Prague Districts: Holešovice - part II.

On the other hand, the western sector contains a number of Prague attractions popular with children. The long-running St. Matthew´s Fair (Matějská pout´) is held at Výstaviště each year in the run-up to and after Easter (see “St Matthew´s Fair” article). Výstaviště is also home to the Mořský svět aquarium, which is guaranteed to arouse interest given that Prague is far from the ocean. Immediately adjacent to Výstaviště and extending westwards to Bubeneč is the vast Stromovka Park, originally a royal hunting ground. It´s been a favorite spot of Prague families (and more recently the city´s inline skaters and runners) for generations, and the many attractions enjoyed there including sledding in winter.

Education
There are no English-speaking international schools in Holešovice, although the privately funded Österreichischen Gymnasium Prag (high school) provides instruction mainly in German. In terms of Czech publicly funded education, the local authorities run nine nursery schools, seven elementary schools and three high schools in Holešovice. At the university level, the Academy of Fine Arts (Akademie výtvarných umění) is based in the neighborhood. For full information about all educational provision in the neighborhood, see the Prague 7 Borough website.

Sport and leisure
Although Holešovice boasts a huge sports complex, run by the Ministry of Interior and tucked away in a corner of Stromovka Park, it´s used for training the country´s leading sportsmen and women and therefore closed to the public. However, there are a number of privately-run sports and leisure facilities in Holešovice, including a small swimming pool at Výstaviště and a number of fitness centers, from small, basic establishments to the smarter Olga Šípková center. Squash is very popular in Prague, and Squash Holešovice also offers table tennis. Other sports and leisure facilities include a climbing wall atLezecké centrum Mammut Holešovice and ten pin bowling and other games at Absolutní bowling.

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Entertainment and culture
Although Holešovice has long been synonymous with industry, the neighborhood, particularly around Dukelských Hrdinů, is also an important center for culture and leisure. Anyone interested in art should not miss the Trade Fair Palace (Veletržní pálac), part of the National Gallery. The gallery is home to a collection of 19th and 20th-century Czech art, and the building´s architecture and interiors are equally noteworthy. On the other side of Holešovice, the DOX Centre for Contemporary Art is a more recent addition to the cultural scene but has rapidly become an important arts venue in the capital. From the Trade Fair building it´s a short hop to the newly renovated art house Bio Oko cinema, which has survived the multiplex invasion, and retains its refreshingly retro character. The cinema regularly screens films in English. The Alfréd ve dvoře Theatre, also close to the Trade Fair Palace, is noted for its contemporary focus and project-based rather than repertory program; many of their projects are of the English-friendly “performance art” variety. Kulturní dům Vltavská is another key player in the local cultural scene and a center for concerts, exhibitions, film and theatre among others. It was also a Designblok festival venue in 2010. A short distance away, the Metropolitní divadlo, located in the Holešovice Markets complex (see below) stages concerts and musicals, as well as classical theatre. Bear in mind that events at the last two venues above are staged mainly in Czech.

At the northern end of Dukelských Hrdinů is another cluster of important attractions, notably the Exhibition Grounds or Výstaviště, one Prague´s major exhibition venues. The steel and glass clock tower of the Průmyslový palác is a well-known feature of the Prague skyline and the building is the focal point of the complex. Part of the building was destroyed by fire in 2008, although the burnt-out wing was replaced by a temporary structure and the exhibition organizers continue to operate a full programme. Výstaviště is also famous for the Křižík fountain (Křižíkova fontána), the centerpiece of a son-et-lumičre show in the spring and summer. Adjacent to Výstaviště is the communist-era Paegas arena, a large, if rather old-fashioned, concert venue. Big name bands such as The Cure have played here, and the arena also doubles as a sports venue and the home of Sparta ice hockey club.

The sprawling River Town, also known as Holešovice Markets (Holešovická tržnice), is a Prague institution, evidenced by the constant throng of shoppers at the adjacent tram stop. The markets were once Prague´s main slaughterhouses, but today the rows of long brick barracks are home to the capital´s largest fruit and vegetable market, and a regular farmers´ market (indoors in winter). The buildings also house shops such as Alza.cz (see below), Penny Market and Schlecker. Individual traders sell from numerous kiosks around the complex, which also includes restaurants and the Metropolitní divadlo.

Holešovice is also worth visiting if you´re looking for household goods, particularly electrical and electronic items, and upscale furniture. Mironet and Alza are two of the Czech Republic´s most well-known online sellers of electrical and electronic goods, particularly computers. Both firms also have shops in the neighborhood. Like Karlín, Holešovice is also emerging as a place to buy high-end furniture as the quarter establishes itself as an artistic and cultural zone and furniture shops such as Konsepti and Avenue Design have moved in. Interestingly, the former is located immediately opposite a symbol of the “old” Holešovice, a bric a brac shop whose windows are packed full of every possible item.

If you´re hankering after dumplings and tradition in Holešovice, you can satisfy your cravings at U Houbařů on Dukelských hrdinů, or at modern versions of it, such as Dobrá sešlost, formerly Jihočeská Restaurace, at the northern end of the same street. For something more cosmopolitan, La Crêperie, as its name suggests, serves everything pancake-related, and a cluster of pizzerias are located on Milady Horákové. Baterka, on the western edge of Holešovice offers a more general menu, and if you want to dine in ultra-minimalist surroundings, try Molo 22.

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Holešovice scores quite well on the café front. Long-term expats will recognize Kavárna Ouky Douky, whose previous incarnation was The Globe Bookstore before it relocated to Prague 1. Ouky Douky retains much of the atmosphere of its predecessor and sells English-language newspapers. A short walk away is the cozy, disparate Kavárna Kumbal, one of a growing number of Prague cafes with a cosmopolitan menu and a quirky, distinctive atmosphere. If you prefer tea to coffee, the Čajovna U kostela teahouse, just off Strossmayerovo náměstí, has a wide variety of blends.