Zvuky Prahy / Sounds of Prague

Smíchovské station belongs -beside Severní nástupiště and Železniční most-deep in to my chilhood psychogeography of Prague in 50ies and 60ies. Window of my room, where i grow up was directed towards the station, under the mysterious hill Pavak. That´s why my “sounding Prague” is rooted with multiplyed voices of the uncoded railwaymen messages from the forrest of speakers, with whistling of steam locomotives and the reveberating echo´s of crashing of the wagons. The station was founded in 1862, as a end station České západní dráhy from Plzeň to Praha. Original name was “Praha (Czech Western railway)”. In 1872 the trail of Buštěhrad railway from Hostivice.. Same year the Prague connection rail was finished, leading across the Smíchov Railway Bridge, Vyšehrad station towards the Main Station. Not far from the old building was erected new hall of the Station designed in 1953 až 1956 by architects Jan Zázvorka and Ladislav Žák. Fascinating are the socreal style frescos of a four season iconography by further not so acclaimed painter Mr. Richard Wiesner.