The demolition of Prague's Těšnov railway station sparked a storm of discontent 40 years ago

tesnov

Prague - The demolition of the railway station in Prague's Těšnov has become a sort of memento and symbol of the insensitive approach of authorities to monuments. The Neo-Renaissance building, which was one of the most beautiful stations in Central Europe, definitively vanished into clouds of dust on March 16, 1985. In addition to 400 kilograms of explosives, a political decision played a role in this, despite protests from both professionals and the general public. The site where the Těšnov station once stood is now intersected by a north-south expressway.

In the memory of many Prague residents, the building, which rose on the border of New Town and Karlín between 1872 and 1875, was well-known by the affectionate name "Deniska". The birth of the station was the result of the Austrian Northwest Railway (ÖNWB) - a company that began constructing a new long-distance connection between Vienna and Berlin in the early 1870s. However, the new line bypassed Prague by about 30 kilometers to the north. To somewhat alleviate domestic dissatisfaction over the neglect of the capital, the ÖNWB decided to build a branch line into it.

When the station was officially opened on October 15, 1875, it was clear that the railway company had not spared any expense on its final form. ÖNWB commissioned the design from its court architect, Karel Schlimp, a native of Velenice near Žatec. Schlimp was not just anyone in the world of architecture - at the time of the construction of the Prague station, he was a professor at the Vienna University of Technology. He materialized his ideas in a truly grand manner by designing a complex of buildings that had more to offer than often dull railway architecture.

Schlimp imparted a Neo-Renaissance character to the construction. He left the side wings without external adornments, but equipped the central building all the more lavishly: a monumentally impressive Roman triumphal arch with Corinthian columns, crowned by an allegorical group representing Austria - the protector of agriculture and industry. The spacious departure hall was adorned with the coats of arms of the cities through which the railway passed. The wing additions were intended for the operational needs of the railway; partly, Schlimp also placed representative spaces, salons, waiting rooms, and a restaurant in them.

For more than 40 years, the station bore its original name Northwest, after the company that built it. After 1919, it took on the name of the then still-living Ernest Denis, a French historian and Slavophile. However, his name was unacceptable to the Nazis, who in 1940 introduced a new name: Moldau Bahnhof or Vltavské nádraží. The post-war period briefly returned to Denis, but the 1950s were not favorable to such traditions, and the station was named Těšnov. However, it did not carry this name for long, as the urban planners of the 1960s began to see it as an obstacle.

The last day the station still belonged to trains and passengers was July 1, 1972. After that, the building was closed, and its decline followed. The northern wing was demolished, and a purpose for the fragment of Schlimp's Neo-Renaissance style was long sought. There were plans for a storage building for the Museum of the Capital City. It was also considered that the building, which was entered into the State Register of Cultural Monuments in 1978, should become a university canteen or shopping center. However, ultimately none of the options were realized. The idea of routing a highway through the city was stronger.

The fate of Těšnov was sealed when a brief report appeared in the newspapers on March 15, 1985, stating that "on Saturday, March 16, at eight o'clock, the building of the former Těšnov station in Prague will be demolished by explosion. In the interest of operational safety, a closure in Prague 1 and Prague 8 was authorized. Traffic will be halted for about 10 to 20 minutes...". Such was the official obituary of building number 562 in Prague 8 - Karlín.