CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CAPITAL CITY OF PRAGUE
“Hlavní město Praha” (Prague) is the Capital City of the Czech Republic. It is a natural centre of politics, international relations, education, culture and economy. Prague is also an important city of Central Europe. This fact has become important again especially since the beginning of the 1990´s, when barriers in relationships among states, regions and towns of Eastern Europe and the West that have arisen during the previous decades are being eliminated on the Continent. On 1 May 2004, the Accession Treaty of the Czech Republic with the European Union started to be valid and thus the Czech Republic together with other nine countries integrated in the geopolitical space of Europe, which is being newly formed. The Capital City of Prague with its population ranks ninth among the 25 EU Member States and when compared to all big cities of the European Community it ranks fourteenth. Within the EU, the Capital City of Prague is considered as one of the most attractive historical European cities. Since 1992, its historical centre has been on Unesco´s World Heritage List. Prague is also a part of socio-economic and settlement structure of the entire country. All these aspects are reflected in the specific character and position of Prague among the regions of the CR.
The Capital City of Prague is the largest city of the Czech Republic. Its area is 496 sq km, which is only 0.6% of the CR’s territory, but with the population of 1,188,126 inhabitants as at 31 December 2006 it represents 11.5% of the country and is more than three times bigger than the population of the second largest city, Brno.
The area of the city is located in the central parts of Česká vysočina (the Bohemian Highlands), predominantly in the area of Poberounská soustava (the Berounka River Formations). Rather a small part situated in the northeast is included in Česká tabule (the Bohemian Plate). Erosion and accumulation processes of the Vltava River along both the sides of which the city is situated influenced the current relief of the city in the first place. As for geomorphology, there is the flat relief of the high-raised areas on one hand, contrasting with the sharp valleys of the Vltava River and its tributaries on the other hand. The most broken topography originated on the left bank of the river. The highest point is the flattened landscape southwest of the Zličín town part (399 m above sea level), while the lowest point is the surface of the Vltava River at the north edge of the city in the Suchdol town part where the River leaves the territory of Prague (177 m above sea level). Therefore, the maximum altitude difference exceeds 200 m within rather a small area.
From geographical point of view, Prague can be considered a centre of Europe. It lies almost in the centre of the Continent, approximately the same straight-line distance away from three seas: the Baltic Sea (365 km), the North Sea (495 km) and the Adriatic Sea (490 km).
The current area of the city is a result of natural historical development and a long-term territorial growth. The beginnings of Prague could be put in the second half of the 9th century when the Prague Castle was founded and independent settlements began to develop under its protection in the surrounding area. These settlements grew to constituent independent towns of Prague: Staré Město (the Old Town) called the Head (caput regni), i.e. the capital of the Kingdom of Bohemia, as early as before 1280, Malá Strana (the Lesser or Little Quarter), Nové Město (the New Town), and Hradčany (the castle district). Milestones in the development of Prague so far include the year of 1784 when the four still independent towns were joined into the town of Prague, then the years of 1850, 1883, 1884 and 1901 when other four towns were attached, respectively Josefov, Vyšehrad, Holešovice-Bubny, Libeň. The Act of 6 February 1920 established the Great Prague when other 39 nearby municipalities joined to the existing eight Prague neighbourhoods. Further territorial growth took place in 1960 (attachment of three municipalities and two cadastral areas), in 1968 (attachment of 21 municipalities of the former Středočeský Region, in 1970 (modification of the territorial borders of Prague, particularly in relation to the surroundings of the Prague-Ruzyně airport) and finally in 1974 when other 30 municipalities of the former Středočeský Region were attached to Prague. There have been no other territorial changes since this year.
