Summary of the lecture by Group Zapaleni (Plzen, CZ)

The history of city planning in Plzen and its consequences, according to Group Zapaleni

The modern history of Plzen can be traced on the basis of a series of masterplans, which were made over a period of a hundred years. It all started in the 1870s, when Plzen became a major railway junction and the transformation from an agricultural to an industrial town began. The ensuing huge economic boom was reflected in a masterplan made in 1895, which envisaged a chessboard grid of city extensions around Plzen. In this plan, today's road system of Plzen can already be recognized in the bud. However, it was never completed.

In the 1910s a new masterplan was made, which didn't feature the grid system anymore, but preserved the connecting roads. This masterplan wasn't executed either, though, becauset the First World War stopped all developments. Instead, another new masterplan saw the light of day in the 1920s, this time incorporating many surrounding villages into the city fabric and aiming to direct traffic around the city centre.

The biggest change in planning politics, however, occurred after the Second World War, when the communist regime took over. Between 1948 and 1952 a functionalist masterplan was developed, which envisaged the demolition of the entire city centre from the Skoda works to the Pilsner Urquell brewery, leaving only the medieval core. Again, the plan was not executed. Only the road network was realized according to this plan in the 1960s – with devastating consequences that still determine the character of Plzen today. Apart from bringing heavy traffic to the city centre, it also meant the destruction of many historically important neighbourhoods and buildings, which were sacrificed for the construction of high-capacity roads linking the city centre to the suburbs. The historical core of Plzen became an island in the traffic.

As a result, the centre also shrunk. Until the 1960s, everything between the Skoda works in the west, Pilsner Urquell brewery in the east, Mze river in the north and the railway line in the south constituted the centre of Plzen. Nowadays, only the medieval core is considered the centre. This narrow definition is a direct consequence of modern traffic planning. In reality, the centre should cover a much larger area, including the Skoda works and the brewery as well as the northern suburbs, which lie beyond Mze river. The road system, however, prevents this and cuts the city apart into little sections. Buildings with peripheral character, such as large supermarkts and shopping malls with unattractive, closed façades, are being placed in what should be inner-city locations. Large streets encourage car traffic to enter the centre, and the main square is used as a huge parking lot. Even the new theatre, to be built until 2012, will stand on an island, surrounded by heavy traffic.

Consequently, inhabitants are leaving the centre, because they find the suburbs more attractive. There are no new housing developments in the centre, and no more designs are being made to solve the problems of the area. The road system is universally accepted as a necessary evil.

Summary by Anneke Bokern of the lecture of Group Zapaleni for City Visions Europe.