An exhibition and social complex in Prague's Bubeneč district, founded for the Jubilee Land Exhibition of 1891 and managed by the municipal company Výstaviště Praha.

Gate of the Jubilee Land Exhibition, 1891
Gate of the Jubilee Land Exhibition, 1891Photo: Jan Mulač, 1891 · public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Výstaviště Praha is an exhibition and social complex in Prague's Bubeneč district.[3] It was created for the Jubilee Land Exhibition of 1891, and its dominant feature is the Industrial Palace.[1] The complex is managed by the joint-stock company Výstaviště Praha, which is controlled by the Capital City of Prague.[1]

The Jubilee Exhibition of 1891

The Jubilee Land Exhibition opened on 15 May 1891 and ran until 18 October. It was visited by more than 2.5 million people. The Industrial Palace had already opened on 15 March 1891.[1] The site plan of the exhibition was drawn up by Bedřich Münzberger and Antonín Wiehl, and F. Buldra, J. Stibral and J. Vejrych also took part in the designs. The arc-lamp lighting was provided by František Křižík.[2] Křižík also built a light fountain for the exhibition.[1]

Emperor Franz Joseph I at the Jubilee Exhibition, 1891
Emperor Franz Joseph I at the Jubilee Exhibition, 1891Photo: Rudolf Bruner-Dvořák (1864–1921), 1891 · public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Further exhibitions and trade fairs

In 1895 the Czechoslavic Ethnographic Exhibition was held here, and in 1898 the Architecture and Engineering Exhibition.[2] A pavilion with Marold's Panorama of the Battle of Lipany was built for the latter. In 1908, during another jubilee exhibition, the Art Nouveau U Primasů pavilion was added. In 1920–1951 the Prague sample fairs were held here, and in 1948 the Slavic Agricultural Exhibition.[1] From 1953 the complex bore the name Julius Fučík Park of Culture and Rest; it returned to its present name after 1990.[1]

The exhibition grounds seen from the Trade Fair Palace, 2019
The exhibition grounds seen from the Trade Fair Palace, 2019Photo: Benoît Prieur, 2019 · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

Recent history

In 1991 the Brussels Pavilion burned down, in 2005 the Globe theatre, and in 2008 the left wing of the Industrial Palace (fire at the Industrial Palace). The flood of 2002 inundated the lower part of the complex and damaged, among other things, the Spirála theatre.[1] In 2014 the company Incheba returned the complex to the management of the capital city.[1]

Reconstruction of the Křižík pavilions began in 2020. Pavilion D was the first to open, in 2021, and the repaired pavilions with new roofs opened to the public in June 2024.[3] Refreshments, seating among greenery and a running track were created on their roofs.[3] The Spirála theatre returned in 2024.[1] The Industrial Palace reopened after reconstruction on 24 September 2026.[4]

Pages that link here

Chronology

  • — A train run without authorisation halted traffic in Prague on the section between Bubny and Výstaviště. → Pražský deník iDNES.cz, Praha
  • — The multimedia exhibition How to Touch the Sky by Barbora Šlapetová and Lukáš Rittstein opened on the piazzetta in front of the Industrial Palace at Výstaviště Praha and will be on view until 18 October 2026. Pražský patriot Pražský deník

Sources

  1. Výstaviště Praha
  2. Památkový katalog NPÚ
  3. ČT24 — 5 June 2024
  4. ČT24 — 24 September 2026