Population of Prague had been increasing already from half of the 17th century. It culminated in 1992. When we look at the results of periodic censuses that were carried out regularly every ten years (with the exception of the Second World War), we can see that Prague’s population increased 4.5 times from the first census (1869) to 1991 Census in which the biggest number of Praguers was counted (all that calculated for the same territory). From 1991 to 2001 Census Prague’s population decreased for the very first time of censuses taking place. According to the 2001 Population and Housing Census, the number of inhabitants was even lower than the number in 1980. Mid-year population was the highest in 1993 (1,217,897 persons) and since this year the number of persons had been steadily decreasing until 2002. During the last years, Prague’s population has been yearly slightly increasing again. In recent years, the increments resulted only from migration, namely persons in productive age, who move to Prague especially due to ample opportunity to find a job on the labour market and persons with foreign citizenship prevail among them. But in 2006 the positive natural increase was noticed. The number of live births increased by 5 % compared to 2005 and at the same time, the number of deaths decreased by 5 %. And so, after 26 years, the positive natural increase by 256 persons occurred in 2006.
When we judge Prague as such, in its historical context, its population grew very noticeably. From the end of the 18th century to the beginning of 21st century population of Prague grew almost eight times on the territory that belonged to Prague at that time; the amount of 1 million was exceeded in the 1961 census.
In spite of the marked improvement in the 90’s, Prague belongs among the most affected regions of the state from the quality of the environment point of view. Air quality in Prague’s centre and some areas of the mid-distance settlements is still very bad. Although in this area many indicators have also markedly improved in that sense during the last years, the unfavourable situation still persists. The emissions from stationary polluters dropped, but the emissions from mobile polluters (vehicles) are stagnating (in the long term) or increasing (yearly). The levels of sulphur dioxide pollution distinctively decreased over the last decade and the limits were no longer exceeded. The level of nitrogen oxides pollution is the highest in the centre of Prague, along the main road traffic routes and, the limit values are exceeded in these areas. Concentration of nitrogen oxides is dropping in the long term, but during last years, the decrease has stopped. The imissions of dust particles (black smoke) are the Prague's main problem, the concentration were yearly decreasing until 1999, but in the first decade of 21th century, we can observe, that the values of dust pollution are growing. Along with the increase in road traffic during the summer months, the level of ozone concentration increases as well, though not dramatically. The most serious of the physical factors having impact on the environment is noise pollution.
On the territory of the City of Prague there are 89 special protected areas, which totaled together more than 2,100 hectares, of which 8 belong to National Nature Monuments (Barrandovské skály, Cikánka I., Dalejský profil, Lochkovský profil, Požáry, U Nového mlýna and part of the territory of the Černá rokle National Nature Monument the biggest part of which lies in the Středočeský Region), 15 nature reserves and 66 nature monuments. However, Prague’s centre has not much lawn and planting (public parks) of good quality. After fortification wall had been demolished (in 1871-1888) the space that was made available has been built up unlike many European cities have done it. Nevertheless, the state of urban and suburban greenery, which used to be previously pretty neglected, has improved recently. Gradual recultivation of particular gardens and parks is in progress.
In accordance with the importance, location and role of Prague, a wide range of transport links has developed over time. Mutual regional links with the surrounding Středočeský Region are the closest ones. People are coming to Prague (as it is the capital) from the entire Czech Republic. On the other hand, Prague population goes for recreation not only to its nearest surroundings but also all over the CR. Thanks to its highly central location both within the CR and Europe, Prague is determined to play the role of transport crossroads as well as a target destination of goods and persons movement. Traditionally, Prague is the largest centre of international transport in the country, both in the west-east and north-south directions, as well as the largest transport node interconnecting the individual regions of the country.
Prague is a central point of all highway routes. Before the split-up of the former Czechoslovakia the first highway D 1 linking Prague, Brno and Bratislava was developed. The construction of another highway, D 5, to interconnect Prague and Nuremberg, has been commenced and the highway D 8 to lead from Prague via Dresden to Berlin is under construction. Other highway connections have been planned. However, highways on the territory of the city are only 11 km long and other fast routes are linked to them (23 km). The total length of road network in Prague is 3,520 km. More and more painful becomes especially absence of alternate routes around Prague and, most of all, around the inner city. Up to now, only partial segments were built out of two rounds planned.
