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Panelák[a] is acolloquial term inCzech andSlovak for alarge panel systempanel building constructed of pre-fabricated,pre-stressed concrete, such as those extant in the formerCzechoslovakia (now theCzech Republic &Slovakia) and elsewhere in the world. Paneláks are usually grouped together, creating ahousing estate (Czech:sídliště, Slovak:sídlisko).
Panelák (plural:paneláky) is derived from the standardpanelový dům(in Czech) orpanelový dom(in Slovak) meaning, literally, "panel house / prefabricated-sections house". The termpanelák is used mainly for the elongated blocks with more sections with separate entrances – simple paneltower blocks are calledvěžový dům (tower house) or colloquiallyvěžák(in Czech). The buildings remain a towering, highly visible reminder of theCommunist era. The termpanelák refers specifically to buildings in the former Czechoslovakia; however, similar buildings were a common feature ofurban planning in communist countries and even in the West.
Interwar Czechoslovakia saw manyconstructivist architects in the country, such asVladimír Karfík andFrantišek Lydie Gahura, many of whom would maintain prominence following the establishment of theCzechoslovak People's Republic in 1948.[1] In the years following 1948, the Czechoslovakian architectural scene favoredStalinist architecture over moremodern architecture.[1] However, a 1954 speech byNikita Khrushchev encouraging the construction ofpanel buildings, coupled with post-war housing shortages faced throughout bothEastern andWestern Europe, encouraged the country's architects to construct simple, modernist buildings.[1]Planners from the communist era wanted to provide large quantities of fast and affordable housing, as well as to slash costs by employing uniform designs over the whole country. They also sought to foster a "collectivistic nature" in the people. In case of war, these houses would not be as susceptible to firebombing as traditional, densely packed buildings.[citation needed] Throughout the mid 1950s, the country's designers applied a modernist aesthetic known as theBrussels Style, named after the international attention it attracted during the1958 World's Fair held inBrussels.[1] By the late 1960s, the country's paneláks often reached up to 16 stories in height.[1]
Between 1959 and 1995, paneláks containing 1.17 million flats were built in what is now the Czech Republic.[citation needed] As of 2005[update], they housed about 3.5 million people, or about one-third of the country's population.[2]
InPrague and other large cities, most paneláks were built in a type of housing estate known as asídliště(in Czech) orsídlisko(in Slovak). Such housing developments now dominate large parts of Prague,Bratislava, and other cities and towns. The first such housing development built in Prague wasPetřiny in the 1950s;[citation needed] the largest in Prague isJižní Město (about 100,000 inhabitants), with 200 buildings and 30,000 flats built since the 1970s.[2] The SlovakPetržalka however, is the largest such housing development inCentral Europe, with its population exceeding 110,000.[citation needed]
Following theVelvet Revolution in 1989, there was widespread speculation that the country's paneláks would fall out of favor, due to their simplicity and small size.[1] TheCzech andSlovak government sold individual panelák apartments to their tenants for cheap prices, furthering speculation that the apartments would be undesirable.[1] However, these fears have not materialized.[1]
The tallest prefabricated house in the Czech Republic was built in 1980 in Jižní Město in Prague, currently called the Kupa hostel. The 81 m (266 ft) high building with 23 floors is a unique bridge connection on the top floors. One of the longest prefabricated houses is located inBohnice, Prague, on Zelenohorská Street. The twelve-story building from 1973–1974 with 612 apartments and about 1,500 residents is 340 m (1,120 ft) long and has 18 entrances.[3] It has the longest corridor, water distribution, and heating of a prefabricated house in the country.[4] An even longer prefabricated house is located in Ruprechtice, Liberecké. It is a curved prefabricated house nicknamedHokejka (Hockey Stick) because of its shape. It has 24 entrances, 11 floors, and 693 apartments.[5]
However, the longest panel house (continuous panel house complex) in the Czech Republic is located inOstrava on Horní Street (it also extends into Cholevova and Mitušova Streets), it has a total of 28 entrances (of which 26 are in one line), 6–13 floors, 841 apartments and a total length of 540 m (1,770 ft) (of which 500 m (1,600 ft) are in one line).[6]
In comparison to pre-war apartment buildings, paneláks can be truly enormous. Some are more than 100 m (330 ft) long, and some are more than 20 stories high. Some even have openings for cars and pedestrians to pass through, lest they have to go all the way around the building.[citation needed]
A typical panelák apartment has a foyer, bathroom, kitchen, a living room (also used for dining), and a bedroom.[1] All paneláks in the Czech Republic were constructed to follow one of sixteen design patterns.[2]
Paneláks have been criticized for their simplistic design, poor-quality building materials, and overcrowding.[1] In 1990,Václav Havel, who was then the president of Czechoslovakia, called paneláks "undignified rabbit pens, slated for liquidation".[2] Panelák housing estates as a whole are said by some to be merebedroom communities with few conveniences and even less character.[citation needed]
