AGAINST DISTURBING ACTIVITIES AT THE ŽIŽKOV TOWER SITE

We, inhabitants of the Mahlerovy sady neighbourhood, hereby register our dissatisfaction with the excessive noise and disturbance caused by the frequent events held at the site located around Žižkov Tower (e.g., within the "Divadlo pod věží" and Miminoo restaurant).

Theatre performances, musicals, concerts, and other events, including rehearsals, are held at the site, sometimes lasting all day and continuing into the night hours. Noise and vibrations from these events are a nuisance and seriously disrupt the quality of life in our neighbourhood. We believe this nuisance constitutes a disturbance of public order and civic coexistence. 

It should be stressed that this site is not suitable for loud events, as it is located in the middle of a residential area comprised of buildings that amplify noise. The site of Žižkov Tower is listed in the zoning plan under the category of ‘parks, historic gardens, and cemeteries’ and was not intended for outdoor music productions.

Music and noise from these events disrupt our daily activities and sleep. Events take place almost every evening, sometimes in the afternoon, for more than two summer months. Frequent concerts are particularly disruptive to the quality of life in apartments facing the Tower because even with the windows closed, the intensity of the sound is such that it is as if a radio were playing loudly in the room. In addition, other sometimes extremely noisy events are held in the amphitheatre, such as the ‘Red Bull Dance Your Style: Prague’ on 8 June 2024. Noise pollution has reached such a level that it is almost impossible for residents to use their homes normally during summer. Performances not infrequently extend beyond the time defined in the night-time quiet hours ordinance (that starts at 10 pm), and on top of that, they continue with equally audible technical work; further, the several hundred people who make up a typical audience cannot leave the area without being heard. Not to mention the fact that such loud music, even before 10 p.m., has a particularly harmful impact on various groups of people – for example, those who work shifts or are particularly vulnerable to disruption, such as children, the sick, etc.

We believe that it is unacceptable for a venue operator to make money at the expense of our quality of life. Our neighbourhood was a quiet and pleasant place to live not so long ago, but the excessive and frequent noise from these events is fundamentally diminishing the quality of life there. It is unfair that our community must suffer so that the operator of the venue can profit from these activities.

We have tried to discuss these issues directly with the operator of the site, but unfortunately, our efforts only met with an arrogant response and did not effect any meaningful change.

We therefore ask the authorities to ensure that our rights (to health, privacy, and a peaceful life) are protected by limiting noise to a level that is not a nuisance to the residents of the area, in particular by:

1. limiting the types of events that may take place: concerts, musicals, sound rehearsals, and other most annoying kinds of performances should not take place in the area,
2. limiting the frequency and duration of events organised at the Žižkov Tower site (e.g., in accordance with the “Expert Recommendation for the Regulation of Noise Exposure from Music Production Organised in Outdoor Spaces” issued by the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic),
3. involving the interested public in planning the appropriate use of the site.

We believe that we have the right to live in our homes in and that our objections must be taken seriously. 

11 June 2024

Petition committee: Marek Hojsík, Lucie Rohanová, Drahomíra Springer