Letenský kolotoč Other

Letenský kolotoč is a unique technical monument from 1892, which stands on Prague's Letenské plana in front of the National Technical Museum. It is the second oldest preserved floor carousel in Europe. It is especially unique with its horse figures, which are covered with real horse skin. After a difficult reconstruction, the building was reopened to the public in 2022.

The history of the attraction began in 1892 when the owner Josef Nebeský built it. The project and the actual implementation were provided by the carpenter master Matěj Bílek. Originally, the carousel was located in the Royal Vinohrady near the tavern of the Kravin. Since it was a temporary wooden structure, it was not subject to a building permit at the time. The exact date of start-up is therefore not known, but it is assumed that it served already during the summer season of 1892. In 1894 the carousel was transferred to Letna, where it worked in the summer months until the 1990s.

The construction consists of a neo-Renaissance wooden pavilion on the floor plan of a regular duodenum of 12 metres. The construction uses a beam system with plank fillings and is finished with a needle roof with lantern, which reaches a height of 7.7 metres. The perimeter walls are 4.5 metres tall and are located on suspicion. After the transfer to Letna, the inputs were supplemented by iron sliding roller shutters. The interior hides a 7.6-metre-diameter turntable with figures of horses and cars. The central column is decorated by three knights in armor made of paper.

The original drive was provided by a man who walked under the floor in a circle and pushed the lift. After moving to Letna, this system was replaced by manual drive using a handle with a flywheel. In the 1930's, the first electric motor was installed, which in 1981 replaced the MEZ brand engine. Within the last reconstruction, completed in 2022, a new three-phase asynchronous engine was installed.

The owner of the building has been the National Technical Museum since the beginning of Josef Nebeský, since 2004. In 1991, the carousel was declared a cultural monument. The dramatic events include 1994, when the historical orchestra of the brand Dalibor and the bell were stolen from the interior. During the reconstruction, which cost approximately 23 million crowns, a replacement Atlantic orchestra was purchased from 1910. The original collection of 21 horses was reduced to 18 pieces. Four of them, named Lightning, Flora, Poly and Shemik, kept the original saddles and knots.

Today, the carousel is in operation from April to October and is intended for children aged two and adults up to 100 kilograms of weight. Visiting this monument offers the opportunity to see preserved evidence of period folk entertainment and carpentry art at the end of the 19th century. For its technical uniqueness and historical value, the carousel represents an important goal for every interested person in the technical heritage of Prague.