The Czech city of Prague is one of the continent’s finest capitals.
Culture, history, stunning architecture and access to some of central Europe’s most breathtaking nature, places it among the great metropolises on the planet.
And yet, such is the lure of the City of a Hundred Spires, that some are now claiming that Prague is saturated with tourists and locals are losing the place they call home.
A report by German outlet Deutsche Welle claimed that Praguers are “tired” of their city being over-visited.
According to DW, despite only having 1.3 million residents, between seven and eight million tourists descended on the city every single year prior to Covid.
Although visitor numbers are down post-pandemic, the city is still full to the brim, claims DW.
For the uninitiated, Prague is one of the grand old cities of Europe and sits on the Vltava River.
The city was the residence of multiple Holy Roman emperors as well as the capital of the Kingdom of Bohemia, in the mediaeval and early modern period. It was also a key city in the Habsburg Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
The city’s main attractions are Prague Castle, the Charles Bridge, the Old Town Square with the Prague astronomical clock, the Jewish Quarter, Petřín hill and the historic fort of Vyšehrad.
In 1992 the historic centre of the city was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Despite dripping in history, Prague has become a hotspot for stag and hen-dos, with residents reportedly sick of drunken tourists stumbling around the city.
In 2019, the Observer reported that simmering tensions between locals and visitors were threatening to boil over.
Eugen Kukla, a photographer in the city, told the publication: “F*** pub crawls, f*** pub crawls”.
“It’s an expression of my personal feelings, a buildup of frustration over a long period of time, years and years and years,” he said.
The photojournalist claimed that his life and that of his family was disrupted more and more frequently by late-night posses of boozed up visitors. He told the publication: “It’s been going on for 10 or 15 years – but it’s got worse.”
One municipal officer told the publication: “There could in the future be more action taken by the police. We want to get that message out.”.
“There will be harder treatment against tourists and more harsh action when they are making noise. There are even voices calling to use riot squads. When there are 150 people on a pub crawl there needs to be a lot of policemen asking for documents.
“If anyone is drunk they’ll be taken to alcohol stations and things could be really hard for them.”
Since 2019, tourist numbers in the city have fallen, however locals are still said to be weary of the night time trade that generates so much income for the city’s economy.
