What can you look forward to in Pilsen in 2022?
Have you also made New Year’s resolutions and are you planning trips and holidays for the coming year? If so, we can offer you plenty of good reasons why you should add Pilsen, one of the most visited city destinations in the Czech Republic, to your list. These plentiful reasons come in the shape of new events and activities that are getting ready for this year’s tourist season. Why shouldn’t you miss out on Pilsen this year? We’ve prepared for you three main highlights as well as a couple of other points, thanks to which the options for tourists visiting Pilsen just get more and more interesting.
#1 Once reconstructed, the Great Synagogue will reopen
The Great Synagogue is one of Pilsen’s largest treasures, as well as one of the five largest synagogues in the world. The monumental structure, completed in the Moorish-Romanesque style in 1893, has undergone extensive renovations of its interior, including a new paint job, lighting, and carved pews. The Rabbi’s home behind the synagogue also saw reconstruction efforts. A Judaism training centre, a hall, a library, and a depository will be completed here. The basement will feature a ritual “mikveh” bath as well as an accompanying exposition. The celebratory reopening is scheduled for April 10, 2022.
#2 The Semler residence, designed by architect Adolf Loos, will soon invite visitors once again
If you’re interested in architecture, make your way to Pilsen and admire the work of world-renowned architect Adolf Loos. Up to this point, three of his completed designs could be visited every week via two tour routes as part of the regularly-held tours. Come this summer season, the Semler residence will reopen its doors to visitors. This is one of the Pilsen interiors where Loos implemented his so-called “raumplan” concept, which structures the individual rooms using all the given area, not the floor space.
#3 The beloved festival of lights and other events make their return
For the first time in two years, the popular festival of lights BLIK BLIK will be underway. The festival route between DEPO2015 and Republic Square will offer number of audio-visual instalations including the largest one, the Metamorphosis in the newly renovated interior of St Bartholomew’s Cathedral. You won’t want to miss out on this light show on the last weekend in March (March 25-26th).
And after having taken the year off, Pilsen’s J.K.Tyl Theatre is preparing a monumental open-air performance of Verdi’s opera Macbeth (June 24th), followed by an amazing open-air musical performance Elizabeth on June 26. Lastly, prestigious international biennial puppeteering event Skupa´s Pilsen will be held again, as well as other activities.
A second helping of news for 2022
- The Brewery Museum in Pilsen has recently seen the addition of a new Beer Shop. It offers beer lovers nearly 140 kinds of beer from over 25 different breweries from all over the Czech Republic; here you’ll find everything from lagers, ale, IPAs, stouts, sours, and even beers aged in barrels of assorted distillates.
- If you’re a big fan of the Pilsen Zoo and an admirer of Barbary lion, you’ll be happy to hear they have a new run; thanks to the newly modified moat, the lions can now enjoy a 1/3rd-times larger space to live in. New visitor viewing points and small exhibits reminiscent of this highly endangered lion subspecies’ homeland in North Africa will also be added.
- On the southern edge of Pilsen, located within the Litice neighbourhood, you’ll find a brand new football golf course. Even if you’ve never heard of this sport before, it’s definitely worth trying out. Groups of adults, as well as families with kids, will enjoy this 18-hole course (approx 4 ha) and its both natural and artificial obstacles.
- This year, the Pilsen science centre, Techmania, also known as the experimental station for the curious, located on the former grounds of a Škoda Works factory, is offering both young and old explorers the new author’s exposition Filmohraní, which, amongst so much more, will allow you to uncover and understand classic and modern film tricks, even including that famous scene from the Matrix.
And that’s only the beginning! Follow us not only on our website but on the Visit Plzeň Facebook and Instagram pages as well. That way you’ll never miss out on anything!
