Meandry Prahy s Emmou Hanzlíkovou v rozhovoru pro Radio Prague International

Náš oblíbený průvodce Prahou pro rodiče i děti Meandry Prahy se letos dočkal dlouho očekávaného dotisku. Editorka Emma Hanzlíková se s ním vypravila do Radia Prague International, kde ji vyzpovídala Ruth Fraňková. Povídaly si o tom, jak vznikl nápad na tento netradiční bedekr, zda má v dnešní digitální době papírový průvodce stále své místo a o mnohém dalším. Celý rozhovor probíhal v angličtině a můžete si ho přečíst nebo poslechnout na webu Radia Prague International nebo zde.

Meanders through Prague: a family-friendly guide created by locals

There are plenty of guides to Prague, but few consider the city from a child’s point of view. Meanders through Prague, first published in 2024 and now heading into its second edition, offers a fresh and creative way to explore the Czech capital, with the city’s youngest visitors in mind. The book is a collaborative effort by local writers, artists, and food lovers, each sharing their favourite spots, including galleries, bookstores, parks, and playgrounds. But in a world dominated by social media, do we still need paper guidebooks? And how valuable is local insight when discovering a city? I sat down with Emma Hanzlíková, the editor of Meanders through Prague, to find out.

What inspired you to create Meanders through Prague? Was there any particular moment that sparked the idea?

It's not really the usual kind of guide where you’d find all the historical monuments. It has more of a literary touch. It highlights a bit of the literary history, authors who have written about Prague, but it also features writers and artists from our Meander publishing house: illustrators, graphic designers, of course writers, and even some of our friends who have small children.

They talk about the places they like to go, which aren’t always in the city centre. These are the less typical places, but they are still accessible by tram or subway.

You mentioned the book was created by a group of authors. Could you describe the guide for those who haven’t seen it? How is it structured and what kind of experiences does it offer?

The first step was looking at the group of people we work with: creative people who live in Prague, and give them the opportunity to share something about the city.

Of course, I also looked through the classic Lonely Planet and various online guides. And I was thinking about this AI era we’re in now, where it’s so easy to prepare for a trip. You can get a full itinerary generated, and it’s usually quite good, as I’ve tried it myself. But that’s exactly why I wanted to add a bit of imagination, something that’s not just based on facts.

I also wanted the book to be useful for families with children. Not just for foreigners, but also people coming from other parts of the country, like Brno or Ostrava. Navigating the city with small kids can be tricky, and you want to avoid the usual tourist traps.

You’ll find places in the book where you can take a break, rest, or go to a playground. That’s always an important part of traveling with kids. You need those pauses in between seeing the monuments or visiting museums.

You also mentioned that there are a lot of practical tips included. What kinds of places do you recommend?

Yes, the book includes things like design shops and bookshops, especially the smaller, independent ones, where you can find beautiful children’s books, but also books for adults.

There are cafes, galleries, playgrounds, and of course, ice cream places – that’s important! And bakeries. Sometimes just a slice of bread with butter or a croissant can save the day, especially when you don’t want to wait in line at a restaurant.

It’s all mixed together. There are authors like Petr Stančík, Petr Borkovec, and Kateřina Tučková, well-known literary names. But then you also have designers or design theorists who look at architecture from a different angle.

There's a section on cubist architecture, or a suggested trip to Troja, where you’ll find not only a château but also the zoo and botanical gardens. You can move through the book based on your mood, just soak in the atmosphere of a place.

For instance, Jiří Černický, an artist, describes a kind of hidden island under a bridge where homeless people live. I am not sure it’s a place you’d travel to, but if you do go to Libeň, there's also a lovely bakery nearby where you can grab something to eat.

These days, people often rely on online sources for travel. Why do you think it still makes sense to have a printed guide?

That’s a nice question. I think even the pocket edition, with its illustrations and the tactile design, is something really special.

The graphic design by Dan Rerko and Alžběta Božeková is quite sophisticated. You might even think it’s too nice for a guidebook, since those usually get all beat up in your backpack.

But we even managed to include a classic folding paper map. Especially for kids, it’s much easier to understand distances and locations on a big paper map than on a phone screen.

It’s also the kind of book you can flip through in the evening before your trip, just to get excited and start planning in a more personal way.

How did you select the locations in the book? Was it mostly up to the contributors, or was it a group effort?

I asked everyone at our publishing house throughout the year to send me their favourite places, especially ones in areas they know well.

So everything in the guide has been personally tried out, some of it with our kids. Most of us have three or more children, so we really understand what works for families.

With the authors, I didn’t want to assign places to them. I wanted it to feel like putting together a puzzle, filling in different parts of the city without repeating too much.

