Žižkov is a Prague district east of the city centre. Together with part of Královské Vinohrady it forms the territory of the Prague 3 municipal district [2].
From vineyards to Žižkov
On the site of present-day Žižkov there was formerly a sparsely populated landscape outside Prague. The change came with a decision of Charles IV from 1358 that the slopes within a radius of three miles around Prague be planted with vineyards. The owner of a plot had to establish vineyards, and if he could not do so, he was to allow others to establish them. On the vineyard hills a special vineyard law applied, which later rulers confirmed. Unprotected vineyards were destroyed several times by the raids of armies, and the owners therefore preferred to turn them into fields and gardens [2].
The surviving continuous territory received the name Vinohrady in June 1849, and in 1867 Emperor Franz Joseph I permitted the use of the name Královské Vinohrady. According to a register of 1837 the municipality had 66 houses and farmsteads, in which 169 inhabitants lived and 216 head of cattle stood. Most of the farmsteads disappeared and are recalled by the local names Hrabovka, Ohrada, Parukářka and Pražačka [2].
The city walls and the division of the municipality
Those interested in building inside the Prague fortress were discouraged by the military administration, which had houses near the walls demolished in case of war. The lost war with Prussia in 1866 led to Prague being declared an open city. The Prague municipality then bought the walls after lengthy negotiations and from 1874 removed them. Most of the area of the walls was acquired by the railway, which prevented a continuous connection between Prague and Žižkov [2].
On 16 July 1875 the provincial committee divided Královské Vinohrady into two parts, present-day Žižkov and Královské Vinohrady, although the municipal council did not agree. The name Žižkov was officially permitted in August 1877; the name Rudolfov, paying homage to the Austrian crown prince, did not catch on [2]. The first mayor was Karel Hartig, who ensured that streets, squares and houses received the names of famous Czechs, from Hus to Comenius [2].
The town of Žižkov
On 15 May 1881 Franz Joseph I raised Žižkov to the status of a town. It was annexed to Prague on 1 January 1922 [2].
Prague 3 and reminders of history
The Prague 3 municipal district has a coat of arms and a flag designed by the heraldist Milan Buben [2]. According to its website, Žižkov is the subject of the permanent exhibition Žižkov 1881–1922, opened for the 140th anniversary of the elevation to a town. It presents the history of the district in those years and is translated into five languages. It is housed at Havlíčkovo náměstí 700/9; according to the municipal district's website it is open from Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. [2].
For the 145th anniversary of the elevation the municipal district prepared the exhibition From the Vineyard Hills to the Prague District of Žižkov, which throughout the summer of 2026 consisted of outdoor panels on náměstí Jiřího z Poděbrad; the municipal district also offers an online version of it. The educational trail of Prague 3 has twenty information panels on history, urban planning, development, changes in building and on personalities and events, mainly from the 19th and 20th centuries [2].