Tram 17

Right after Czech language class a few Fridays ago, I packed my backpack with an apple, a water bottle, and a pen and paper. I headed to Národní Třída and hopped on tram 17 in order to ride its full route. I traveled south from Národní Třída to Nádraží Braník. I wrote down the majority of my notes on the southbound journey but for continuity's sake, I will recall my travel through the stops from south to north, Nádraží Braník to Sídliště Ďáblice, with some commentary from my return trips, as well. Allow me to jump right in.

Nádraží Braník is the southbound end of tram 17's route. Traveling from Národní Třída, I expected there to be some draw, something here to tell passengers to get off the tram because there is no need to go any further. Besides the fact that there is nothing further on this tram line, I did not find the area incredibly exciting. Here one can find a small bus hub, a construction site, and a pub or two serving, fittingly enough, Braník beer. I did not see anyone walking around and there were only two or three people who got on the tram going north with me. From Nádraží Braník through Pobřežní to Přistaviště, I started to notice the magnificent homes on the beautiful hill just across the river. I found their placement interesting because on the one hand, they are completely secluded up on the mountain and have an incredible Vltava view, yet they also look directly at unglamorous neighborhoods. Here, there are two clear, earthly bodies that hierarchically divide this area. On one side you have the mountain, beautiful in size and structure, holding the foundations of many up-scale houses. Then down the mountain and across the river, one finds more reasonable homes and apartment buildings that may not be as aesthetically pleasing, yet serve a more functional purpose. The rich are on high and the poor are down below. I would be interested to find out the relationship between the two neighborhoods, so opposite yet both sharing a section of the Vltava. As I brought my attention back to the road, I noticed that the highway had a decent amount of advertisements and graffiti. Even though this looked to be an older community based on who I saw, the walls of the highway are still seen as valuable places to artistically express oneself through graffiti and to advertise business. The population on the tram up until this point was mostly made up of elderly women, each kept to themselves. I also noticed the difference in architecture from the city center. In the center, even an unassuming, unimportant building stands taller than most buildings and homes way down south. The homes along the tram route were less fancy, not ugly by any means but just far less meticulously detailed as buildings in the city are.

As the tram pulled into the Dvorce stop, I began to notice the amount of space in between building clusters. In contrast to the city center where normally one can only find open space if the area has been designated a square, out here there were more small parks along the road, even running lanes on the sidewalks. Not many people boarded or left the tram, the population still seemed to be on the older side. I guess that is what one should expect as the tram moves through more residential areas. At Kublov, I continued to feel more of a residential atmosphere. I saw tennis courts, a soccer field, and there were far less restaurants and shops lining the streets. A blue, green, and yellow painted fence lined the river side of the road. I could not tell exactly what lay behind the wooden fence but it looked as though there is a children's park, or a recreational park, on the inside. The fence's advertisements show young adults playing beach volleyball which seems like an intriguing way to bring the youth of Prague's inner city to the outskirts for fun in the sun, at least in the summer. My friends and I are always looking for new places and parks to play football (the American version), regardless of how cold Prague can be, so this could very well be the location of our next game. On the way to Podolská Vodárna, I also noticed a massive cubist building here, it may have been a hotel or an official building of some sort. Either way, the building really demands attention and gives character to the street. Most of the buildings started to look like a mix between cubist and functional, becoming very blocky and older. I like that cubist buildings line this part of the street facing the Vltava because they bring a vivaciousness to the area.

The last cubist building I noticed came right before Vyšerhad and the Výtoň stop, the famous building right on the corner, Villa Kovarovic. At Výtoň, I noticed a slight change in the demographic of the tram car. Most of the people still looked very local and older for the most part, and still, not many people spoke a word, but there were a few students who boarded the tram and I could sense that the tram was driving into a younger crowd. Next we came upon Palackého Náměstí, one of the most beautiful squares I have seen here in Prague to which I definitely plan on returning. Just across the road from the eastern bank of the Vltava, there is an open and peaceful-looking park or garden. Along with the statue of František Palacký, just behind the square stands a very pretty brown building with spires that connect to the edge of the roof in a curvy slope. I want to return to find out more about the building. One thing I saw on the western riverbank was a giant Pilsner Urquell boat called the Admiral Botel. I can only assume that a botel is simply a hotel on a boat, but I do not think I would need Watson's help figuring out this mystery. I bring it up because over the course of my travels on the 17, I saw a few different yachts bearing the names of different beer manufacturers, yet all of which were outside of the main touristy part of the Vltava and of Prague. Some may have just been restaurants but having what looks like a high-priced hotel, just because it is on the river, yet that far away from the city center does not make the most sense to me.

