Tags: neighbourhoods | panalaks | Prague 4

Travel brochures would lead us to believe that the city of a thousand spires is just that, a picturesque medieval fairy-tale land of narrow cobble stone streets flowing with rich frothy pilsner...

For those of us lucky enough to live in the center, this is the reality, but for the majority of Praguers, life's not so rosy. Surrounding the historic center is another testament to the history of Prague.

The panalaks were the mass housing projects of the Communist era. Built as quick-fix solutions to the desperate housing shortage, these blocks of prefabricated concrete apartments live on as reminders of the ugliness of life under the former regime. Haje is one of the many panalak cities surrounding Prague.

It lies at the end of the Red Line, and exiting the Metro in Haje is a shocking contrast, especially if you got on at Muzeum. Rows of what look like concrete skyscrapers laid end-on-end, stretch like dominoes into the horizon; laundry hangs from thousands of identical balconies and people walk around looking eager to get home.

Haje is dreary to say the least, and a reality for many inhabitants in one of Europe's most 'beautiful' cities.