Long-lost Prague railway station steams back to life in immersive installation

A new site-specific installation is reviving the memory of Prague’s long-lost Těšnov railway station. Těšnov 150 utilizes light, sound, and movement combine to recreate the station’s presence in a contemporary form. The installation runs each evening between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. through Oct. 26 at the Těšnov Park, the site of the former station.

Těšnov 150 offers a sensory experience that connects the city’s past to present life and preserves the memory of a historical landmark. Residents and visitors can engage with Prague’s urban history in a public setting this weekend, providing an unusual way to explore heritage, arts, and culture outside traditional museums or galleries.

Těšnov station opened in 1875 as an imposing neo-Renaissance gateway into Prague, designed by architect Karel Schlimp. Known for its monumental portal, sculptural decorations, and expansive hall, it remained a symbol of the city’s modernization for over a century. The station was demolished in 1985 to make way for the North–South motorway.

Audiovisual artists Daniel Pošta and Pavla Zábranská, in collaboration with the Museum of Prague, transformed technical drawings of the station into a blurred digital projection on semi-transparent layers, creating a dialogue between reality and memory.

“We wanted to revive the city’s memory and its people’s recollections,” said Pošta. “Těšnov station remains in collective memory—in images, sounds, and imagination. We aimed to turn this trace into a new experience using a contemporary language of light and movement.”

Pavla Zábranská composed an original soundtrack blending the rhythms of trains and abstracted sounds of steam engines with ambient textures and organ improvisation.

“The music connects the past to the present, opening new interpretations of urban memory,” she explained, describing how the auditory component enhances the immersive experience.

Visitors can also explore historical artifacts from the Czech Railways collection, including mechanical levers, switch devices, and electromechanical control instruments, bridging past and present in tangible ways.

Ivo Macek, director of the Museum of Prague, said the installation aims to engage both younger audiences and those less familiar with museum spaces.

“We want to be a living institution, extending beyond the walls of our buildings,” Macek said. He added that a new museum building is planned on the former Těšnov site, potentially the first new museum structure in Prague in more than 80 years.

The installation is free to the public and accessible nightly this weekend from 7 to 10 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to arrive early to fully experience the projections and soundscape. Organizers note that the project highlights the importance of remembering architectural heritage that has disappeared from the city.