Speaking of beautiful views of the river, I thoroughly enjoyed riding through the stop at Jiráskova Náměstí which offered an incredible view of the Vltava as the tram ran up the river's eastern side. Here, I noticed that all down in this area of the river the docks stored more functional boats, rather than leisurely ridden paddle boats. The idea makes perfect sense because from that far south, a tourist can barely, if at all, see the spires on St. Vitus's Cathedral. Seeing these industrial boats definitely makes one snap back to the idea that the Vltava serves a greater purpose than allowing tourists to float around in a giant plastic duck. Traveling back toward the city center, I started to notice tourist gift shops around this stop and the people on the tram were ready to get into the city. There were now the most amount people on the tram yet. At The Myslíkova stop, one knows he is in Nové Město, and when one gets to Národní Třída, he knows that this is the main hub, just about the heart of the city center in terms of tram stops. A plethora of trams going in various directions all converge on this stop due to its close proximity to many things, Tesco, Wenceslas Square, as well as to all of the attractions of Národní Třída ulice itself. Here is where I noticed a drastic swing in age demographic, the majority was now younger and middle-aged people.

This trend continued through Národní Divadlo, Staroměstská, and up until the tram passed Právnická Fakulta. Národní Divadlo offered a beautiful view of the most aesthetically pleasing sight, the Prague Castle towering over the Charles Bridge and the Vltava. The architecture around here is extravagant, including the residences, with very specifically detailed facades. At this tram stop, the car was jam packed but seemingly not with tourists. Interestingly enough, most people did not care to look out the window as we passed Karlovy Lázně to see the castle or the Charles Bridge as we passed them. It was a sight the people grew up with and did not need to focus on during this ride. At the Staroměstská stop, there was lots of movement on and off the tram. For the first time on my tram travel, I noticed how loudly the occupants of the tram spoke to one another. The up-beat mood of the tram differed drastically to mundane atmosphere in the car at the beginning of the trip. Právnická Fakulta, as I recently discovered, is the Charles University Law School, and the last major stop before crossing the Čechův Most to go north. A decent number of people got off the tram here who mostly looked like students.

When the tram crossed over Čechův Most, another beautiful view displayed itself for me. Back across the river, there were beautiful buildings. Two of them looked like very upscale hotels, the Inter-Continental and President hotels. Because they strongly resemble the same hotel that Michael Jackson stayed in near the Old Town, I can only assume that they were erected during the Communists era. Another captivating building was, as I was told when I asked another passenger about it, a government building that reminds me of the National Museum at the top of Václavské Náměstí. Here I also saw the Budweiser Budvar boat resting against the dock.

From this point on, I saw no more gimmicky or touristy shops, this was a very real and functional part of Prague. The first stop passed Čechův Most was Strossmayerovo Náměstí. As we passed by, I noticed a pretty church at the top of what I think is the square. This is interesting because I have not seen another square set up this way, one that focuses on its church as if it were a village in Catholic Spain. Obviously I just passed by and get off the tram to examine the square further but from what I could tell, the square focused on the church. The only other square I remember seeing in Prague with a church is the Old Town Square and St. Nicholas's Church, and I would argue that the square does not center around the church but rather, the church just adds another beautiful piece of architecture. I wonder if this square is more historically Catholic than others in Prague. The next stop was Veletržní. The only memory I have of Veletržní is of the National Gallery. The gallery's architecture does not demand attention, I very easily could have missed it if I happened to look the other way. I noticed the architectural change from the flashy sights of the center to more normal looking, more easily manageable buildings around here. There is nothing too ostentatious about the area; however, I do like the more commonly found architecture up here in the north than I did in south of Národní Třída, besides the cubist buildings.

