Restaurant "Praha" in Kyiv is located in a very picturesque, cozy and green corner not far from the city outskirts. It is located on the same territory as the National Expocenter of Ukraine, with which it has a common history since the 1950s. The restaurant was opened in 1956, while the pavilions of the grandiose project of the exhibition center were just being completed and opened in 1958. It is interesting that initially the restaurant served only guests of the exhibition and generally had a different name, namely Lebed (Swan). Obviously, for this reason, today, like six decades ago, swans live on the lake near the restaurant, but more on that later.
The current name - "Praha" (Prague), the restaurant received in 1959. Then the representatives of Czechoslovakia rebuilt the building in their national style, changing both the exterior and the interior. The cuisine also became Czech - in the establishment one could try several national dishes, in particular, a knuckle according to an old recipe, Czech beer, which simply did not exist in Kyiv, as well as a Prague cake. At the same time, dishes of Ukrainian cuisine were also presented in the menu. By the way, "Praha" was one of only twelve restaurants in the millionaire city of Kyiv, so it was not so easy to get into it.
Restaurant "Praha" worked for about thirty years. According to various sources, in 1989 or 1993, it was closed, and in subsequent years this place, beloved by the people of Kyiv, turned into lifeless ruins. About twenty years passed, and the institution was revived, and with it the lake with the park came to life. The lake, by the way, has its own history. It is artificial and in Soviet times served not only as a beautiful part of the park area, but also as a fish farm - fresh fish was served to the table. After the restaurant was closed, the pond was overgrown with marsh grass and reeds, and it took more than six months to restore it. The new Praha was opened on April 5, 2011. As before, pairs of swans, both white and black, live here. They are completely tame, so when the birds get out on land, anyone can feed them. Lives here and a lot of ducks.
The park area has changed a lot since its desolation. Many bronze sculptures of animals were installed here: crocodiles, turtles, swans, herons, horses, dogs and others. In the courtyard of the restaurant there is a fountain in the form of a pool and hippos. New paving slabs were paved around the lake, and an alley of newlyweds was created near the establishment - bricks with wedding dates and the names of those whose solemn events were celebrated here were placed on the path. There are gazebos in the park for photo shoots.
In conclusion, let's say that, despite the location of the green zone right next to the noisy avenue, it is always calm and comfortable here, and visitors day and night walk near the quiet swan lake with families, couples, companies or alone.
Address: 1 Akademika Hlushkova street.
