Half a century of the backbone of Prague’s public transport system is mapped by a new traveling exhibition, which the Dopravní podnik hl. City of Prague (DPP) presented in the Public Transport Museum in Střešovice. It will be on display until mid-August at eight different locations in Prague. From today, fans of public transport and families with children can also play the geolocation game “Metro 50”, which guides the player through all 61 current stations of the Prague metro. Last but not least, the DPP is preparing a reprint of the original edition of Večerník Praha for the start of metro operation in Prague and a special edition of the Metro newspaper. The capital city of Prague, the then designer and contractor, the companies METROPROJEKT Praha and Metrostav are participating in the events prepared to celebrate fifty years of operation of the Prague metro.
On Thursday, May 9, 2024 at 9:19 a.m., it will be exactly 50 years since the ceremonial opening of the metro in Prague, the first section Kačerov – Florenc (then Sokolovská) on line C. Prague thus became the 44th city in the world with an underground railway, and it changed her face forever. The metro has become an inseparable part of life in Prague and the backbone of public transport, which more than a million passengers rely on every working day. The devastating floods of 2002 showed how important the metro is for moving around Prague, when transport in the city resembled the period before 1974. Not only the history of the metro over the past 50 years, but also where the metro will go and other points of interest are mapped by a new traveling exhibition, which everyone I recommend to visit,” he says Zdeněk Hřib, 1st Deputy Mayor City of Prague for the field of transport and chairman of the DPP supervisory board.
The exhibition has 20 panels and is a joint project of DPP, hl. city of Prague, the then designer
and the contractor, METROPROJEKT Praha and Metrostav.
“50. The anniversary of the start of metro operation is a very important event for us. We are preparing a number of events for it, to which I would like to invite our passengers – be it the open day at the Kačerov depot next Saturday, May 4, or the rides in historic trains on line C on the national holiday of May 8 from 9:19 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. :00, which will be at the normal fare. For families with children, we have prepared a fun geolocation game in the subway, thanks to which the subway will not only be a means of transportation from point A to point B, but also the destination of a trip. We had documentaries filmed about all three lines, which are humorously accompanied by David Vávra,
and which the public will be able to watch during May on Czech Television. In addition, we are preparing a reprint of the original issue of Večerník Praha for the opening of the subway and on the anniversary
On May 9, a special edition of the Metro newspaper is logically only about the Prague metro. The celebrations will culminate on Thursday, May 9 at the CAMP, where there is a program for the public throughout the afternoon until the evening hours. Right after that, we will start preparations to celebrate other important anniversaries that await us next year – 150 years since the start of public transport operations and 100 years since the start of regular bus operations, both of course in Prague.” supplies Petr Witowski, Chairman of the Board and CEO of DPP.
“With the fiftieth anniversary of the start of operation of the Prague metro, we are also commemorating the founding of the Metrostav company, which was established on January 1, 1971 with the clear task of building this exceptional engineering structure. At that time, none of us had any experience with the construction of an underground railway, and for their deployment
they deserve a big thank you for their courage. The professional approach of our colleagues at the time, their discipline and determination represent the foundations on which Metrostav still operates today.” he says Jaroslav Heran, CEO of Metrostav.
“On May 1, 1971, one company founded Metroprojekt, then still as a subsidiary of DPP, to cover the project preparation for the construction of the metro in Prague. A team of great experts came together, who were able to design a transport structure that had no parallels in Czechoslovakia at the time. They thus laid the foundations for a company that is currently one of the largest design companies in the Czech Republic, whose employees, thanks to their experience in the design of such a complex structure as the subway, are able to deal with the demanding requirements of investors across all segments of the construction market.” concludes Vladimír Seidl, Chairman of the Board and CEO of METROPROJEKT Praha.
Where will it be possible to view the exhibition for 50 years of the metro?
Until Friday, May 3, 2024, the exhibition will be on display in the upper courtyard of the Střešovice train station, between the 5th and 6th tracks before the entrance to the MHD Museum itself. On Saturday, May 4, the exhibition will move to the Kačerov depot for the annual open day. For less than two weeks, from Sunday the 5th to Friday the 17th of May, passengers will be able to view the exhibition at the Kačerov station, where operations began 50 years ago. After that, the exhibition will travel to the center of Prague, until the end of May it will be at Jungmann Square, for the next two weeks until June 14 in front of the New City Hall of the City Hall. of the city of Prague on Mariánské náměstí. Visitors to one of Prague’s largest Westfield shopping centers in Chodov will be able to view it until June 28. From June 28 to July 22, it will travel to the Argentinská Office Building, where the METROPROJEKT Praha company is based, and for the final stop, from July 22 to August 15, the exhibition will go to Palmovka Park II, where the Metrostav company is based. The exhibition can also be viewed online on the website www.metroslavi.cz, where it is available in both Czech and English versions.
