Prague's Žižkov Tunnel will close for two weeks

The tunnel connecting Prague’s Žižkov and Karlín districts will be closed to pedestrians and cyclists for two weeks.

The closure of the Žižkov Tunnel starts on Monday, Jan. 16, and will last until Sunday, Jan. 29. The Prague 3 district recommends that people use public transit instead as there is no other easy way to get across Vítkov Hill.

The closest metro stop on the Karlín side is Křižíkova. On the Žižkov side though, the metro is less convenient as the closest open station will be Flora, since the stop at náměstí Jiřího z Poděbrad will close on Jan. 14 for 10 months due to the installation of new escalators.

Trams to the Karlínské náměstí stop on the Karlín side or Lipanská on the Žižkov side might be more convenient than the metro for some people. Several buses also serve the area. Alternate routes can be planned using the PID Lítačka phone app.

For cyclists, Prague 3 recommends taking a route from Tachovské náměstí along Husitská, Trocnovská, Prvního pluku, and Pernerova streets to Thámova Street.

Traffic signs about the closure will be placed at the tunnel entrances at Tachovské náměstí in Prague 3 and Thámova street in Prague 8 as well as at the Křižíkova metro station.

No changes will be made to the tunnel itself during the closure. The entrance on the Žižkov side, though, will be blocked due to the ongoing renovation of Tachovské náměstí, which began last year.

When it is finished, the square will have new trees, new pavement, benches for rest, and more convenient entrances to both the tunnel and the park in Vítkov Hill. Visualizations of the square can be seen here.

The 303-meter-long tunnel linking Žižkov and Karlín was built between 1951 and 1953, the height of the Cold War. The tunnel hides entrances to a nuclear fallout shelter and an atomic particle accelerator, among other things.

Despite being in use for more than 60 years, the tunnel didn’t have an official name until December 2014, when the Prague 3 district officially opted for “Žižkovský tunel.” This ended a long-running dispute, as it was also commonly called the Karlín Tunnel and Vítkov Tunnel.