Parurkarka Park Home to Nuclear Bunker Menhir and Beergarden

Parukářka Park is located on a hill in the Žižkov district. Hardly visited by tourist, this park is the domain of mothers and fathers with children on their way to one of the three playgrounds. Although this park is not located in the centre of Prague, it is worth taking a look because of the unique view of Žižkov Television Tower. Moreover, anyone interested in history should visit the Parukářka bunker, a relic of the Cold War.

What to see in Parukářka Park

More attractions in the park include the longest slide in Prague, table tennis, a dog obstacle course, a menhir and a small beer garden. Concrete vents are located in several places throughout the park and visitors use them as ad-hoc seating. Standing at the top of the hill, in November and December the sun sets right behind the Žižkov TV Tower, offering great photo opportunities. Prague Castle and the National Monument in Vítkov, with its huge equestrian statue of Jan Žižka, are also impressive sights seen from the park.

The Menhir in the Park

A one and a half meter marble menhir was erected in 2004 on top of the hill. An inscription shows a seven-pointed star, a mystical symbol referring to harmony based on a balance of energy and in that respect resembles feng shui.

The Nuclear Bunker

When you enter the park from Olšanské náměstí, via the stairs or the footbridge across Prokopova Street, you will see pass the entrance to the largest nuclear bunker in Prague.

A system of corridors runs beneath the hill on which Parukářka Park is located. This is the Bezovka complex built between 1950-55 and originally intended to keep 5,000 people alive for up to two weeks. It was self-sufficient in terms of water and electricity.

An exhibition is now on display in one of the rooms. Technically, about half of the complex is still considered operational, providing shelter for 2,500 people in an emergency.

The Exhibition in the Bunker

One of the rooms in the bunker hosts an exhibition about Protect and Survive before 1989, the Cold War and its consequences, and the related political history. On display are original items such as gas masks, ČSLA (Czechoslovak People’s Army) equipment, anti-radiation clothing, radiometers and other measuring equipment to be used in the event of a nuclear bomb hitting the city or other chemical warfare. Furthermore on display are uniforms, flags, insignia, army supplies, posters, photos, books, newspapers and publications relating to civil defense and the Cold War period.

The Bezovka bunker is usually open one day a month. The date is stated on the website. The number of places available for the tour is very limited. Information but only in Czech, can be found on the bunkr bezovka website.

Beer Garden

Rght above the bunker is a small wooden building: Hospůdka Parukářka, a beer garden with indoor and outdoor seating and open all year round. Colloquially it is called Na Křížku.

Hill of the Holy Cross

The hill itself is called the Holy Cross (vrch svatého Kříže) and, like many other parks in Prague, began as a vineyard in the late 14th century under Emperor Charles IV.

According to tradition, the hill was an execution site on which stood a cross and a gallows. However, modern historians dispute this, saying that the execution site was probably somewhere near today’s Příběnická and Řehořova streets.

The original name of the park was Hejtmánka, but now Parukářka, which means wig maker. This refers to hairdresser Jan Hrabánek, who had a farm and wig factory here in the early nineteenth century. The farm building is still located at Pod Parukářkou 4, but has lost much of its original character due to major renovations.

Trivia

The stone wall running parallel to the lower path in the park is a remnant of the Sellier & Bellot ammunition factory and testing area. They owned part of the hill from the early nineteenth century to the late twentieth century.

In 1872 an explosion in the factory killed fourteen people. In 1935, the factory was closed because urbanization caused the houses to be too close to the factory. The place had become too dangerous due to the risk of explosions. The company name can be seen in large concrete letters above the entrance to the current residential building at Jeseniova 53. A chimney in the same street was also part of the complex.

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photos Marianne Crone