Installation of playful mirrors to make Žižkov Tunnel entrance shine
Giant mirrors made of polished sheet metal will decorate the entrance to the Žižkov Tunnel on Tachov Square from September.
A popular piece of Prague architecture is the tunnel for pedestrians and cyclists that runs under Vítkov Hill, connecting the districts of Žižkov and Karlín. On the Žižkov side, the tunnel opens out onto Tachov Square (Tachovské náměstí), a very small square, but one that has recently received a significant face lift. After many years of planning, its renovation finally began in summer 2022 and was completed in 2023, costing almost 77 million crowns. This has changed what was once an unseemly corner of Žižkov into a pleasant and usable space.
As a finishing touch to the square’s renovation, giant mirrors made of polished sheet metal will line the entrance down to the Žižkov Tunnel from September. Pavel Křeček (Mayors and Independents, TOP 09), Prague 3’s Councillor for Culture, was a member of the jury for the competition that selected the artwork:
“At the beginning of 2022, architect Štěpán Valouch from OV Architekti, who are the authors of the revitalisation of Tachov Square, came up with the idea that it would be appropriate to place some kind of artwork in the tunnel portal. At the beginning of 2023, we decided on the top three contenders”.
Entitled ‘Mirroring’ (Zrcadlení), the metal sheets are currently being installed and are planned to be completed by the end of August. The designs by Vít Šimek of Atelier HRA, collaborating with Karolína Hausenblasová, were at first the runners-up in the competition organised by Prague 3. After the first-place plan turned out to be too difficult to install, Mirroring was chosen.
The shiny surfaces will not only bring more natural light into the tunnel, but also some fun for people passing by, as Martina Kubešová from Atelier HRA explains:
“It’s similar to what most people probably know from the Petřín maze, for example. It creates various effects. The sheets are irregularly deformed, so as you walk through it, they create unrepeatable reflections.”
The district will pay over 4 million crowns for the work, and its unveiling will officially take place in early September. Some concerns have been raised, however. To see how the mirrors will make the tunnel entrance feel in the summer sun, we will have to wait until next year.
