Paralelní Polis

Václav Benda formulated the parallel polis for the Charter 77 circle in 1978: rather than wait for regime reform, people could build independent educational, cultural and information structures. The Prague project borrowed the name and inspiration; it neither invented the dissident concept nor represented all of Charter 77. [Václav Benda — Parallel Polis] [Radio Prague International — Ztohoven opens the institute]

After working with hackers and Slovakia's Progressbar, the Ztohoven art collective opened the black building at 43 Dělnická in Prague-Holešovice in October 2014. Paralelní Polis was simultaneously a nonprofit, a place and a social experiment; an address or community membership did not imply authorship of every activity. [Radio Prague International — Ztohoven opens the institute] [Goethe-Institut — Bitcoin and surveillance] [Cooperative City — Paralelní Polis interview]

The ground floor housed Bitcoin Coffee, alongside Paper Hub coworking, a maker or hacker space and the Institute of Cryptoanarchy hall. Talks, workshops, hackathons, a library and desks linked technology to daily experience. These brands and operations had distinct roles and were not one interchangeable service. [Radio Prague International — Ztohoven opens the institute] [Goethe-Institut — Bitcoin and surveillance] [Cooperative City — Paralelní Polis interview]

For years the café accepted only cryptocurrency payments and helped newcomers set up a wallet and make a first payment. Bitcoin was a practical gateway to decentralised technology, not proof of anonymity, price stability or the merit of every other crypto project. The venue's payment rules later changed. [Goethe-Institut — Bitcoin and surveillance] [The Guardian — Bitcoin Coffee in Prague] [e15 — Paralelní Polis ends in its existing form]

The Institute of Cryptoanarchy covered Tor, encryption, anonymisation, decentralised networks, censorship and digital freedom. A tool is not an outcome: Bitcoin, a VPN or Tor alone guarantees neither anonymity, security nor legal safety, and a public talk is not a technical audit of the project presented. [Radio Prague International — Ztohoven opens the institute] [Goethe-Institut — Bitcoin and surveillance]

The project stressed state-free operation without public grants, while paying rent and energy costs and relying on private donors, revenue and legal entities. State-free described an ethical and organisational direction, not the factual absence of contracts, property ownership, accounting, taxes or dependence on funding. [Radio Prague International — Ztohoven opens the institute] [Goethe-Institut — Bitcoin and surveillance] [Cooperative City — Paralelní Polis interview]

Hackers Congress Paralelní Polis became an annual flagship event about freedom, technology, decentralisation and cryptoanarchy from 2014; its 2024 edition was the last in the building. The congress, its organiser, its speakers and the year-round Polis operation were distinct, and a speaker's appearance was not endorsement. [e15 — Paralelní Polis ends in its existing form] [Hackers Congress Paralelní Polis 2024]

The name and open model inspired communities in Bratislava, Vienna, Barcelona and other cities. Their own sites describe local communities and programmes, so a shared name is not evidence of one legal entity, funding source, management structure or uninterrupted operation directed from Prague. [Paralelná Polis Bratislava] [Parallel Polis Vienna]

In October 2024 Paralelní Polis ended in its existing form, along with the final HCPP in its house. Second Culture took over as a coworking operator, Bitcoin Coffee remained only a component and card payments arrived. The nonprofit, original project, new operator and building were henceforth distinct. [e15 — Paralelní Polis ends in its existing form]

Second Culture ceased operations in March 2026; later reporting found the building cleared and planned for an art gallery. Readers should therefore not be sent to 43 Dělnická as an operating Paralelní Polis. Communities, ideas and successor events may continue elsewhere, but each needs current verification. [e15 — The former Polis building in 2026] [Kryptomagazin — Second Culture closure]