Prague’s first adventure playground

I am surrounded by the sound of hammers, drills, creation and concentration. Today is a nice sunny day and many children came to spend their afternoon at the pilot Adventure playground – the first adventure playground in Czechia. Let’s dive together into life here at the playground and piece together its story.

Firstly, what is an adventure playground? It is a space for children to roam free, explore their abilities and limits, and create their own space for unrestricted play. This is different from classic playgrounds, where the physical space is predetermined, usually by adults. In contrast, in an adventure playground children are given space, materials, and tools to create buildings, toys, and to experiment. Oftentimes the material is ‘junk’, that would otherwise go to waste.

The whole playground is enclosed and under the watch of playworkers – adults who look after the safety, but step in only when necessary. The parents are usually kept outside of the area, which is another key difference from classic playgrounds. This is the children’s space to freely explore autonomy, collaboration, and creativity. The children make the place their own, experiencing what working together means for them, in a naturally collaborative environment. 

The first adventure playground opened in Emdrup, Denmark in 1943. The concept has since spread over the UK, western and northern Europe, but also to other parts of the world. The idea to create a similar playground in Czechia has been brewing for some time in the minds of the Czech Child-Friendly City Association (Město přátelské k dětem, z. s.). Since 2017, they have been co-organizing a conference titled Architecture to children (Architektura dětem). In 2023, the topic of the conference was Adventure play in the city. The event gained a lot of traction, ideas turned to plans, and in the summer of 2024, the first Czech adventure playground was born.

The path from idea to realisation was not without hurdles, as no one was sure how the concept would function in the Czech environment. Finally, the adventure playground was established in the form of a pop-up. The credit for making it happen goes largely to Carolina Sidon and Mirjana Petrik from the Czech Child-Friendly City Association. It took place on an empty plot owned by the municipal districtpart Prague 6, which would soon be developed with a new school building. Next to the plot is a Centre for children and youth (Dům dětí a mládeže), which also took part in the organisation.

Apart from the Czech Child-Friendly City Association, the municipality, and the Centre for children and youth, others were also involved. Students from the Faculty of Architecture CTU in Prague built a larger wooden structure that opened opportunities for children to add to it. Numerous people and organisations provided the material, which was mostly reused. And we cannot forget the children, who are the true creators of the adventure playground!

II talked with Petr Palacký, the Councillor for Environment and Climate of the municipal district Prague 6 City Council, about the formal process of establishing the playground. Here are some interesting things he said. (Note: all interviews were conducted in Czech and translated into English by the author.)

The organisers decided to adapt some changes from the wide-spread concept for the trial project. Namely, they let the parents in, and with that were able to also allow very small children to participate. The pop-up should have lasted 4 weeks, but it was so popular that another week was added. I talked with two of the playworkers about their experience.

To get a feel for how the play was at the playground, let’s hear from the people present every day: children, parents, and the playworkers. How did they feel at the playground? What were they building? Were the parents scared?

Do they normally have chances to build things like this? Would they do more activities like this after taking part in the pop-up?

What was their favourite build?

To move on from the hands-on experience into a more theoretical way of thinking, we can take a moment to think about the project in the framework of the NEB values (beautiful, sustainable and together).

Sustainable. A complex value for sure, the adventure playground builds on all of its three pillars. Environmentally, it is using materials that would have otherwise gone to waste and space that would have otherwise lay fallow. Moreover it motivates people to also do so outside in their lives outside of the playground. Socially, it promotes community and social intelligence among children. Economically, this is not profitable, however, it is a meaningful cause in which to invest. According to Petr Palacký, the costs of operating this pop-up were similar to the operation of an ice-skating rink, and many of the costs were one-off.

Beautiful. The opinions on what beauty is and what can be considered beautiful are countless. But the design and building of the children’s creations automatically come with the question ‘How will it look?’ Thinking about aesthetics and the form of the environment enables people to perceive it in a more complex way. Empowering children to take part in shaping their surroundings can aid them in the ability to perceive the beauty in the world and motivate them to contribute to it. 

Together. This is a value that is one of the key building stones in the adventure playground concept. Of course, the children can play and craft and build on their own. But the playground provokes collaboration and conflict, children experience what working together means, and experiment with finding their place in society. This is a place, where the combined effort of the community is manifested through the growth of a colourful playscape that can offer something to everyone.

Today’s children and youth need opportunities for spontaneous free play, and are happy to use the opportunities of an adventure playground. There, they can roam free and explore their abilities and limits. They learn to use tools to build their own landscape, and can accomplish building something for the first time in their life. But perhaps more importantly, they stumble upon conflict and are pushed to learn about communication and collaboration. The pilot has proven that the adventure playground concept is something that Czechs can appreciate. There are now plans to make more permanent spaces like this in the near future.

Written by Viola Ebermannová
Photos and illustrations by Viola Ebermannová