December marks 45 years since trams last crossed Wenceslas Square, ending nearly a century of continuous rail service through the heart of Prague.

On December 13, 1980, the final tram passed through the boulevard, closing a chapter that had shaped daily movement in the city center since the late 19th century.

For decades, Wenceslas Square was the main hub of Prague’s tram network. Lines running between Můstek and the area beneath today’s National Museum carried thousands of passengers each day and connected directly to other key routes across the city.

When the service ended in 1980, Karlovo náměstí became the new focal point of surface transport.

The first trams appeared on Wenceslas Square on May 20, 1884. At that time, they were horse-drawn vehicles operated by the General Directorate of the Prague Tramway.

From Můstek, the line linked up with routes heading toward Jungmannovo náměstí and Náměstí Republiky, forming one of the earliest transport corridors in Prague. Over the following decades, the line was rebuilt several times as technology and urban needs evolved.

Wenceslas Square around 1901.

A major transformation came in 1927 during the First Republic. Wenceslas Square was redesigned to accommodate rising car traffic, and the tram line was relocated back to the central strip. New traffic lanes appeared on either side, and the rails were routed around the statue of St. Wenceslas, with one track passing on each side. This configuration remained in place for decades and became part of the square’s visual identity.

The beginning of the end came in the 1970s with the construction of the Prague metro. As work progressed, parts of the square were closed, and trams were diverted across temporary wooden structures.

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Once metro line A opened, city planners no longer saw a need for surface rail transport through Wenceslas Square. That shift in thinking led directly to the decision to shut down the tram line.

On December 13, 1980, tram services were officially abolished on the square. The move was presented as a step toward a more modern transport system centered on the metro, but it also removed a long-standing element of Prague’s urban landscape. For many residents, the disappearance of trams marked a clear break with the city’s past.

Interest in restoring the line began to surface surprisingly soon, roughly a decade after its closure. These ideas gained more concrete backing in 2005, when a new development concept for Wenceslas Square proposed bringing trams back as part of a broader effort to reduce car traffic and strengthen public transport.

The debate continued for years, facing opposition at the district level in 2011 before zoning changes approved in 2014 reopened the path to restoration.

In January 2019, Prague’s city council approved plans for a new tram connection linking the area near the National Museum with Vodičková and Jindřišská streets. Construction was delayed by the coronavirus pandemic, but work is now underway.

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