   () is a colloquial term in czech and slovak for a panel building constructed of pre-fabricated, pre-stressed concrete, such as those extant in the former czechoslovakia and elsewhere in the former soviet bloc.  [plural: ] is derived from the standard  or  meaning, literally, "panel house / prefabricated-sections house". the term "panelÃ¡k" is used mainly for the elongate blocks with more sections with separate entrances â simple panel tower blocks are called "vÄÅ¾ovÃ½ dÅ¯m" (tower house) or colloquially "vÄÅ¾Ã¡k". the buildings remain a towering, highly visible reminder of the communist era. according to census statistics, around one in three czechs still live in a . similar buildings were built in all communist countries, from poland  to mongolia. there were also attempts to introduce similar structures as public housing in the united states (see pruittâigoe and cabriniâgreen), but almost all ended in failure â some in disaster. ==history==  panelÃ¡ks resulted from two main factors: the postwar housing shortage and the ideology of czechoslovak leaders. planners from the communist era wanted to provide large quantities of affordable housing and to slash costs by employing uniform designs over the whole country. they also sought to foster a "collectivistic nature" in the people. in case of war, these houses would not be as susceptible to firebombing as traditional, densely packed buildings. between 1959 and 1995, panelÃ¡ks containing 1.17 million flats were built in what is now the czech republic. they house about 3.5 million people, or about one-third of the country's population. in prague and other large cities, most panelÃ¡ks were built in a type of housing estate known as a sÃ­dliÅ¡tÄ. such developments now dominate the suburbs of prague, bratislava and other towns. the first sÃ­dliÅ¡tÄ built in prague was petÅiny in the 1950s; the largest in prague is jiÅ¾nÃ­ mÄsto (about 100,000 inhabitants), with 200 buildings built since the 1970s. the largest concentration of panelÃ¡ks in the former czechoslovakia and central europe can be found in petrÅ¾alka (population about 130,000), a section of the slovak capital of bratislava. the city of most is known for having a dominan
Building Economy_of_Czechoslovakia Public_housing Russian_architecture