Výstaviště Exhibition Grounds

The 1891 exhibition grounds, iron and glass, half restored

Area Holešovice
Type Landmark
Time needed 1h

Výstaviště Exhibition Grounds — Photograph: Výstaviště Praha / CC BY-SA 4.0

Výstaviště is the exhibition ground built in Holešovice for the Jubilee Exhibition of 1891, and its centrepiece is the Industrial Palace, a long hall of iron and glass with a clock tower over the middle. It sits on the edge of Stromovka park, about twenty minutes north of the centre. The site is half restored: the palace's left wing burnt down in 2008 and the rebuilding has run for years, so parts of the ground are hoarded off at any given time.

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Getting there

Trams 6, 12 and 17 stop at Výstaviště Holešovice, right at the gates. From Staroměstské náměstí allow about twenty minutes, changing to a tram on the embankment or at Strossmayerovo náměstí. Metro C (red) to Nádraží Holešovice or Vltavská also works, with a tram or a ten-minute walk at the far end. The ground itself is flat, but it is large, and walking from the entrance to the far corner takes several minutes.

What you see

The entrance gate and the facade of the Industrial Palace are the reason to come: cast and wrought iron, glazing bars, and a central tower with a clock, all of it 1891 and all of it unmistakably an exhibition building rather than a civic one. Walk the length of the front to see the scale, then look at the structure from the side where the frame is more exposed. The Křižík fountain stands behind the palace, a water-and-light installation with evening shows in season; by day it is an empty basin. The Lapidarium of the National Museum is on the ground in its own pavilion, and Marold's circular painted panorama of the battle of Lipany, from 1898, is in a rotunda nearby. Beyond these the ground is a mix of working exhibition halls, a small arena, car parks and buildings in poor condition. Stromovka begins immediately to the west, and the gate through to the park is the best thing about the walk out.

What to pair it with

The Lapidarium and Marold's panorama are on the same ground. Stromovka adjoins it, and from the far side of the park you can reach Troja and the zoo. Letná and the Letná beer garden are a walk to the south.

When to go

The ground comes alive when something is on — a trade fair, a market, a concert in the arena — and is close to deserted at other times, which some people prefer. Check before you go if you want the Křižík fountain, which runs seasonally and in the evening. Daylight is better than dusk for the ironwork. Summer weekends bring families through on the way to Stromovka.

What is hard about it

This is the honest problem with Výstaviště: it is a construction site in parts and a neglected one in others, and a visitor arriving expecting a restored nineteenth-century showground will be disappointed. The burnt left wing of the Industrial Palace has been behind hoardings for a long time and sections of the palace are not enterable; what is open depends on the fair calendar and on the state of the works. There is little to do if nothing is on, the food options are poor outside event days, and the surroundings include a good deal of tarmac. Treat it as a twenty-minute look at a remarkable facade attached to a walk in Stromovka, rather than as a destination in its own right.

Common questions

How long do you need at Výstaviště?

About an hour, including the Industrial Palace facade and a look at the fountain basin. Longer only if you are going into the Lapidarium, the panorama or an event.

Can you go inside the Industrial Palace?

Sometimes, and only when an exhibition or event is running there. Parts of the building have been closed for rebuilding since the 2008 fire, so check before you go.

Is it worth the trip from the Old Town?

On its own, no. Combined with Stromovka, the Lapidarium or the zoo beyond the park, yes.