A French Street with Noblesse in Prague: Welcome to Pařížská ulice (Paris Street)

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Hotel Intercontinetal
At the beginning of Pařížská ulice is the Hotel Intercontinental.

Pařížská ulice in Prague regularly ranks among the most expensive shopping streets in the world, and rightly so. Pařížská, which leads off from Staroměstské náměstí (Old Town Square), is reminiscent of a French boulevard, and each step here is surrounded by luxuriously crowned world-renowned brands.

You can get a Louis Vuitton purse, Dolce & Gabbana fashions, shoes from Prada or shimmering beauty from the brands Cartier or Swarovski. The prices for leasing fashion boutiques and flats reach astronomical sums here, as the address is the manifestation of luxury and success.

The entire street is lined with lime trees, which give it its charm, especially in the autumn months. Pařížská is today a golden corridor shining with noblesse, but things weren’t always like this. In former times poverty reigned here in place of luxury boutiques, and you would have sought jewellery and expensive purses in vain here.

Luxury
New shops with luxury goods are being added to the famous address.

Pařížská ulice in the Past Was More a Symbol of Poverty

The origin of Pařížská ulice is linked to the demolition of the Jewish quarter at the turn of the 20th century. The entire historical quarter was demolished and subsequently rebuilt. We can still find a few buildings here from the time before the reconstruction: the Old New Synagogue, one of the oldest synagogues in Europe, and the Church of St. Nicholas. Originally the street got its name from this church; thus, Pařížská was once called Mikulášska (Nicholas) and had nothing to do with luxuries.

The demolition work, during which nearly 470 houses disappeared, was carried out mainly for hygienic reasons. This poor part of the city was back then neglected and dirty; disease spread here, and hygiene was at a very low level. Since Staroměstské náměstí is just a few metres away, the street could not be left in such poor condition. Therefore, a proposal was made to clean it up and the street began to change.

A Luxurious Boulevard on the Model of European Cities

Parížska ulica
Cartier is one of the luxury boutiques at the prestigious address.

The aim of the vast reconstruction was for the street to become a European fashion boulevard in the Western style. Most of the houses were rebuilt in the secession style. The street got its current name, Pařížská ulice, in 1926; it later lost it for a period of time during the German occupation, when it was called Norimberská, but in 1947 it got back its name associated with the romantic French city. Luxurious boutiques gradually began to be built on it.

In the Best Company

The distinguished Christian Dior opened its boutique here in the 1980s and gradually expanded its assortment while acquiring equally famous neighbours. The first luxurious shop in the post-revolution period, for the French brand Hermès, opened here in 1997. French iconic brand Louis Vuitton soon followed, and Pařížská began to be built as a truly golden boulevard full of luxuries. The street is filled mainly with fashion boutiques, restaurants with selected delicacies and jewellery houses; you can buy here an expensive watch or a purse.

Parížska ulica
Pařížská ulice has its unique charm.

All the boutiques are world-renowned – if someone covered your eyes with a scarf and led you to Pařížská ulice, you wouldn’t know whether you were in Paris, Milan or Prague once your eyes were uncovered. The shop interiors, the offer of luxurious goods and the behaviour of the personnel should be indistinguishable from the boutiques in other European fashion cities. Pařížská ulice is the target of many lovers of luxury and prestigious brands, which don’t hesitate to come here from around the world. The street is specific not only by its offer of luxurious brands but also its location and genius loci. In the heart of Prague itself, near its beautiful landmarks, on a lime-tree alley… all of this makes it a unique shopping street with its own added value.

Author: Linda Vojancová, foto: parizskaulice.cz, wikipedia