Prague 1 residents tired of constant noise from tourists
While the streets of Prague 1 may be breath-taking by day, they turn ugly by night for the city’s residents who are severely plagued by noisy drunk tourists wanting to make the most of their time in Prague. The locals, many of whom have lived in the city centre for generations, accuse the authorities of turning a blind eye to the problem. But the solution is not so simple. Many businesses in the city centre rely on these tourists for their survival, as Karolína Šnejdarová, spokesperson for Prague 1 explained to me.
“This situation is not new and we are very aware of this problem. This is often a problem that many capital cities face – for instance Prague, Paris and Rome. It’s a difficult situation because on one hand we want to accommodate our citizens, but on the other hand we are the city centre of Prague and it cannot be closed at 10pm. So we have to deal with this.”
The other day in a city council meeting there was a proposal put forth to have restaurants close at 10pm in the city centre, but it didn’t go through. I can imagine this is a tough balance to strike between what is best for businesses in the city and what is best for residents. How are you working to address this?
“When the town hall rents out business premises that are in its ownership, it tries to set up the lease so that the business has to be careful about the noise level and the impact on its surroundings. Then, it’s the responsibility of the police to enforce the night time peace. Prague 1 city hall has a new security department that is working closely with the security forces and local residents. Of course we aim to solve these noise problems. But this is a problem that everyone has to deal with, we can’t simply close everything and limit business and everything that is going on at night.”
What are the solutions to creating more harmony between those living in Prague 1 and the businesses that are operating?
“The solution is certainly putting more police officers on the street during night time. There has also been a long-term campaign going on in the city centre about mutual respect. It’s these huge black signs that have been done by Prague City Tourism. It’s a well-thought-out campaign, and tourists are first confronted with the message to be considerate when they arrive at Prague airport. The focus is to remind them that there are also people living in Prague, and that they should treat the city like it’s their own. We are trying to approach it positively, and are hoping to achieve mutual respect.”
