Prague Districts: Košíře - part I. - Prague, Czech Republic

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In Mozart’s day, Bertramka was firmly beyond the Prague boundaries and stood among fields. Well into the 19th century, Košíře was shown on maps as an agricultural area apart from scattered cottages. In addition, a small “colony” of dwellings for workers sprang up at Buďánka, around what is now Nad Zámečnicí street, in the first half of the 19th century. By the early 1990s, the cottages had become derelict; conservationists tried, unsuccessfully, to preserve them, and fires and neglect have speeded up the dereliction process.

The nearest metro station to Košíře is Anděl, within easy reach of the western extremity of the neighborhood. Otherwise, trams form the backbone of public transport in the area. The very frequent number 9 plies Plzeňská, en route from Řepy to Spojovací via the city center, and trams 6, 10 and 16 also run along Plzeňská.
Several bus routes crisscross Košíře; one of the most handy is 217, which links the Anděl and Dejvická metro stations, passing Strahov stadium and Hradčanská on the way.

Košíře is dominated by a mix of low-density, high-quality housing from the early decades of the 20th century, particularly the interwar period, when a number of architecturally noteworthy modern villas were built. Houses are detached or semi-detached; many appear to be large villas but are, in fact, small blocks of flats. You’ll find such accommodation between Plzeňská and Pod stadiony streets, and between Cibulka and Malvazinky, south of Plzeňská. The high quality of these properties, coupled with their leafy location and easy access to downtown Prague, inevitably keeps prices high.