased operations in 2002. The station building was confirmed as a cultural monument in March 2013.
Service
The station, which was built in an area previously known as Červený Dvůr, went into service on 1 March 1936.[1][2] The buildings were designed by Karel Caivas and Vladimír Weiss, whereas Miroslav Chlumecký designed the track infrastructure.[2] The purpose of the station was to relieve Prague city centre of freight train services.[1] It was also used for warehousing, although the creation of a food warehouse in the district of Strašnice in 1966 reduced the demand at the station.[2] The station's formal service ceased in 2002.[3] The access track with a rail branching is used for a container terminal which is adjacent to the freight station building and is in service up to now.
Usage beyond 2002
Following its closure in 2002, parts of the station were leased to local businesses for use as a warehouse.[2] The station hosted the Prague Biennale art exhibition in June 2013.[4] In October of the same year, the 15th edition of the annual Designblok festival was hosted there.[4] Redevelopment plans were proposed in November 2019.[5]
Cultural monument
The three-winged main station building was denoted as a national cultural monument in 2010 by the Ministry of Culture, a move which was quickly challenged by local government and members of the local real estate development industry including the Sekyra Group.[3] Developers had wanted to use the area to construct a new residential area to house 15,000 people.[6] The building's status was however secured in March 2013,[4] with its historical, technical and architectural value among the reasons cited for its confirmed status.[2]
Local transport
The station is served by Prague's tram network with a stop bearing the station's name.
References
- ^ a b "Novodobá kolonizace Prahy - Nákladové nádraží Žižkov". Strana zelených (in Czech). 2008. Archived from the original on 6 April 2009. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
- ^ a b c d e "Nákladové nádraží Žižkov - kulturní památka nebo administrativní komplex?". Strana zelených (in Czech). 21 March 2012. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
- ^ a b "Historic train station faces demolition". Prague Post. 12 September 2012. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
- ^ a b c "15th Designblok arrives at 1930s freight station". Radio Prague. 10 October 2013. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
- ^ http://news.expats.cz/weekly-czech-news/redevelopment-of-zizkov-freight-station-moving-forward/
- ^ "Nákladové nádraží Žižkov: byty pro 15 tisíc lidí, nebo kulturní památka?". Mladá fronta DNES (in Czech). 24 January 2011. Retrieved 6 April 2014.