Prague 3 launches network of free-to-use public toilets

The lack of publicly-available toilets on the streets of Prague has long been an issue for pedestrians in need of facilities, but a new initiative from Prague 3 is destined to provide some relief.

Under the Nouzovka project, local cafes, restaurants, and cultural venues have joined forces to provide their facilities not only to customers, but to all passers-by who might need to make use of them.

Venues that participate in the initiative can be identified by a bright yellow sticker at their entrance. The project is primarily intended for children, senior citizens, and others who might have trouble waiting until they get home, but facilities are made available to any who feel the need to use them.

"We want to give people the opportunity to [relieve themselves] in the city with dignity, because we consider it a fundamental human right," Prague 3 Deputy Mayor Ondřej Rut states in a press release.

"The project is focused mainly on parents with children, seniors, pregnant women, or people with various diseases. However, anyone can use [the facilities] as needed."

So far, about two dozen locations across Prague 3 have agreed to participate in the initiative since being launched a week ago. They include popular cultural venues like Kino Aero and Divadlo Ponec, cafes and pubs throughout the district, and the Prague 3 information center at Jiřího z Poděbrad.

Organizers have also pinpointed the locations on Google Maps for a quick overview, and the network is expected to expand. Here's hoping it becomes an initiative across all Prague districts.

Local business owners in Prague 3 are invited to join the initiative by sending an email to nouzovka@praha3.cz or calling 222 116 264.

"All places that want to get involved will receive a yellow sticker from us. This can be easily affixed to the front door of the [venue]," says Matěj Michalk Žaloudek, chair of the Committee for Territorial Development for Prague 3.

"As a result, people will see at a glance that they can [use the restroom] here without having to humiliatingly ask someone.”

The district was inspired by Plzeň, which launched a similar initiative in 2016 to solve the issue of a lack of publicly-available toilets in the city center. Around 60 venues in the city still participate in the network.

So far, local business owners in Prague 3 have been happy to join the project.

"Participating in the project was a matter of course for me from a human point of view," says Michal Koksa, owner of Osika Restaurant.

"If guests later stay for coffee or something small, it will only be a pleasant benefit."