Petřín Tower offers panoramic view of Bohemia
While the Petřín Tower is five times smaller than the Eiffel Tower, it is still very large.
Paris is known for many sites: the Louvre, the Notre-Dame Cathedral and the Arc de Triumphe, but Paris is also known for having one of the most recognizable structures in the world, the Eiffel Tower. A lesser-known tower inspired by that structure is The Petřín Tower in Prague, Czech Republic. Here, tourists and Czechs can view the picturesque “City of Bohemia.”
The Tower’s employees said many tourists do not know the history of the tower. Some have read travel books with information about the tower, but these do not give them enough information.
The Petřín Tower was created as part of the Jubilee Exhibition, one of the World Fairs held in 1891. The Petřín is about five times smaller than the Eiffel Tower and has approximately 299 steps to get to the observation deck.
The Tower was built by The Czech Tourists Club after they attended the World Exhibition of 1889 in Paris. During that time they viewed the Eiffel Tower. They were awed by the beauty and architecture of the Parisian structure and thought Prague should have something similar.
At the base of the Petřín is an exhibition gallery on the history of the Tower. The exhibition cited the three main men involved in the Petřín construction: Vojtěch Náprstek, a Czech who was the first chairman of the Club; Vratislav Pasovský, an architect and chairman of the Club and the leader of The Petřín Observation Tower Association; and Vilém Kurz an editor of a tourist magazine who heavily promoted the construction of the Tower.
Tourists flock to the tower on weekends. Visitors can view the gardens, visit the observatory, drink cider or eat at the two restaurants either Nebozizek Restaurant or Petrinske Terasy Pub on the side of the hill.
Tourists and employees agree that the Petřín Tower offers unparalleled views of the beautiful city of Prague.
Edited by Jessica Carr
