Anděl

Anděl is a smaller, but very busy, neighborhood in Praha 5, completely surrounded by Smíchov. The neighborhood's boundaries are V Botanice and Kartouzská on the north, Městský Okruh on the west, Ostrovského and Vltavská on the south, and the Vltava River on the west. Located southwest of the city center and on the left bank of the Vltava River, the area, as well as Smíchov as a whole, was previously quite rough. In the years after the fall of communism, the neighborhood has changed completely. New commercial buildings such as Zlatý Anděl and Nový Smíchov now dominate Anděl's skyline, and help contribute to the district's 24/7 nature. Even through all this change, most of the neighborhood's original residents remain, in addition to many new ones. This gives the area lots of variety, with buildings ranging from lavish Nový Smíchov to poorly maintained tenements all existing within a few blocks of each other. An interesting part of the neighborhood are the extremely wide sidewalks in front of Zlatý Anděl, which function as the heart of all of Praha 5. Beggars, street performers, information kiosks, and other essential ingredients of a bustling urban center all call this crowded piece of land home. On Fridays, a farmers market is present in the space, selling fresh fruits and vegetables, but also things such as towels and baked goods. Housing is made up of mostly older, first republic walk-up apartments, many of which have commercial spaces on the ground floors. Businesses are numerous, and include more upscale, specialized places, as well as more simple, generalized convenience stores. Nový Smíchov and the immediate vicinity has more upscale shops, such as shoe stores, department stores, and fancy restaurants. Farther from the center of the district, one finds more typical neighborhood businesses, such as bars, convenience stores, and grocery stores. The neighborhood is fairly walkable, though biking is not as prevalent. Putting bike racks in the central parts of Anděl, as well as bike lanes on side streets such as Preslova and Svornosti, would help popularize cycling in the neighborhood. As far as transit goes, Smíchov as a whole, as well as Anděl, have some of the best transit networks in the city outside Staré Město. The main hubs are Anděl Station and the Na Knížecí transit center just south of the station, and Smíchovské Nádraží a few blocks south of the Anděl-Smíchov border. Metro line B, regular, but still frequent, tram routes 7 and 14, weekday only tram routes 4 and 6, arterial tram routes 9, 10, 12, 16, and 20, Metrobus routes 137, 167, and 191, standard bus routes 120 and 131, long distance buses run by Student Agency and ČSAD, night bus routes 501 and 504, and night tram routes 54, 58, and 59 all serve Anděl and/or Na Knížecí, while Metro line B, long distance buses run by Student Agency and ČSAD, long distance trains run by Student Agency and ČD, Esko regional train lines S6, S7, and S65, regional bus lines 314, 317, 318, 320, 321, 334, 338, 361, and 390, Metrobus lines 118, 125, 196, 197, and 253, standard bus lines 105, 129, 241, 244, weekday only tram route 6, standard, but frequent, tram line 14, and arterial tram routes 12 and 20 all serve Smíchovské Nádraží.