Dejvice and Bubeneč

Dejvice lies to the north of Hradčany and Prague Castle itself. It was mentioned in references as early as 1088 and retained its rural character for a long time. A residential suburb replaced the agricultural yards. In the 1930s, the Baba villa residential colony came into being here. It was organized according to the regulatory project of Pavel Janák. The treasures of functionalist architecture come from an entire parade of the foremost architects of the First Republic (J. Gočár, J. Krejcar, A. Beneš, J. Gillar, and others). Bubeneč adjoins Dejvice in the east. The Stromovka Royal Game Reserve extends from here. John of Luxembourg used it as a game reserve in 1320. Rudolf II, at the beginning of the 17th century, had ponds and galleries built here. From 1804, the vice-regent count Chotek made it accessible to the public, and Jiří Fischer converted the game hunting castle of Vladislav Jagiellon and Rudolf II into the neo-Gothic Vice-regent’s Summer Castle. After 1845, the game reserve began its transformation into an English park. Today, this romantic oasis is a protected natural monument. The Prague Exhibition Grounds (Výstaviště Praha) adjoin Stromovka to the east. From the end of the 19th century, these grounds served as a location for exhibitions and fairs and as an entertainment centre. The famous Matthew’s Fair was relocated here, but one can also find a covered pool, stadiums, theatres, cinemas, the National Museum’s Lapidarium and many other sport and entertainment attractions. The local structures that came into being for the Jubilee Exhibition of 1891 are noteworthy. The combination of the historical style of iron and glass is an interesting display of 19th-century art. On the other hand, Křižík’s Fountain, renewed for the Jubilee Exhibition of 1991, is a contemporary creation.