30 Years Ago Today: Žižkov Tower Transmitter Began Operating

Unquestionably the main landmark of the Žižkov district, at 216 m in height, it’s also the tallest building in the city. With a 360° view, Prague is laid out before your eyes from the viewing platform at 93 m. 

The Žižkov Television Tower is the work of architect Václav Aulický and the team of workers Spojprojekt Praha, as well as one of our most distinguished design engineers, Dr. Jiří Kozák.

The foundation stone was laid in late October 1985, and on 24 November of the same year, construction began. Testing began in March 1991, and from 3 May 1991, the transmitter switched to standard operations.

The transmitter, thanks to which inhabitants of Prague and in the surrounding area have received television and radio signals since the beginning of the nineties of the last century, when the Petřín Tower stopped transmitting and the Cukrák transmitter did not cover the whole capital city, is quite popular among inhabitants of Prague; this is rather unusual compared to the rest of the world.

The tower stands 216 meters high, altitude of the observatory is 93 m, the hotel room altitude is 70 m, restaurant’s altitude is 66 m, with a capacity of 180 people. 

It weighs 11,800 tons and is also used as a meteorological observatory. It is a member of the World Federation of Great Towers.

In 2000, ten fiberglass sculptures by Czech artist David Černý called “Miminka” (Babies), crawling up and down were attached to the tower’s pillars.

Between 2011 and 2012, the tower’s interior underwent complete reconstruction work. A team of acknowledged Czech architects and artists were given the task of designing new spaces and creating an interactive environment. Thanks to their efforts, the interiors have a very unusual design and style. Tower Park Praha is responsible for their maintenance.

June 2013 saw the opening of garden restaurant Miminoo located right at the foot of the tower in Mahler Park, where you can also find an 18-hole miniature golf course, a picnic lawn, and an ice rink in the winter months.