Letná Park (in Czech ''Letenské sady'') is a large park on

Letná Letná is a hill overlooking Prague historic centre and Vltava River just besides Prague Castle. It neighbours Stromovka, the largest park in Prague. The hill belongs to Holešovice and Bubeneč quarters of Prague 7 Prague 7 is a municipal d ...

hill, built on a plateau above steep embankments along the Vltava River in

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

. Letná's elevation and location afford commanding views of the Prague Old Town (''Staré Město''). "Leten", originally called "summer camp" or "place to sunbathe" gained its importance in the Middle Ages, when the first military camps were located there due to their strategic location. The areas were mainly vineyards and gardens. It was not until the end of the 19th century that it began to be systematically colonized. Over time, the plains of this area of the city became a place of meeting, entertainment and recreation. In 1955, a large

monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, hist ...

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet Union, Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as Ge ...

was erected at the edge of Letná Park. This statue was destroyed in 1962 and the Prague Metronome now occupies the site. During the

Velvet Revolution The Velvet Revolution ( cs, Sametová revoluce) or Gentle Revolution ( sk, Nežná revolúcia) was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 28 November 1989. Popular demonstrations agains ...

, a

plain In geography, a plain is a flat expanse of land that generally does not change much in elevation, and is primarily treeless. Plains occur as lowlands along valleys or at the base of mountains, as coastal plains, and as plateaus or uplands ...

next to the Letná Park (''Letenská pláň'') was the site of some important demonstrations against the

Communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, ...

government. On the 25th and 26 November 1989 approximately 750,000 people protested in here. Singer

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the " King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over ...

kicked off his

HIStory World Tour The ''HIS''tory World Tour was the third and final worldwide solo concert tour by American singer and recording artist Michael Jackson, covering Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania and North America. The tour included a total of 82 concerts spanning ...

at the park on September 7, 1996, approximately 130,000 people attended the concert. On June 23, 2019, more than 250,000 people gathered on the Letná plain, calling on Prime Minister

Andrej Babiš Andrej Babiš (; born 2 September 1954) is a Czech politician and businessman of Slovak descent who served as the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic from 2017 to 2021. Babis previously served as the Minister of Finance and deputy Prime Minister ...

to resign amid allegations of conflict of interest and criminal fraud. Nowadays the Letná Park is conceived more as an area of recreation, leisure and outdoor sports practice. The area around the metronome is a popular

skateboarding Skateboarding is an action sport originating in the United States that involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard, as well as a recreational activity, an art form, an entertainment industry job, and a method of transportation ...

location.

Buildings, monuments and attractions

* Hanavský Pavilion is a cast-iron structure built in 1891 in Neo-Baroque style for the Jubilee World Fair (General Land Centennial Exhibition). Coordinates: * The oldest

carousel A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (international), roundabout (British English), or hurdy-gurdy (an old term in Australian English, in SA) is a type of amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular pl ...

in Europe, constructed in 1892, is located in the Letná Park. The carousel has been reconstructed and after 16 years reopened in July 2022. Coordinates: * A large marble pedestal with Metronome which used to be the base of a large statue of

Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secretar ...

, and is still referred to as Stalin's Monument. Coordinates: * The northern part of the park is delimited by

Sparta Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referr ...

's stadium and Molochov's functionalist façade. File:Prager Brücken - panoramio.jpg, Famous postcard view towards bridges in Downtown Prague File:Letna Prague metronom 4575b.jpg, Metronom File:Hanau pavilion 2.jpg, Hanavský Pavilion File:Letenský kolotoč.JPG, Letná Carousel File:Praha, Hradčany - Gogolova (Letenské sady).jpg, Gogolova street File:Praha, Letná, socha oblázku.jpg, Statue of pebble

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Letna Park Parks in Prague Prague 7