The tram tracks at Wenceslas Square used to be a key hub of Prague's public transport

Prague - A selection of information about tram operations on Wenceslas Square in Prague (the construction of a new track in the upper part of the square will be ceremonially inaugurated today):

- Trams have been a natural part of Wenceslas Square for more than a hundred years; the first vehicles, still horse-drawn, appeared at its lower end as early as September 1875 when rail transport made its debut on the streets of Prague. By the end of the 19th century, tracks also crossed the square in the middle, between Vodičkova and Jindřišská streets, and a track along the square was also put into operation. At the height of their glory, trams departed from the upper end of Wenceslas Square not only to Vinohradská Street but also left toward the Main Train Station and right to I.P. Pavlova Square. However, by the mid-1980s, most of the tracks disappeared, and today trams only run along a short section in the middle of the square.

- There has been talk of a possible return of trams to Wenceslas Square for many years. The reconstruction project of the square, prepared by Cigler Marani Architects in 2005, included the revival of the track between Vinohradská Boulevard and the square. However, nearly two decades have passed since then until the start of construction; only in 2018 was a short track section built between the National Museum (NM) and the former Federal Assembly building, related to the reconstruction of the museum. The construction of the track from the middle of Wenceslas Square to Vinohradská Street was approved by the previous city leadership, and the current city council coalition, which took office in February 2023, is also continuing with this action.

- The new track will, however, differ significantly from the configuration known to Praguers until December 1980, when trams last ran along the square. At that time, the tracks ran in the middle of Wenceslas Square and tightly circled the statue of Saint Wenceslas, whereas now the builders will lay the track along the sidewalks at the edges of the square, and the tracks will converge above the statue at the intersection with the main road, from where trams will head along the northern part of the historic NM building and further into Vinohradská Street. For the first time in history, trams will be able to reach Vinohrady from Jindřišská or Vodičkova Street. In the past, tracks in the middle of the square always intersected only perpendicularly.

- Instead of the original track along the square, which was created as a horse-drawn line in May 1884 and ended service after the opening of the second section of Line A of the Prague Metro (between Náměstí Míru and Želivského stations), passengers were supposed to use the underground railway according to plans from the late 1970s. It soon turned out that the metro, with its deeply located stations, was not very suitable for short-distance travel, and in addition, one of the alternative tram connections to Vinohrady disappeared. Today, lines heading there from the center of Prague must pass either through Karlovo náměstí and Ječná Street or take the route through Žižkov. And these routes are - especially in the case of accidents and diversions - very often congested.

- The first horse-drawn tram appeared on Wenceslas Square on September 23, 1875, but it merely passed through the lower end of the square on its way from the National Theatre to Karlín. In June 1883, the horse tram line from Vodičkova to Jindřišská street crossed the square. Along the longitudinal axis of the square, the horse-drawn line first began operating on May 20, 1884, on the route Můstek - Wenceslas Square - Mezibranská - Tylovo náměstí - Nuselské schody. The tracks initially ran through the middle of the square; however, in 1895 they were relocated to the edges of the sidewalks. The distance between the tracks was again reduced in connection with the electrification of the line in May 1900. Trams began operating on an elevated track along the axis of the square in 1927.

- The construction of the metro dealt a heavy blow to tram operations in the square, but complications also arose from the construction of the underpass in the middle of the square between 1967 and 1968 (which later became the eastern vestibule of the Můstek metro station A). In the following years, tram transport suffered many relocations and shutdowns due to metro construction. At that time, trams had to run on temporary bridges over construction pits, and restrictions (and ultimately the closure of the line toward the Main Train Station) resulted from the construction of the Muzeum station on Line C in the early 1970s or the construction of Line A at the lower end of Wenceslas Square in the second half of that same decade.

- The last passengers to ride along the square in the early hours of December 13, 1980, were conveyed by line 29 headed toward Můstek. After that, the tram snowplow number 4225 also traversed the route, completely ending tram operations along the former Horse Market. Shortly thereafter, the overhead wires disappeared at the National Museum building. The tram tracks in the middle of the square rusted in the ground for two years before they were removed from February to April 1982. A part of them was found in the ground in the middle of the square as late as 32 years later. In July 1985 - less than half a year before the opening of Line B of the metro - tram transport was also halted on the streets Na Příkopě and 28. října, as well as in the lower part of the square, where a pedestrian zone was created.