Prague is an important international railway node, too. Stress is being put on the development of railway transport on the European basis (e.g. Eurocity trains) along with the current phase-out on the less travelled tracks. What is under preparation is the reconstruction of key railway routes to fit express traffic. The reconstruction will contribute to high comfort of travel on long-distance routes, especially international ones.
The Vltava River flowing through Prague is used for waterway transport of goods as well as passengers (passenger transport is operated within the 30.5-km long course between the villages of Zbraslav and Sedlec). There are three ports on the territory of Prague: Holešovice, Smíchov and Radotín. They serve for reloading of various types of freight. Passenger transport is operated by several companies. Some operators specialize on various types of round trips through Prague, but also on cruises from Prague to Slapy, Trója or Mělník.
Air transport of freight as well as passengers is provided particularly by the Prague-Ruzyně airport. In 2006 there were 11,581,511 passengers checked-in, which represenst 7.5 % yearly growth. The most important event of last year was opening of the new Sever 2 terminal in January 2006 to which all the flights to Schengen countries were transferred. The range of international destinations provided by regular flights is very wide and includes more than 100 target airports only in the offer of direct flights. The airport naturally checks –in also transfer flights. What is important for the Prague airport is the development of long-distance flights, thanks to which the number of passengers who use the Czech capital as a transfer point for flights to distant destinations increases. If their number will continue to increase, Prague can become part of the company of the most important European airports. The Prague airport also prepares an expansion of the airport track, the new parallel track should be put into operation in 2010.
Prague has relatively well functioning public transport with a backbone system of the metro (55 km long) and networks of tram railways (141 km long). Annually, more than 1 billion passengers use public transport vehicles and 150 million km are driven. Urgent need to make the public transport more attractive helped gradual origination of the system of Prague integrated transport. Now, it is operated up to 35 km far from Prague and thus it includes also an important part of the Středočeský Region (about 240 municipalities). Even though important investments were completed building of transport infrastructure in order to help the city centre suffering from traffic jams remains to be a priority in Prague.
The constant slight increase of the average age of population of Prague, which is still higher than in the Czech Republic itself is traditionally characteristic for population situation in Prague. In 2006, another decrease of permanently low share of children was registered. At the same time, outstanding absolute and procentual growth of productive population was recorded. Increased share of persons in postproductive age is not changing. Increasing number of up to 5-years-old children in last years is influenced by heightened birth rate. Dependency ratio in Prague is highly exceeding average of Czech republic and contrary to the previous year, this ratio has increased again. The economic burden index is constantly lower than in the Czech Republic and its value has decreased again as a consequence of the growing share of persons in younger productive age and slow decrease of up to 14-years-old children.
Considerable mobility of foreign nationals moving for work leads to high gross migration in Prague. Resulting from migration for work is thus both an increase in the number of foreign nationals in Prague’s population and also shifts in the population age structure. Permanently increasing is share of inhabitants in the age of 15-59, who find their job in Prague.
What is a clearly positive feature of demographic development for the last decades is improving of life expectancy. Prague’s inhabitants live to the oldest age when compared to all regions of the CR. Since last year the life expectancy at birth increased for women to 80.36 (compared to 80.0 years in 2005) and for men to 75.21 years (compared to 74.7 years in 2005). When comparing Prague's values to national average, life expectancy of women was higher by 0.69 years and the value for men was higher by 1.76 years. High values of life expectancy in Prague are attributed to better availability of medical care, but also to some favourable tendencies in the way of life even despite worse parameters of the environment. Also infant mortality is very low in Prague and although its value (2.6 per mille) is slightly higher than in 2005, it is still very low (in the CR in 2006 the infant mortality rate was 3.3 per mille).