Geolocation game “Metro 50”
A significant part of passengers who use the Prague metro, whether daily or occasionally, usually do not have time to notice a number of details that complement the platforms and vestibules while rushing to fulfill their duties and pass through the stations. These are various architectural elements that are typical for a given section or station, works of art or design, but also technical points of interest that are not obvious at first glance. A number of them can be recognized and “discovered” thanks to the geolocation game “Metro 50”, prepared by DPP for the 50th anniversary of the metro, which guides the player through all 61 current stations. All you need to play is a smartphone with an internet connection and, of course, a valid ticket or coupon. The game for both operating systems, i.e. Android and iOS, can be downloaded from the homepage of the DPP website, in the section dedicated to 50 years of the metro: www.dpp.cz/metro50
The competition question for the given station is loaded to the player only when he is on the spot. There is one competition question for each station. For a correct answer, the player gets 50 points. The game has an adult version, where the questions are more challenging, but also a children’s version, which is not only focused on the stations themselves, but also on the points of interest in their immediate surroundings. Families with children can play both versions of the game in parallel. It is possible to interrupt it at any time and return to it at any time during the subway operation. The game will be available for the next six months, i.e. until the end of October. To fulfill it, you need to get at least 750 points, i.e. correctly answer questions from at least 15 stations. It shouldn’t take more than three hours, depending on the time of day and metro intervals. Players who want to honestly go through all 61 stations and answer all the questions must consider that it may take them all day. After obtaining at least 750 points, a unique code will be generated for the player, after presenting it, he can purchase a unique graduate tourist business card for the game at the DPP Infocentres, and the first thousand players will also receive a small gift.
Line A, B and C – three parts of the documentary “Prague Underground Railway” with David Vávra
For the anniversary of the Prague metro, DPP has prepared a three-part series of documentaries “Prague Underground”, in which each part is dedicated to one line, technical or operational points of interest, as well as the immediate surroundings of the stations. The documentaries are approximately 40 minutes long and are based on a similar concept, or they are carried in a similar spirit to the popular documentary series Šumná města. “Prague Underground Railway” was filmed by the same PR Plus crew under the direction of Radovan Lipus, who is also a co-author of the screenplays. The guide to the individual works is David Vávra, architect, actor, writer
and co-founder of the legendary Sklep theater. All parts were filmed last year. The oldest line C, which was completed at the end of last year, was the first to be created. This year, the creators completed the parts about lines A and B. All three parts are broadcast by Czech Television on the ČT2 channel on the following days and times:
Prague underground (line C)
- April 30, 2024 at 2:45 p.m
- May 2, 2024 at 1:25 am
- May 2, 2024 at 7:00 p.m
Prague underground (line A)
- May 7, 2024 at 2:50 p.m
- May 9, 2024 at 1:25 am
- May 9, 2024 at 7:00 p.m
Via the Prague underground (line B)
- May 14, 2024 at 2:55 p.m
- May 16, 2024 at 1:20 am
- May 16, 2024 at 7:15 p.m
Open day at the Kačerov depot, rides in historic sets, Tripper Go and a full-day program at the CAMP
This year’s series of experiential tourism rides and tours of the station facilities for the public will culminate on Saturday
On May 4, 2024, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., a special annual open day at the Kačerov depot and on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, rides of historic subway trains on line C at regular fares. At 9:19 a.m., the historic three-car set from the start of metro operation in 1974 will be the first to depart from Kačerov to Florenc. At 9:25 a.m., it will be joined by the historic five-car set 81-71, the so-called black mushroom. At 9:30 a.m. again from Kačerov, the reconstructed set 81-71M will follow, which DPP is considering preserving as historical for the Public Transport Museum in the future. In one front car ev. No. 3138, the original safety device, the so-called smokehouse, remained in it. The last train to leave Kačerov at 9:35 is the M1 train, specifically the first prototype set that appeared in the subway as part of homologation in July 1998 and transported the first passengers in January 2000. Ečs trains will run on the oldest section of the Kačerov metro until 4:00 p.m. Florenc, set 81–71 between Kačerov and Nádraží Holešovice, 81–71M then in the section Kačerov–Ládví and the oldest set M1 then the section Kačerov–Letňany.
Fans of urban sightseeing and Tripper fun trips will meet on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, at the DPP Public Transport Museum in Střešovice, where the tracking special dedicated to 50 years of the Prague metro will begin and end. According to the playing card and the clues in it, the players will go through places connected with public transport in Prague, and especially the history of the subway, collecting hints and codes that will lead them to decipher the code. The reward is the joy of the trip, getting to know new places, deciphering the code and a unique symbolic reward.
On the anniversary, Thursday, May 9, 2024, DPP, in cooperation with the Center for Architecture and Urban Planning (CAMP), prepared a full-day program to celebrate 50 years of the Prague metro. The program for the public starts from 13:00 with the screening of historical documents and films from the 1970s. From 14:00 there will be a lecture on the history of the Prague metro. In parallel with it, screenings of other films will run, such as “Prague Metro Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” from 1985, or about the floods in the subway from 2002. From 4:00 p.m., the lecture will focus on the near future and the biggest technological change that the Prague Metro waiting – metro automation in Prague. The evening will once again be filled with screenings of documentaries and films, including the latest films with David Vávra “Prague Underground Railway”. Detailed program and seat reservations at: https://praha.camp/program/detail/50-let-metra.
New publications and souvenirs for collectors
DPP is also preparing the release of new publications for the metro jubilee. The first of them, “50 metro stories”, on 240 pages, presents the history of the Prague metro through 50 unique stories of 50 personalities connected with the Prague underground railway. The book will be published by Grada in May. Metro architect Anna Švarc and other collaborators are preparing the publication of a book with the working title “The most beautiful metro in the world”, which maps the history and present of architecture, design and art in the Prague metro. In addition, the DPP will publish a brochure about the independent traction vehicles of the Prague metro. DPP also thought of collectors, for whom it issued an annual edition of various souvenirs for the 50th anniversary of the metro, such as a tourist stamp, tourist business cards or stickers or a 0 Euro Souvenir banknote. They can be purchased at the DPP Infocentres in the metro stations Anděl, Hlavní nádraží, Hradčanská, Můstek, Nádraží Veleslavín, at the City Hall. Prague, in both Terminals at Václav Havel Airport Prague or in the DPP Fanshop.
TZ DPP
