The warren of cobblestone streets around Prague’s Old Town Square is home to a 600-year-old astronomical clock, the spires of more than a dozen Gothic and Baroque churches, myriad cafes and clubs—and 3,500 apartments listed on Airbnb and similar services. “Why do I have to listen to drunk tourists at my window all night?” asks Josef Franc, a social media manager fed up with the hubbub. “They’re in every building on our street, and I can’t sleep during the summer because of the noise.”
As the once-dowdy Czech capital has become Europe’s No. 5 tourist destination, residents are fretting about the toll the boom is taking. A quarter of the apartments in central Prague are listed on sites such as Airbnb, say city officials, who blame the services for helping fuel a 50 percent jump in property values since 2013. Residents have petitioned the local government to boost oversight of short-term rentals, and increased regulation of Airbnb Inc. was a central issue in October municipal elections. Candidates pledged to raise taxes, tighten rules, and limit the number of nights flats can be rented each year. “The city center is becoming like Disneyland,” says district council member Ivan Solil, whose building includes a shared flat. “In a few years there might not be many locals left.”
