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Guided tour of Prague’s technical underground.
Under the historical centre of Prague, in a labyrinth of underground corridors and tunnels—the so-called ‘collectors’—four guided tour paths have been arranged at depths of several dozens of metres beneath the best known historical monuments of Prague, including the Obecny Dum (Prague Civic Hall), Prašna Gate and the Old Town Square. Without these collectors, the city could not function.
The collectors are traversable underground structures that serve for the laying of the engineering networks. The main bulk of the networks necessary for running the city is situated here (water pipes, drainage, hot water pipes, gas pipes, electric cables, and telephone and optic cables). At the present time, the total length of these networks under Prague approaches 90 km. By placing the networks in the collectors, they remain accessible for regular control, repair and maintenance. Possible faults are removed directly in the collectors, without disrupting traffic above ground. A complete system of underground corridors such as that in Prague is not found anywhere else in the world.
During the tour, visitors will be introduced to the technology required to build the collectors and the way in which the engineering network is laid out. At the central dispatch, it is possible to see one of the largest and most modern monitoring centres in the world. Among the unforgettable experiences on offer are examples of conduits from the collector directly into the cellars of houses, tours of an underground train station, and a trip in a locomotive.
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