As for economy, the Capital City of Prague has a unique position within the Czech Republic; it is the economic centre of the state and also a centre for intermediation of impacts of multinational economic relations in the whole state. Apart from all of the main authorities of the state administration most of financial institutions and foreign enterprises are based here. All this has a significant effect on the economy of Prague, whose economic output makes up permanently almost a quarter of the national gross domestic product (GDP). Economy of the region expressed in GDP in current prices records a permanent growth. However year-on-year increments since 2001 in Prague slightly fall behind the national average even after the accession of the CR to the EU in 2004, which positively affected the economy of the whole country by improving conditions for trade with the EU states. Even so GDP in Prague per capita constantly highly exceeds the CR value and at the same time average for the whole EU. Higher level of GDP production is typical for metropolises. This is caused by many factors. A higher level of wages, localization and registration of headquarters of economic subjects in the city, concentration of central bodies of public and private sector.
The situation on the labour market is also connected with the performance of the economy. Prague is the largest regional market in the CR. Characteristic features of existing development are on the one hand high localization attractiveness of Prague’s labour market, on the other hand Prague’s ability to cover increased demand. This is given by a significant professional mobility of internal sources as well as to date fast growing sources of out-of-Prague and foreign workers. Job positions in the Capital City of Prague are not only opportunities for inhabitants of the capital but also for inhabitants from wide surroundings and in fact the whole CR. According to results of the 2001 Population and Housing Census the number of filled job vacancies in Prague represented a fifth of all job vacancies in the CR. Number of jobs as at 1 March 2001 was nearly 726 thousand and active inhabitants of Prague were by 125 thousand less. The importance of commuting has got an exceptional meaning for Prague. More than a quarter of employed are persons with a university degree and their number has got lately a regular increasing trend. Also average wages in Prague reach significantly higher values than in the rest of the regions. Another characteristic feature of Prague’s labour market is also below the average unemployment. Prague’s labour market thanks to a wide offer of professions was able to absorb almost all labour force released in the process of transformation as well as the new coming one. Lately, the unemployment level in Prague has been developing similarly as the national average, in total however it is around half of the value.
Basic structural reconstruction was reflected in changes of industrial structure of Prague economy. Characteristic features of the development of Prague economic basis are strengthening of the sphere of services and decrease of share of production industries. Tertiary industries represent now in Prague more than 80% of value added (in 2006 it was more than 82%). Also employment rate in this sphere in Prague markedly exceeds data from all the regions. In 2001, 72% of all employed in Prague worked in services and by the end of 2006, it was already 80%.
On the contrary, the share of industrial sector in creation of value added and Prague’s employment is much lower than national average. Industry as a branch does not have such an important position in Prague as in other regions of the CR; however, namely manufacturing remained even there to be a rather powerful branch. During 2006, the increase of employees and sales was observed in manufacturing. The increase of wages in economic businesses headed in Prague in manufacturing grew by 7.5 %.
In construction, improvement of most parameters has been observable in recent years. A rather dynamic growth of the volume of construction work has been recorded together with a slight increase in the number of employees and wages. Also the average wage of employees of construction enterprises increased. Building permits are issued for more important constructions as for volume and also the share of building permits for residential buildings increased. What has also increased is the number of big construction enterprises. 366 construction enterprises with 20+ employees were based on the territory of Prague by the end of 2006. Construction work according to delivery contracts of those enterprises in 2006 115.4 billion CZK (in current prices); in comparison to the year 2000 the volume of works increased by more than half. Also labour productivity for basic construction output increased. Number of completed and started dwellings was second highest from all regions, right after Středočeský region.
An important branch for Prague’s economy is tourism, which is again dynamicaly developing after terrorist attacks in 2001 (in the USA) and floods in 2002. Prague is the most often target of tourists from abroad, who represent more than 90% of all accommodated guests. However Prague is also a common target of domestic business trips and it is an important centre of congress tourism.