However, paneláks have also been praised by many. Upon their introduction, paneláks offered more reliable heating, hot water, and plumbing than existing buildings, especially those in rural locations.[1] The buildings typically offered large amounts of natural light, compared to their older counterparts.[1]
Some housing estates do have other facilities, such as shopping centres, schools, libraries, swimming pools, cinemas, and such. Also, architects sometimes made an effort to make the buildings distinct, by mixing various types of paneláks, for example, or by using different colours. Well-designed housing estates also have some environmental advantages. By leaving wide spaces between buildings, designers created large green spaces and parks, which are lacking in many pre-war Czech neighbourhoods. In some places, paneláks were an improvement in sanitary conditions.[citation needed]
Paneláks remain commonplace today, and have attracted a wide diversity ofsocial classes.[1][2][7] Fears that paneláks would become undesirable and be subject to middle class flight, commonplace following the Velvet Revolution, have not materialized.[1] Panelák apartments have risen in value more than brick apartments, have been praised for housing people from a wide variety of incomes, and have been subject to several positive cultural depictions, including magazines and TV shows.[1]
Areas with high shares of its population living in paneláks include the city ofKarviná (where approximately 97% of people live in them),[2]Petržalka,[citation needed] and the city ofMost (approx. 80%).[citation needed] Most's historical city was largely torn down due to the spread of coal mining and the majority of its population was moved into paneláks.[citation needed]
Some Czechsociologists fear that panelák inhabitants may lack amenities, and suffer from being unable to physically access distant businesses and commercial centres. To combat this, certain local authorities are making significant efforts to prevent this scenario by changing bedroom communities into multifunctional urban neighbourhoods. This may include support for the construction of missing facilities, such as shopping centres, churches, or improved transport accessibility.[citation needed]
Paneláks, particularly in big cities, are often the first targets for builders oftelecommunication networks, as the housing estates combine a high concentration of people with easy access to underground and in-house spaces for cables. Panelák housing estates are usually the first neighbourhoods with access tocable TV,WiFi network coverage,cable-modem service,DSL, and othertelecommunication services.[citation needed]
In March 2005, the director of theCzech Ministry of Regional Development expressed concerns that the country's paneláks were near the end of their lifespan, citing an increasing number of structural incidents.[2] He estimated that his agency would need 400 billionCzech koruna to modernize paneláks in the Czech Republic, and 1.5 trillion to tear them down entirely.[2]
In recent years, many paneláks have been repainted, renovated, and repaired if needed, with funding mainly from the government, partially thanks to funds from theEuropean Union (EU).[1][2] A sizable renovation market has formed in recent years, and even a homemagazine,Panel Plus, exists to give renovators ideas.[1]
Following the Velvet Revolution, most panelák apartments were sold to their tenants at low costs.[1] Many panelák flats are now the property of their inhabitants, though they are also rented out throughreal estate agents and private landlords,although some apartments are still owned bythe government and are usually used forsocial housing.[citation needed] The buildings and surrounding areas are often owned and managed by the government,administrative divisions,housing cooperatives,authorities, self-governing (non-profit) organizations, owners of apartments (individual blocks), and/or throughpublic–private partnerships and such, or a combination thereof.[citation needed]
Buildings similar to paneláks were also built in other communist countries, and they are a common feature ofcityscapes acrossCentral andEastern Europe, and to some degreeNorthern Europe.
One of the most drastic reconstruction policies of theEastern Bloc was thesystematization programme that took place in the 1970s and 1980s underNicolae Ceaușescu inRomania. In 1971, Ceaușescu visitedNorth Korea and was impressed by theJucheideology. He enacted a mass programme of demolition and reconstruction of existing villages, towns, and cities, in whole or in part, to build blocks of flats (blocuri).[citation needed]
InBulgaria, buildings similar to paneláks are colloquially known aspanelki, and are the predominant type of en masse housing throughout the country.[citation needed] InHungary, similar buildings are calledpanelház.[1] InPoland, they are calledbloki (blocks),[citation needed] orwielka płyta (the great panel).[1] InGermany, they are known asPlattenbau.[1] Most buildings in Soviet-eramicrodistricts are panel buildings.[citation needed]
In the EU, among former communist countries, a majority of the population lives in flats inLatvia (64.4%),Estonia (60.6%),Lithuania (59.5%),Czech Republic (50.9%),Bulgaria (46.7%),Slovakia (45.3%) andPoland (41.4%) (as of 2024[update], data fromEurostat).[8] However, not all flat dwellers in Eastern Europe live in Communist era blocks of flats; many live in buildings constructed after the fall of communism, and some in buildings surviving from the era before communism.
In theUnited States, some housing estates have buildings that are similar to paneláks or are built from the same or similar material.[citation needed] One of such estates wasPruitt-Igoe.
