"See babies clambering over the Zizkov TV tower!" Prague Off The Beaten Path Tip by CatherineReichardt

It has to be said that the TV tower in Zizkov (one of Prague's inner suburbs) is horrendous, even by the low architectural standards set by TV towers worldwide!

Built just before the fall of the Berlin Wall (at a time when I am guessing that public participation didn't feature much in the planning of strategic installations), the tower looks like a rocket on a launch pad and apparently featured at No.2 in one list of the world's ugliest buildings: well justified recognition. And, to add insult to injury, part of a Jewish cemetery was demolished to built the tower's foundations.

So, how do you go about rehabilitating such an unloved monstrosity? Easy - you get David Cerný (somewhat of a celebrity 'enfant terrible' sculptor in the Czech Republic) to affix a group of giant faceless bronze babies onto the tower's pillars so that they appear to be using the tower as a climbing frame! These marauding infants were first installed in 2000 as a temporary arrangement, but proved so popular that they were reinstated in 2001 as a permanent fixture.

I have to declare my bias - I absolutely love them (although my brother - who actually lives in Zizkov - is somewhat scathing about their cultural merit)! The TV tower and the outline of the babies are visible from across the city, and the mere glimpse of them on the skyline makes me smile! For me, this sculpture epitomises the cultured but irrevent spirit of Prague, and I find it hard to think of another city that would have permitted this (for which many people will probably be grateful)!

I visited the TV tower early one Sunday morning during my last visit to Prague. It was midsummer, and as part of my quest to dodge fellow tourists by venturing well off the beaten track, I decided to walk (although it is easily accessible by tram from the city centre). Despite the fact that is was a swelteringly humid day, I rather enjoyed the experience of following the tram line through suburbs that tourists don't usually venture into.

Apparently the restaurant in the tower was closed in 2010, but the observation platform is still open.

Website: http://www.myczechrepublic.com/prague/tv-tower-zizkov.html