Smíchov’s Best Kept Secret: Radlicka 125

While the building is not yet being used to its full capacity as a multi-use space combining entertainment with athletics, project founder Jakub Zajic and his long-time friend and “partner-in-crime” Lukas Zdarsky, are currently hosting parties with a full bar and live music for everyone from fashion retail start-ups to community groups and the public at large.

“The bar is made from part of the roof of the building,” says Zajic, showing me around. Reconstruction of this previously abandoned building began in May 2013, when Zdarsky came up with the idea of making better use of the place, which he used to pass every day on his way home.

Zdarsky and Zajic have known each other for several years, and Radlicka 125 is not the first of their common initiatives. Their first enterprise was also community-oriented: a company selling snacks for kids at school.

Zajic compares their friendship to that of “Pat & Mat’s” – the characters from the classic Czech cartoon, who constantly meet the challenges that they create for themselves and who enjoy creatively solving the funny situations they always manage to get into.

Apparently, the adventure of turning an abandoned building into a lively community venue seemed exactly the right challenge for the two. (Well, not completely abandoned, as homeless people used to occupy part of the building. Zajic recalls: “We told them we were cleaning it because we were sentenced to community service.” Partners-in-crime indeed.)

The partners are open-minded and flexible in terms of whom they will offer their space to, but at the same time they have a particular idea of what the venue should be like – at least in terms of its fitness activities.

Zajic and Zdarsky hope to combine various sports under one roof without creating any walls in the 400-square-meter complex. Cross-fit functional training – a movement technique mimicking the natural movements of everyday life – various martial arts (the walls are covered with tatami for kickboxing and aikido) and yoga classes will be offered.

This defines the spirit of the place as non-traditional, as well as serving a logistical purpose: all the equipment needs to be easily transportable since by night this place turns into a lively venue.

“We still need to install changing room and showers, as well as get the heating and electricity working properly, but we hope to be open on a daily basis from March if all goes well,” says Zajic.

Radlicka 125 kicked off its party season with a New Year’s Eve celebration, and several concerts and DJ sets followed.

“This grand piano we got from a friend of ours. In music we also enjoy combining different elements – like the sound of grand piano and DJ sets,” Zajic says showing off the jewel of their space.

Zajic and Zdarsky didn’t need to invest much into promotion. They are constantly approached – either by volunteers inspired to help with the project or by organizations and artists interested in engaging with it, which is why the partners haven’t really needed to worry about programming at this stage.

Radlicka 125 provides a great opportunity to get involved with the community on several different levels: as a place to have fun, a place to build together, a venue for practicing sports or meditation or even to present your own community initiative.

Its founders’ openness to a spectrum of ideas is one of the venue’s best assest – and puts the audience in the driver’s seat with plenty of space for surprises.

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