It is bordered by the river Vltava and Holešovice to the north, Vítkov hill and Žižkov to the south, New Town to the west and Libeň to the east.

The building of the Karlín district began in 1817, surrounding the Rosarium of the Knights of the Cross with the Red Star.

For that reason, the number of industrial enterprises and dwellings grew very quickly in the area of "Rohan Island" (Rohanský ostrov).

At this time, the electrical engineering pioneer and industrialist František Křižík had great influence in the area.

Since 1990 Karlín is connected to the Prague Metro by Křižíková station named after Křižík, and a pedestrian zone has been established as well.