The first gasworks appeared in Prague in 1847. Shortly afterwards, other gas companies were formed, and in 1866 the first municipal gasworks was founded. This company belonged to Žižkov, which at that time used to be an independent city.
Gradually, Prague municipal gasworks was also founded and in fact survived right until the nationalisation of gas industry in 1945 even though between 1939 and 1945 they fell within the City Prague Company. In 1946 four gasworks were founded in Czechoslovakia – West Bohemian Gasworks based in Prague, East Bohemian Gasworks based in Pardubice, Moravia Silesian Gasworks based in Ostrava and Slovakian Gasworks based in Bratislava. Prague Gasworks was founded on 1 st June 1950 when the gasworks were divided into ten regional companies. Prague’s gas industry became a part of national companies called the Central Bohemia’s Gas Manufacturing Plant Prague and the Central Bohemia’s Distribution Plant Prague. The Central Bohemia’s Gas Manufacturing Plant was in 1961 renamed to the Central Bohemia Gasworks Prague.
Between 1977 and 1988, there were other changes, but they mostly regarded just a change of names from syndicates to state ones and later to branch companies of the state organization. In 1990, companies Propan-butan Satalice and Gas Production Prague in Mecholupy were separated from the Central Bohemia Gasworks which became just a distribution company. In 1933, the Central Bohemian Gasworks together with the French national gasworks Gas de France founded a joint company whose aim was to build and renovate gas lines. The enterprise was called Prague-Paris- renovation. In the same year the Central Bohemian Gasworks was divided into two branches – the Central Bohemian Gasworks and Prague Gasworks.
In 1994, Prague Gasworks were changed into a joint stock company called Prague Gas Company. In the same year, this company became a foundation member of Czech Gas Union that includes eight gas joint stock companies and o.z. Transgas. In 1955, Prague Gas Company and German RWE Energie, A.G. joined and became Promethious Energy Services Ltd. In 1966, Prague Gas Company together with German company Ruhrgas A.G. Essen founded AUTOGAS, which is a company that runs petrol stations, consultancy, and goods’ purchase and sale. Currently Prague Gas Company annually sells almost 1.5 milliard m3 of natural gas (which has heating power of more than three milliards m3 of lighting gas), manages 3000 km of gas lines and supplies more than 400 000 customers.
Prague used to be famous for its gas lighting that is currently undergoing renaissance and many streets in the centre (mainly around Old Town Square) are illuminated by gas lamps. It is also a kind of attraction, said the Deputy Mayor Pavel Kleg. Development of such lighting is not more demanding than the electrical one, and therefore gas will also light the current renovation of Charles Bridge. The lamplighter, who is to be seen during the tourist season in streets of Prague, already became a favourite character. People take pictures with him and not only children are excited when they can light a lamp.
The section called Metamorphoses of Prague aims to describe changes that have been happening in Prague gas industry over the last years. During this time natural gas had been serving not only as a heat source, but there has also been an increasing number of cars fuelled by it and the Prague Public Transit Company is considering establishing natural gas fuelled busses as well.