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The escalator tube of Jiřího z Poděbrad (JzP) shines with an ad-free splendour, Source: DPP

Prague metro station ditches all advertisements

Prague metro station ditches all advertisements

The aim is to have the public be able to admire the architectural design without distractions

The Prague Public Transport Company (DPP) announced that from now on it will keep one of the city’s metro stations - Jiřího z Poděbrad (JzP) (Line A) – free of advertisements on its surfaces. The aim of the company is to retain the focus on the original design of the station, but the impetus definitely came from the public, who insisted that it should stay that way.

JzP metro station was under renovation last year and when it was unveiled, commuters marvelled at its gleaming lights and shiny aluminium surfaces. But then, the authorities decided to start putting back the billboards with advertisements lining up the elevator tube walls and suddenly there was an uproar of displeasure about this. It turned out that people liked the way the station had looked in the 1980s during the Communist regime when marketing and widespread advertising weren’t so omnipresent in daily lives.

It’s a bit like going back in time

In order to remove advertising materials from the hallways of the metro station, however, this necessitated negotiations with the advertising company Railreklam, as the two companies already had a running contract allowing the latter to lease the premises and subway sets for the placing of its billboards.

"The advertisement was relocated to an alternative location and subsequently a mutual agreement was reached with the tenant of the advertising space. It was the consensus of all interested parties, including the subway architect,” said Aneta Řehková, spokeswoman for DPP.

However, this does not mean that advertising will simply disappear from the metro area. It will just move elsewhere. According to information from CzechCrunch, it would be placed in Můstek metro station. 

Jiřího z Poděbrad metro station was opened in 1980 and is known for its wall surfaces and long escalator tube. Voice announcements from the Prague metro trains stating arrival at that station have been featured in songs by famous bands like Radiohead and Calexico.

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