Petrin Tower- The Eiffel Tower of Prague

by abs.admin · December 2, 2015

The story of the tallest historical tower in Prague’s city center started back in 1889, when a Club of Czech Tourists went on a trip to Paris – to that year’s World EXPO. They were very impressed with many of the new inventions they found there, but one thing was far more so than the others- The Eiffel Tower.

Petrín Tower from afar

On their way back to Prague, only one thought featured in their proud nationalist minds – if they had such a wonderful tower in Paris, why couldn’t Prague have a similar tower too?

As soon as they arrived back, they created the first plans for Prague’s Eiffel Tower. The hill picked for the construction was the highest one in the city center – Petrin Hill. The only problem was the lack of money. Together they collected 1031 Guldens (currency of Austro-Hungarian Empire), but the construction would need 32 000 Guldens. So they called upon the most silver-tongued member of their club called Dr. Kurz, to write a promotional article in a local newspaper. He painted a vision of Prague as a cosmopolitan city that deserved a monument just as great as the Eiffel Tower in Paris. But he didn’t stop at a vision of tower. He said that there should also be a funicular, conveying people all the way to the top of the hill.

Czechs were so fired up by his vision, that all the necessary finances were collected in record time and the construction took only four months! In comparison with the Eiffel Tower, it was equipped with a modern, gas-powered lift, and was taller (including the hill).

Nowadays, the tower is open all year long, offering people outstanding views not just over Prague, but across the Czech Republic.