Anděl (neighborhood)

Anděl is a busy crossing and its immediate neighbourhood in Prague 5's central quarter of Smíchov. The name means angel in the Czech language and originates from the 19th century "U zlatého anděla" (Golden Angel) pub originally named after an angel statue in front of it. The pub's awning painting of an angel was preserved after its demolition and is now displayed nearby.

Anděl is an important traffic center. Prague Metro's Line B runs beneath it, the area being served by Anděl Station and tramway lines in north-south and east-west direction cross there (lines 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, 14 and 20). Otherwise, it is a pedestrian zone.

After a redevelopment in the late 1990s, when French architect Jean Nouvel designed an office building called Zlatý Anděl ("Golden Angel") above the Metro station with a picture of an angel and quotes from Rilke on its facade, Anděl became one of the busiest parts of the city, with many offices of national and international companies. Across it (in the north-west quadrant), there's one of Prague's biggest shopping malls, called Nový Smíchov with the biggest underground garage of the city that was built for the shopping mall and multiplex (cinema); another is nearby. Anděl is a gathering place for young Czechs, but also for a lot of homeless people that beg for money off the people walking there.