Praha hlavní nádraží
railway station in Prague, Czechia
Praha hlavní nádraží (IATA: XYG) is the largest railway station in Prague, Czech Republic. It opened in 1871 as Franz Josef Station, after Franz Joseph I of Austria. During the First Republic and from 1945 to 1948 the station was called Wilson Station (Czech: Wilsonovo nádraží), after the former President of the United States Woodrow Wilson.
The station is the largest Art Nouveau monument in the Czech Republic. Since 31 December 1976, it has been a cultural monument of the Czech Republic and since 1993 it has been part of the urban monument zone of Vinohrady, Žižkov and Vršovice.
In 2014, the station served 224,505 trains (610 daily) and more than 53,000,000 passengers (90,000 daily) and a number of regional, national and international trains, for which it is often the starting or final station. The station is connected to Prague Metro Line C and the Hlavní nádraží railway station.
Overview
Initial construction
The imperial decision of October 1866 to demolish the walls contributed to the construction of the railway station in the current location. The station has been in operation since 14 December 1871, when the southbound Emperor Franz Joseph Railway service to Benešov, Tábor and Vienna started from it. At the time, the station was known as "Franz Josef Station".
“Praha hlavní nádraží” enters the record as railway station in Prague, Czechia. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Praha, hlavní and nádraží can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Praha hlavní nádraží” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Praha, hlavní and nádraží provides the most credible route into that argument.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 20, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q751174. VIAF identifies the subject as 22146824696207630716. Authority coordinates are 50.083, 14.436. 1 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1871, 1945, 1948 and 1976.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Praha hlavní nádraží”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Praha hlavní nádraží primary sources, Praha hlavní nádraží archive and Praha research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Praha hlavní nádraží”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Praha hlavní nádraží” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.