Editing Panelák (section)

==Characteristics==
[[File:Kamýk, Durychova, věžáky.jpg|thumb|Towering paneláks in the Kamýk area of [[Prague]].]]

{{Citation needed span|text=In comparison to pre-war apartment buildings, paneláks can be truly enormous. Some are more than {{Convert|100|m|ft|abbr=unit}} long, and some are more than 20 stories high. Some even have openings for cars and pedestrians to pass through, lest they have to go all the way around the building.|date=October 2020|reason=}}

A typical panelák apartment has a foyer, bathroom, kitchen, a living room (also used for dining), and a bedroom.<ref name=":0" /> All paneláks in the Czech Republic were constructed to follow one of sixteen design patterns.<ref name=":1" />

Paneláks have been criticized for their simplistic design, poor-quality building materials, and their tendency to become overcrowded.<ref name=":0" /> In 1990, [[Václav Havel]], who was then the president of Czechoslovakia, called paneláks "undignified rabbit pens, slated for liquidation".<ref name=":1" /> Panelák housing estates as a whole are said by some to be mere [[bedroom community|bedroom communities]] with few conveniences and even less character.{{Citation needed|date=October 2020}}

However, paneláks have also been praised by many. Upon their introduction, paneláks offered more reliable heating, hot water, and plumbing than existing buildings, especially those in rural locations.<ref name=":0" /> The buildings typically offered large amounts of natural light, compared to their older counterparts.<ref name=":0" />

{{Citation needed span|text=Some housing estates do have other facilities, such as shopping centres, schools, libraries, swimming pools, cinemas and such. Also, architects sometimes made an effort to make the buildings distinct, by mixing various types of paneláks, for example, or by using different colours. Well-designed housing estates also have some environmental advantages. By leaving wide spaces between buildings, designers created large green spaces and parks, which are lacking in many pre-war Czech neighbourhoods. In some places, paneláks were an improvement in sanitary conditions.|date=October 2020|reason=}}