Prague noticeably enlarged and reconstructed its accommodation capacities; however, the problem is in their structure: capacities in higher categories are still missing. The number of 5* and 4* hotels and share of beds in these collective accomodation establishments is increasing (in 2005, beds in 5* and 4* hotels represented 39 % from all the beds, but in 2006, it was 41 %). Also the significance of congress tourism has been growing. As air transport gets cheaper, there has still been an increasing popularity of weekend tours. Tourist season in Prague is not limited in time. Number of guests in collective accomodation establishments in Prague was one third of all guests in the Czech republic, when foreigners represented about 58 % of all foreigners accomodated in the Czech republic.
As for other parts of social life, Prague has a significant position also in education, health and culture. It can be said that it is a national centre of education. Already from the secondary level of education upwards there is an increased concentration of schools. Prague has the highest number of grammar schools and secondary technical schools of all the regions. In university education, Prague’s position is absolutely unique. At the end of October 2006, there was 10 public universities with 38 faculties at which 87.5 thousand of students were studying. Moreover, there were 11.5 thousand students in doctoral studies. During the last few years, demographical development has been reflected also in shifts in school establishments. Number of basic schools as well as their pupils is slightly decreasing. Numbers of students at secondary schools are more or less stagnating and number of university students keeps slightly increasing.
Also health establishments are concentrated on the territory of the City. They are mainly specialized and often also research establishments, which, however, serve to patients from all over the Czech Republic. Almost one fifth of all physicians working in the CR are employed there. Relative indicators from health grossed up to 1,000 population are permanently the highest of all regions and are markedly above the national average, because all Prague’s health establishments serve also to the surroundings of Prague and basically to population of the entire CR as well. While in other regions (after transfer of health establishments to the competence of regions) there are more and more non-state establishments, this does not apply to Prague, in which almost a half of all physicians work in state health establishments. It is a phenomenon, which is characteristic for Prague. Statistical data on the number of establishments, beds and workers in health sector cannot show changes of quality in the care. A long-term increase in health care quality is reflected rather in demographic indicators such as life expectancy or deaths by cause of death.
Prague is of extraordinary importance also for culture. Majority of cultural institutions of nationwide importance are placed there as well as a dense network of other cultural facilities (Prague has 17% of all galleries and 32% of all theatres).
Prague ranks among important and developed regions even within the entire EU. This position of Prague is given by its long-term historical development and also its geographical location contributes to that. Especially after 1990 a very fast transformation in a wide range of socio-economic areas has taken place in Prague. The City has very rapidly recovered its prestige; it is permanently an attractive territory for investors especially from among foreign economic entities, for which it is a question of good reputation to acquire residencies on Prague’s territory. What has substantially improved is the quality of connection of Prague to European and worldwide communication network. There is a stable and manifold labour market and potential of labour force with qualification that is above the average. Quality background of educational, scientific and research institutions plays an important role, too.
However, what cannot be forgotten are weaknesses: mounting crime, bad environment, overloaded transport, and increased costs of living for the population.
Pursuant to the Act of the Czech National Council on the Capital City of Prague, the city is a statutory town. It is administered by the bodies of the Capital City: the Assembly of the City of Prague, the Council of the City of Prague and the Prague City Hall. For execution of the state administration, Prague is from 2001 divided to 22 administrative districts, from the point of view of self-government it consists of 57 autonomous City Sections with own elected bodies. These City Sections are significantly different. There are City Sections of distinct character of urban centre, City Sections of prevalent residential area with houses dating back to the 1920´s and 1930´s, City Sections of chiefly industrial nature, neighbourhoods of high-rise houses, and suburban areas many of which originated by gradual connection of surrounding municipalities of rural type. They differ in the level of urbanisation, population density, quality of technical infrastructure and socio-economic conditions of life of their inhabitants. As for the number of inhabitants these City Sections are also very different. While population of three City Sections account for more than 100,000 each, 14 City Sections comprise less than 2,000 inhabitants each, of which three have less than 500 inhabitants each. |
