Kralovske Vinohrady (the Royal Vineyards) is an elite quarter that occupies a large territory upwards from the National Museum. Although there are no rennaissance or gothic houses, nevertheless Vinohrady is a beautiful place. They have a certain Vienna flavour to them. In addition to hundreds of art nouveau and neo rennaissance houses there are several large parks like Havlickovy Sady that is the second largest park in Prague. In park Grebovka there are vineyards there.

Apartments in Vinohrady are valued more that those in any other region of Prague, with the possile exception of Mala Strana. It is not just because there are beautiful houses but also because the area is more comfortable to live in, there is less traffic than in the very centre around Venceslas and Old Town Squares. On the other hand it takes just a couple minutes walk to get to the Venceslas Square. Most houses here have magnificent entrances decorated with sculptures and frescos. Ceilings are high, windows large letting in a lot of light. In many of Vinohrady streets there are lime tree alleys.

History of Vinohrady begins in the 13th century. At that time there were indeed vineyards all over the place, and the emperor Charles IV has declared tham to be royal property. In the third quarter of the 19th centruy the area was partitioned between contemporary Vinohrady and Zizkov quarters. Kralovske Vinohrady have become a town in 1879. In 19th century there was a construction boom in Vinohrady. New squares and wide avenues appeared. Below most of the houses there were wine cellars.

The main street of Vinohrady is Vinohradska street that leads to Jiri z Podebrad square. As a main square of Vinohrady one can consider to be Namesti Miru. Open air concerts take place there, Christmas and Easter markets etc. In the centre of this square there is a church of St. Ludmila one of the dominants of the Prague horizon.

Vinohrady are known mainly for their apartment houses. But there is also an area of villas there. It covers one square kilometer betwen the streets Ruska, Dykova, Kladska and U zdravotniho ustavu.

In conclusion I would like to say that if you are looking for an area where there are prestigious and easy to live in apartment houses Vinohrady is probably your best choice in Prague.