Vinohrady is a beautiful residential area of Prague that carries a reputation of prestige and elegance. It covers portions of Prague 2, 3, and 10. Most of its grand Neo-Renaissance, Art Nouveau, Pseudo Baroque, and Neo-Gothic buildings come from the second half of the 19th century and first half of the 20th century, and many have been and continue to be restored in an amazing array of color and architectural detail.

Vinohrady is approximately defined by the Riegrovy sady park on the north, Havlíčkovy sady park on the south, Legerova street on the west, and Jiřího z Poděbrad square on the east, from there continuing east between Vinohradská and Ruská streets all the way to the Vinohrady Cemetery. In metro talk, Vinohrady stretches from I. P. Pavlova to Želivského stations of line A. The district's main arteries are Vinohradská, Korunní, and Francouzská streets, all served by trams. The two main squares are Náměstí Jiřího z Poděbrad and Náměstí Míru.

The History of Vinohrady

The name Vinohrady means "vineyards". The area was indeed covered with vineyards starting in the 14th century when Czech king Charles IV had them planted there, right around the time when he had the New Town built. The vineyards lasted for some four hundred years and were later replaced by rose gardens, orchards, and residential buildings.

An independent community of Vinohrady was established in 1849, encompassing the area of today's Vinohrady and Žižkov. The area was divided into Královské Vinohrady (Royal Vinohrady) and Žižkov in 1875. Královské Vinohrady received the status of a city in 1879. A tram line between Muzeum and Flora started running in 1897. Královské Vinohrady was incorporated into Greater Prague as a district in 1922 and its name was shortened to Vinohrady in 1968.

Getting There

To get to the heart of Vinohrady, take line A of the metro and get off at Jiřího z Poděbrad. Or, to take a slower ride above ground, get on tram 11 or 13 at Muzeum and take it up Vinohradská to Jiřího z Poděbrad.

Vinohrady Parks

On your walk around Vinohrady, you can also take advantage of its several parks and gardens. The largest ones are Riegrovy sady on the north and Havlíčkovy sady on the south. Visit the Prague Parks and Gardens page to read about them.