Of course I also looked at what other guides recommend. But since this one is for families, I didn’t want it to only feature high-end spots. I wanted to include the simple, everyday things too, like a good bakery or an ice cream shop.

Did you discover anything new yourself while working on the guide?

Definitely. I have a different perspective because I was born in Prague and I live right in the centre, in Malá Strana.

Sometimes I force myself to cross Charles Bridge and try to see it like a tourist for the first time. When I lived in China, I used to photograph everything, just like many Asian tourists do here. We laugh about it, but it’s really just about seeing the world with fresh eyes.

One discovery for me was a sculpture by Jan Hísek, which an angel, or Amor, located in the courtyard of the Klementinum library. I used to pass by it all the time, knew it was there, but never really stopped to look.

After reading Jan’s touching short story about his father and how he always touches the toe of the little angel when passing by, I saw it differently. It stayed with me. So I'm really happy that some of these small, meaningful places made it into the guide.

My favourite is probably the cubist lamp. You have to make a little detour from Wenceslas Square to see it, but it’s such a special place.

On one hand, you want to keep it to yourself so it stays quiet and tourist-free. But at the same time, you want to share it with people who can really appreciate it.

The guide is bilingual. It's written both in Czech and English. Was that a decision made from the start? And how did the idea of reaching English users influence the content?

I’d actually be quite curious to know how many English-speaking readers or foreigners have gotten their hands on the book. When I travel somewhere, I often take it with me as a gift for friends. And I’ve received some really nice reactions.

But it’s true that we don’t have any formal system for distributing it abroad. So, in that sense, it’s primarily aimed at locals.

I think the decision to make it bilingual was there from the beginning. But we weren’t sure whether we should do a fully separate Czech version and an English version.

As you can see in the printed book, the English text is slightly smaller to fit with the illustrations.

But the English version could work on its own, especially if there’s interest in the book. And in future editions, possibly for other cities, we could even include other languages. That would be wonderful.

Although that brings challenges, because some places, especially the shops, change quite often. But that’s the usual issue for any guidebook.”

You were talking about how you try to experience Prague as a newcomer, as a foreigner. Looking at Prague from this perspective, would you say it is family-friendly city?

Yes, I think Prague is a really walkable city. It’s very easy to get around, even with the trams. And even the subway, which I’m not a huge fan of, is simple to use. There are just three lines, so you can get to most places without much trouble.

And frankly, the playgrounds — I’m not personally a big fan of playgrounds, though I know they’re important — are everywhere. You can really stumble upon one on almost any walk.

We were just in New York with my family, and we have three kids. I was thinking, what does New York offer for kids? You have the Statue of Liberty, maybe go up a skyscraper… and then I was a bit lost. There just aren’t that many playgrounds, and you end up walking and walking.

In Prague, walking is also important, but the key is that you keep discovering something new around every corner.

For example, there’s a children’s playground at the Agnes Monastery which is really beautiful. You wouldn’t find something like that in many other places.

Are you thinking about creating a similar guide for other Czech cities, or perhaps a follow-up edition for Prague?

Originally, I wasn’t thinking of expanding to other places. The Meanders through Prague guide is closely tied to our publishing house, Meander. It’s a reference to the ‘meandering’ literary figures historically hidden in the labyrinth of Prague.

So it felt very Prague-specific. But I was pleasantly surprised by how well it was received. Some other cities, and even cultural institutions, approached us and asked if we could prepare something in advance. Although we’re not a travel agency, of course.

Right now, Kutná Hora is on the list. We’ve already taken a trip there and also reached out to local people, which is really the key thing.

The Prague guide was about the voices of Prague residents. For Kutná Hora, we want to engage people who live or work there in a cultural context.

So the Kutná Hora guide should be ready by autumn. In the meantime, we are also preparing a second edition of the Prague guide because it sold out. The plan is to add three more authors, including poet Ondřej Buddeus, artist Eva Koťátková, and culinary expert Dita Pecháčková.

Finally, what would you like families — both foreign and local — to take away from your guide? What kind of experience do you hope it helps them create?

I remember that the very first idea for the book came during COVID. We noticed that people living in Prague started going into the city centre more, because it was empty of tourists.

It felt like a paradox, encouraging people to go into the heart of the city, to not be afraid of it. Yes, it can be a labyrinth, it has its traps, and at times it’s even ugly, but I wanted to offer a kind of detour.

It’s about planning a family trip and really enjoying the city. Yes, these days there’s more talk about getting into nature, and how we’re losing our green spaces.

But I still think it’s vital for children to learn how to navigate a city. And I hope this book helps families do that: to not only survive the city, but to discover something nice as well!

Autorka: Ruth Fraňková pro Radio Prague International