Hospitals Built by City (Portal of Prague)

The complex of the Faculty Hospital Na Bulovce shares the same hill location as the Rococo chateaux Rokoska that was built in the 18th century. Right next to it is the Neo-Rococo Vychovatelna (training school) that was built in 1910 and that also gave a name to the nearby tram stop and the loop.

In order to give a full picture, it needs to be said that there is another Bulovka in Prague as well – an estate that was founded as early as in 14^th century. Its original name was Pavlačka and later on it was renamed after its owner Ferdinand Bulla who bought the building in the 18^th century. One might say that the hospital would be better named Rokoska in accord of the chateaux that became a seat of the hospital’s management. Nevertheless, the majority of Praguers, unless they come from Košíře, link Bulovka with the hospital and not with the vineyard estate of Prague 5.

First steps towards the hospital

The history of the Hospital Bulovka dates back to the 19^th century. In 1896 the municipality Libeň built a hospital with 20 beds. The construction was originally intended for patients with tuberculosis, a fact that influenced the future development of the hospital. At the ceremonial meeting of aldermen on 10^th August 1908 it was decided to build a new hospital that would stand next to the old one. The original plans may have been grand but in the end only one building was opened. This building was changed in the middle of the war during 1915 into a Hospital for the treatment of infectious diseases. It had 150 beds which were much less than it had been planned as the original expected number was 360. It was also planned that the place would include facilities for the hospital’s functioning, including the energy supply.

Top facilities

After independent Czechoslovakia had been founded, the capital city started to grow and that was something which the health care facilities and especially hospital care weren’t prepared for. At the very beginning there were talks about Bulovka becoming a Metropolitan Hospital. The building works began in 1925 and it was designed by the chief physician of Prague, Dr Ladislav Procházka and by Professor Dr Karel Hynek with the Building Authority of Prague taking charge of the project. The hospital was ceremonially opened in 1913; those present were Mayor Karel Baxa, many politicians and doctors. Bulovka became the most modern hospital in the Republic and some of its departments even served as an example for similar institutions all around the world. The hospital had the unprecedented number of 765 beds and the health care was indeed complex. On top of that, the number of beds continued to grow. Bulovka also had the first urology ward in Czechoslovakia. In 1936 the Dermatovenerologic clinic was built which was, even twenty years later, given as an example at world medical conferences. The original purpose of the hospital, the treatment of tuberculosis, became a foundation for the rise of another unique facility – Research Institute of Tuberculosis that belongs to the Charles University. Bulovka was also famous for the treatment of infectious diseases. The department for their treatment was opened in 1949; its founder was Dr J. Procházka, who worked in the hospital almost to the end of his life.

Fight with infection

The last ward, the ward of internal medicine, was opened in 1941. In war time the hospital became a place of interest to the whole of society. It was when in a nearby curve in the road, the assassination of Obergruppenführer Reinhard Hendrich took place. Hendrich had been operated on in the surgery ward by the team of doctors and nurses from Berlin. In May 1945 Bulovka became a place where the wounded from the May Uprising were treated. After the fighting was over, the nurses and female students of the medical school from Bulovka went to Terezín to help people who suffered from cholera. Bulovka, or to be more correct the doctors from the Department of Contagious Diseases played a significant role in the eradication of illnesses such as dysentery, enteric fever and diphtheria. Professor Dr J. Procházka was the head of the contagious diseases group that set up over 1200 beds not only in the hospital but also in the former monastery Na Karlově, in Švábky, U Apolináře and in schools in Liben and Vršovice.

TV serial story

After the 2^nd World War Bulovka Hospital took up its reputation as an outstanding medical institution and became one of our most prominent hospitals. In 1952 it became a clinic base for further training of doctors. At the same time the Centre for Infectious Disease Education was founded and in 1955, one of the first clinics for infectious diseases in Europe was opened there. These days the clinic cooperates with all three medical faculties of Charles University. In 1978 the orthopaedic clinic was opened in the new building thanks to the famous orthopaedist Dr M. Slavík who succeeded in persuading the party authorities to build a very modern place which later even became an inspiration for the TV serial story Hospital on the Edge of Town. After 1989 M. Slavík seemed no longer to be fit for the new circumstances. He left for Mnichov where he worked under professor Wohlfahrt and proved that he was not only a good negotiator with communist authorities but that he was also an excellent orthopaedist. Two years later the new department of genecology and obstetrics was also opened. In connection with the close cooperation on the training of doctors and with the founding of clinics, the hospital’s name was changed to Faculty Hospital Na Bulovce.

Oskar Exner