Fifty years of the subway: During construction, Prague was excavated like never before

The underground railway, which celebrates half a century since its opening on May 9, was originally conceived as a shallow underground tramway. This greatly limited the possibility of using classic coinage.

Wenceslas Square, where there are two metro stations and both transfer stations, was one big construction site. Route C was the first to be put into operation in the section Kačerov-Florenc, and therefore passed through the upper part of the square. Later, line A was built, which runs under Wenceslas Square.

The project also brought an opportunity for an archaeological survey of an unprecedented scale and a lot of remarkable finds. For example, while moving networks near the main station, the workers of Metrostav, then still a state-owned enterprise Vodní stavby, discovered marble water pipes from the 19th century. Several times they also came across the remains of old city walls.

Among the most curious catches from the preventive cleaning of the cellars were, for example, advertising items for the Jakamarus brand of the First Republic liqueur, for example ashtrays and plates. The drink was invented by the South Bohemian pharmacist Alois Kříž, who opened a pharmacy in Pankrác even during the First World War, in which he also administered the mentioned herbal extract of his own production to patients with digestive problems.

Metro line A will be shorter by a station for a few days due to the replacement of sleepers

Homemade

One of the riskiest moments of the construction of the first section of the subway between Florence, then Sokolovská, and Kačerov, was the excavation under the church of St. Pankráce in Prague 4. The tunnel was created at a shallow depth and in challenging loose sediments. The builders supported, secured and finally successfully undermined the important Baroque monument. The work thus survived unscathed.

During the archaeological survey that preceded the event, the remains of the original rotunda from the 9th century were discovered. “Even compared to other valuable finds, this is still the most important archaeological discovery from the entire subway construction,” stated Petr Dušek on behalf of the Metrostav company.

The metro now has 61 stations. In the very first one that was created, but it doesn’t stop people. It was built in the years 1953–1957 in Klárov. The station served to verify project preparation and construction procedures, and above all, it fulfilled the demand for the construction of a civil defense shelter. It was later involved in the protection system of the subway on the A line.