Křižík Fountain
Na Výstavišti

You can find Křižík Fountain behind the Industrial Palace. It is closed in by the Křižík pavilions, which thus form an amphitheatre with a capacity of 6000 people. Křižík Fountain is currently used as a space that is offered for rent for short-term events at Výstaviště. You can come here for concerts, shows, theatre performances or even gastronomic events. When events are not being held, the premises are open to the public without restrictions.

History

One of the most admired gems of the Jubilee National Exhibition in 1891 was Křižík's light fountain installed on this site. For the exhibition, the inventor František Křižík arranged complete electric lighting with 226 arc lamps of his own design. He placed a light reflector on the tower of the Industrial Palace and also, away from the exhibition grounds, built a funicular to Letná. But none of this came close to the glory of his irresistible light fountain. Jets of water were illuminated by coloured electric light through the glass bottom of the water reservoir. Operators replaced the coloured glass at regular intervals.

The water was fed to the fountain by a steam engine using high-speed pumps, so 250 litres of water flowed through all the jets every second under full operation. The water sprayed to a height of several dozens of metres and the glow of the light sources could be seen from as far as the Old Town. The fountain's parameters surpassed those of similar attractions in London and Paris. In front of the fountain, there was a wooden gazebo where musicians played, while people agreed to meet at the fountain in the early evening to make sure they didn’t miss the attraction.

The design of today's Křižík Fountain was created in connection with the reconstruction of Výstaviště for the Jubilee Exhibition held in 1991.