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The History Of The District Strasnice

The first written remarks of Strasnice dates to the year of 1185, when it was a part of the Vysehrad Abbey.

In the 14th century, there were three farmyards: Naz’s, Stuk’s and Eling’s, in 15th century two forts, one of which served as a target for the testing of new guns. Towards the end of 15th century the village was owned by Jan of Busteves; after his death it fell into the possession of the king’s cabinet. One of the owners used to be the Prague’s New Town which had sold a part of the lands. J. Hluchy, the local reeve, obtained one of the farmyards.

After the uprising of 1547 the king Ferdinand I. disowned the village and gave it to the Old Town of Prague. Strasnice suffered terribly in the beginning of he Seven Year War (1756-1763), during the siege of Prague by the Prussian army and after the battle between Austrian and Prussian armies at Sterboholy (6.5.1757). In 1781, the lands were plotted: the farm was sold and in the village tens of houses were built – thus the settlement of Nove Strasnice began.

Both these factory owners help the township very much: they built tenement houses at Altan and by the railway and houses west of Vinohradska av. and at Vinice. The owner of a barbershop Svec built there the Miramare Hotel.

New streets sprang up and were named: Novostrasnicka, Gutova, Pod Altanem. The post and telegraph office was build as well as a police station. The fresh water supply in Strasnice came in the beginning of the century, the public illumination in 1912. Traffic was the main problem of the day. In 1908 the tram lines from Flora had been prolonged to Stare Strasnice and the township gave out lands for the building of the yard. The connection to Vrsovice, Zabehlice and Hostivar came as late as 1935.

The citizens of Strasnice built their own school in 1877, a project of one E. Brabec. Today, the building of the first school of Strasnice serves as a police station. The secession building of the new school V Olsinách from 1909 is much more magnificent. It was built on the project of the Vinohrady’s architect and builder Josef Domek. The school acted its role in the history of the Prague May Rising of 1945 – it became the staff building whence he war operation were directed.

In 1358 Charles the IV. ordered that the owners of he lands of the today’s Vinohrady cultivated vine. Thus the name of the township (Vineyards), which had been changed to King’s Vineyards following the visit of the Caesar Fr. Joseph I. After 1875 the country board decided to divide the township. One of the parts later chose the name of Zizkov. Vinohrady were made a town in 1879.

A huge building development came towards the end of the last century. At the time city houses were taking place of the former vineyards, gardens, orchards and little farms, which are now only remembered through the names of the streets - Zvonarka, Kravin (Cowshed), Smetanka etc. The villa side of Vinohrady forms a part of Prague 10, making a splendid architectonic enclave on its territory.