As the tram then approached Výstaviště, I became very excited; I knew this place. This is an interesting area because one side of the road has such an abundance of fun and excitement while the other side is incredibly boring. Across the street from the Výstaviště stop, one sees Tesla Arena, Výstaviště Praha Holešovice, and Stromovka park. All of these places are packed with fun, hockey, concerts, and all types of amusement, Stromovka park being the largest and prettiest park to which I have been besides the hills near Jinonice. When I realized that I knew this place, I quickly diverted my attention away from the ventured side of the street to the other. I just as quickly returned my eyes to the side with the amusement. It is interesting because the other side of the street and the rest of the area felt very industrial with not much to note. Pulling into the next stop, Nádraží Holešovice, I saw only the second Agip gas station that I have seen in the Greater Prague area. I noticed around this area the tram to have a familial feel to it. A few kids made some noise here and there as they sat next to their parents. I soon figured out the reason for this shift in demographic on the tram, this was the last stop before heading to the very humble parts of the outer city.

Passing through Trojská, Nádraží Troju, and Hercovka, I could tell that I had entered a very residential suburb of Prague. I started to see personal homes with lawns and garages. One thing of note was that the physical height of the architecture was smaller in comparison to buildings and homes closer to the city center. The trams demographic aged greatly again, as more and more elderly people boarded the tram around these stops. Then at Ke Stírce, I started to see a little pick-up in commerce. There were many more shops around this area than I had seen recently a little further south and Kobylisy even seemed to have a good sized metro stop. I noticed that most people got off the tram here. Going through Kobylisy, I sensed a communal feeling in the area in the sense that I did not see more than one of a certain type of store, only one butcher and so on. There were no big business out here, just small shops. And once the tram passed Kobylisy, definitely by the time it hit Střelničná and Kyselova, I was one of the only people left on the entire tram. No one got on or off at any of these stops and the only interesting sights were the massive communist housing projects. Gigantic apartment buildings in kind of weird colors stacked next to each other with nothing in between, no amusement of any sort, no aesthetics of any kind. At last, the tram reached its final stop of Sídliště Ďáblice. There was a car dealership, a couple of low-end restaurants, more functional housing, and a pub, but that is it. I went into the pub to use the bathroom and grab a beer, and upon opening the door, I felt as though I was wearing a giant pink elephant costume. Everyone in the place stared at me. Once I ordered the beer in Czech, I felt less eyes on me, and eventually everyone went back to their business. It was a very interesting experience that I really appreciated, especially because the velké pivo cost only 20 krowns.

Coming back from Sídliště Ďáblice, I decided to let one 17 pass me and wait for the next one, I was waiting for the nice, spacious tram scheduled to leave a few minutes later. I think the experience of riding one of the normal trams as opposed to the newer, handicap-accessible trams is very different. I cannot explain it too well in words but the natural feeling of the moving tram going over the tracks, making turns, etc, are all slightly different. I do like the newer trams better, the seats are much more comfortable; however, I do feel a sort of disconnect from the spirit of the authentic Czech tram. The new trams ride with less noise from the tracks. I almost feel like I am in a little bubble traveling through Prague but not experiencing it when I am on the nicer trams. The honest feeling of having to stand for the duration of a ride is humbling in a way, but except during rush hour, I imagine, there is no need to stand on the new trams because of the plethora of seats. I love standing on the back of trams and fixing my eyes on whatever catches them. I even tried to stand on the back of the 17 for this journey but quickly realized that one, it would be difficult to take notes, and two, I would not be able to see the people on the tram.

I am glad that I took this excursion at a time when the tram car's population did not remain stagnant, either completely empty or packed to the brim. I was able to obtain a better understanding of the important stops in certain areas of the city but at the same time had enough personal space to remain comfortable. I think I scored a great experience. Starting from Národní Třída, I saw the city cube up and shrink in size and population as I moved further south until Nádraží Braník. I then witnessed the rapid growth in commerce, population, size, and architectural beauty as I made my way through Národní Třída to Staroměstská until Právnická Fakulta. Similarly to the south, the way north end of the route completed the downward slope at the end of the Prague bell-curve of excitement. I would rather take the tram than the metro any day and the reason is because of the different views of the city I get from coming and going in different directions. Coming and going from Sídliště Ďáblice, I witnessed many different angles of the same view and it is something very special and unique to the tram system here in Prague.

Thanks for reading!

All the best,

Than