Dejvice is a historical community, a municipal quarter of the

Prague 6 Prague 6, officially known as the Municipal District of Prague 6 (''Městská část Praha 6''), is the largest Districts of Prague, district in Prague. Located in the northwest, it covers 41.54 km2 and had a population of 100,600 as of 31 D ...

district of

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

, Czech Republic. Its history can be traced back to the late Roman era. Dejvice is known for its appeal to the upper middle class, foreign diplomatic corps and as a university district. It is also the home to

Dukla Prague Dukla Prague () was a Czech football club from the city of Prague. Established in 1948 as ATK Praha, the club won a total of 11 Czechoslovak league titles and eight Czechoslovak Cups, and in the 1966–67 season, reached the semi-finals of the ...

, one of the most successful football clubs of the Czechoslovak era.

History

While it is difficult to pinpoint the exact time in which Dejvice came into existence, archeologists have uncovered a pit that dates back to the late Roman Era. This find is the first preserved archeological site in Prague history. Other than this not much is known until the 10th century when Dejvice, and other towns in the current Prague 6 municipality, came under the auspices of the

Břevnov Monastery Břevnov Monastery (, ) is a Benedictine archabbey in the Břevnov district of Prague, Czech Republic. It was founded by Saint Adalbert, the second Bishop of Prague, in AD 993 with the support of Bohemian Duke Boleslaus II. The first Bened ...

. The history of modern Dejvice begins in the 1920s. During this time the city was an affluent neighborhood of Prague. Orchards were planted on the surrounding hills.McRae (1997) p. 2

Václav Havel Václav Havel (; 5 October 193618 December 2011) was a Czech statesman, author, poet, playwright, and dissident. Havel served as the last List of presidents of Czechoslovakia, president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 until 1992, prior to the dissol ...

lived in Dejvice during this time. The tram line was established incorporate with a trolleybus by wartime. The build up of the quarter also continued. From the Victory Square it sequentially shifted to the North to neighborhood. During the war, the

Hotel International Prague The Grand Hotel International Prague is a four-star hotel located in the Dejvice quarter of Prague, in the Czech Republic. It was completed in 1956 in the socialist realism style, and is a Cultural monument (Czech Republic), Czech cultural monu ...

was completed in 1950 and was intended to mimic the architecture of Moscow. After the fall of communism it was renamed the "Hotel Crowne Plaza". The town surrounds a square entitled, Vítězné náměstí (Victory Square). In 1978 the metro line was extended to Dejvice (station was named Leninova, now it is Dejvická). Today's motorway, called Evropska also appeared at that time. That time it was also called Leninova. The airport, united with the center of Prague, and that newly built neighborhood, by a sequence of primary streets.

Character of the quarter

The architecture of Dejvice was greatly influenced by Czech architect

Antonín Engel Antonín Engel (4 May 1879 – 12 October 1958) was a Czech architect, urban planner and architectural theorist. His most known works are the Prague Waterworks building in Podolí (Prague), Podolí, the Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Defe ...

during the 1920s, when he developed new housing settlements that still stand today.Kohout (1999) p. 14 Dejvice is a relatively luxurious residential quarter, catering to the educated elite. Dejvice is a home to multiple universities with many students. It is home to the main campus of

Czech Technical University Czech Technical University in Prague (CTU) () is one of the largest universities in the Czech Republic with 8 faculties, and is one of the oldest institutes of technology in Central Europe. It is also the oldest non-military technical universi ...

, University of Chemistry and Technology, newly built Czech National Library of Technology, as well as Catholic Theological Faculty of Charles University.

Demographics

Hanspaulka league

The Hanspaulka League, which was the most popular amateur football league in Czechoslovakia, originated in Dejvice. It began in 1972 with eight teams. The league has now grown to over 790 teams. The league is broken into eight divisions based on skill and quality of play. Each game features six players per side and are played on small pitches. The league began four years after the Soviet suppression of the

Prague Spring The Prague Spring (; ) was a period of liberalization, political liberalization and mass protest in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. It began on 5 January 1968, when reformist Alexander Dubček was elected Secretary (title), First Secre ...

as a means of self-determination for the Czechs. It was staffed by many of the intellectuals and students who participated in the 1968 events.

Transport

Dejvice is linked with the center of Prague by tram lines (8, 18, 20, 26). The metro line A stop's in Dejvice at the Dejvická metro station, and gets to the heart of the city in minutes.

References

Notes

* * {{Authority control Prague 6 Cadastral territories in Prague