A glimpse of the past: Viktoria Žižkov will play at home. That is, where it has settled after a tumultuous nomadic life

The Prague 3 City Council has approved the lease of the stadium in Seifert Street to Viktoria Žižkov for thirty years for the symbolic price of one crown, with the proviso that the club will take proper care of the stadium and improve it. Fans of the traditional Czech club were relieved – the 1928 Czechoslovak champion will not have to move and seek asylum. As has been the case more than once in its history.

Founded in 1903, the club has long been associated with the pitch and, in time, the stadium at the Ohrada estate, which was located in what is now a dignified urban development including the former Vítkov Hotel, now the VZP building.

However, this urbanism had to give way in 1927 and was demolished. “The entire club had to be evicted within three days,” recalls renowned historian Miloslav Jenšík.

It so happened that the only championship title in 1928 was celebrated by Viktoria in the role of a homeless club. “It played its home games mostly at Slavia or Bohemka,” reveals Jenšík. She found a new stand in Strasnice, and the grand opening came in 1930.

New history began to be written after the war and after the unification of physical education under the new communist regime. In 1952 the most brutal reorganization came, without a patronage company or a ministerial department, teams could not play the highest competition. Viktoria was to come under Avia Čakovice, but the players refused. The old “Habásek’s” Viktoria disappeared..

In the 60s of the last century, which brought relaxation in the totalitarian regime, after the example of Slavia, Sparta and other clubs, Žižkov football returned to its glorious past, but the broken tradition was continued by another entity of this Prague locality, Slavoj Žižkov. It also adopted the name Viktoria without any previous ties.

And found a worthy stand. Today’s stadium was originally used by the corporate team of the shoe tycoon Mr. Plicner, who was nicknamed the Bata of Prague.

After the nationalisation of his factory, the stadium came under the name of Maintenance Žižkov, and in 1952 the local Slavoj joined this entity. And through the aforementioned legal steps, the restored Viktoria Žižkov later took up residence there.

After the social changes in 1989, when Viktorka returned to the top competition, it once again offered many experiences. The fight for the championship title, European Cup duels, when it welcomed, for example, the famous English Chelsea.

Now he is trying to recreate these beautiful times, for this he needs a good background. The contract with the Prague 3 Municipal Council for a thirty-year lease allows the club with more than a century of tradition to do so.