Prague City Hall's paternoster elevator reopens as a guided tourist attraction

Starting today, Prague City Hall in collaboration with Prague City Tourism has launched a new guided tour called the New City Hall Paternoster Tour. This tour offers a unique opportunity for visitors to explore the interiors of Prague's New City Hall (Nová radnice) building on Mariánské náměstí, including a ride on its historic paternoster elevator.

Due to safety concerns, the New City Hall Paternoster Tour is restricted to individuals over 18 years old. Tickets are priced at CZK 250 for adults and CZK 170 for seniors and students over the age of 18, with purchases available online. The tour is available to the general public on weekends, holidays, and selected weekday evenings.

“We are launching this pilot tour route on June 1 at the request of our shareholder, the City of Prague," František Cipro, chairman of Prague City Tourism, explains through a press release.

"We will evaluate its performance after about a year. Our top priority is the safety of our visitors, so we will continue to develop the route and assess any potential risks over time. As part of enhancing tourism, we have implemented guided tours to give tourists the chance to see the normally inaccessible interiors of the New City Hall and learn about its operations.”

The guided tour includes several stops, allowing visitors to experience not only the paternoster elevator but also selected interiors of the historic New City Hall building. Highlights include the historic staircase from 1911, adorned with marble, and the Grand Council Chamber of the Prague City Assembly.

The history of paternoster elevators dates back to the late 19th century, with one of the first appearing in London. New City Hall contained the very first paternoster in Prague, dating to 1911.

A new circular elevator replaced the original paternoster in the 1970s, and it underwent a comprehensive three-month renovation in 2017, costing over CZK 3.5 million. The renovation included all cabins, electrical installations, safety systems, and the elevator machine room, preserving the building's historical elements.

Last year, the paternoster was taken out of service due to unsafe behavior by tourists, who were jumping on and off the elevator and overcrowding its cabins. These actions triggered the elevator's safety mechanisms, causing frequent automatic shutdowns.

In May, the paternoster resumed operations for Prague City Hall employees. The city sought to find a solution to allow public access to this unique heritage site. Consequently, the paternoster is now part of the guided tour of the entire building.

For more information about the guided tours at Prague's New City Hall, including the paternoster elevator, visit the website of Prague.eu.