PRAGUE

Your NEXT DESTINATION
Your NEXT DESTINATION
Stories from
Text by Una Meistere,
anothertravelguide.com
Photos by AinĀrs Ērglis and
courtesy of Prague City Tourism/
www.prague.eu
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Do
you remember the
last time that you
reserved a table at a
café for breakfast?
Not counting business meetings, of course.
I don’t remember doing such a thing. When
I read in a popular Prague food blog that
one should definitely reserve a table at the
Můj šálek kávy for just such an occasion,
I presumed that this was exaggerated,
patriotic bluster by local bloggers. After
all, one has to draw attention to oneself
somehow! However, when I stopped by
the café one day at around five in the
afternoon and found it nearly impossible
to get a seat for a cup of coffee even at
that time (all of the tables in the small
café and its outdoor terrace were full,
plus there was a line waiting at the door),
I asked the barista behind the counter
whether they were really serious about
reservations for breakfast. Yes, indeed!
Můj šálek kávy is one of the most
popular cafés in Prague. It took part in the
renaissance of the city’s coffee culture and
has played a role in the rebirth of an entire
city neighbourhood. The café can be found
in Karlín, Prague’s eighth district, which
is a 20-minute walk from the city centre
and has now become the epicentre of the
Czech Republic’s hipster culture. Practically
everything new that’s going on in Prague
can be found there. Karlín is bordered in
the north by the Vltava River, and in the
south by Vitkov Hill. The neighbourhood
was a separate city until 1922, when
it became a part of Prague. Thanks to
relatively low rent prices, Karlín was long
a working-class neighbourhood, complete
with the entire package of less pleasant
qualities associated with such districts. In
fact, the Czechoslovak Communist Party
was established there in 1924, in the U
Zábranských tavern.
The floods of the century in August
of 2002 completely changed the Karlín
neighbourhood. After almost a week of
continuous rain, much of Central Europe
was flooded. Karlín was one of the worsthit
areas in Prague. The waters devastated
the neighbourhood and several people lost
their lives. In last decade, however, Karlín
has risen like a phoenix from the ashes.
The streets have been cleaned up, houses
have been restored (some painted only very
recently), and countless cafés and enticing
50 | AIRBALTIC.COM BALTIC OUTLOOK | SEPTEMBER 2016 | 51