Prague wants to improve the Vltava embankments, this year it will spend 25 million

photo: Rössler Rybář architects

Prague - The capital city wants to enhance the Vltava riverbanks over the next few years. It has commissioned a study from the office of Rössler Rybář architects, which proposes, among other things, the construction of a new riverbank around Children's Island and connecting this island to the waterfront with a second footbridge. A new promenade could also be established from Novotného footbridge to the National Theatre, where the architects propose a new docking station. This year, Prague has allocated 25 million crowns in its budget for the renovation of the riverbanks.
    According to councilor Radek Lohynský (ODS), who is responsible for city infrastructure, the study proposes modifications along the entire course of the Vltava within the metropolitan area.
    "We will build upon the study and will supplement it with specific project documents after the individual phases are approved, which will be progressively implemented. The riverbanks should become a sought-after tourist destination and a place for rest and relaxation," stated the councilor. However, he noted that only the actual projects that elaborate on the study will reveal the financial demands of the architectural proposals.
    This year, Prague has allocated 25 million crowns for the riverbanks according to the approved budget. If such an amount could be released in the following years, basic restoration of the riverbanks could be completed by the end of the electoral term, according to Lohynský.
    The study includes, among other things, a new riverbank along the eastern shore of Children's Island and a new rotating footbridge connecting this island to Janáček waterfront. The footbridge would lead over the navigation lock to the northern edge of the island, where the Vltava statue is located. It would rotate 90 degrees during boat passage. Architects are proposing to reconstruct the riverbank on Janáček waterfront.
    In the section from Novotného footbridge to the National Theatre, architects plan to expand the riverbank and make the so-called "čapadel" (arched spaces in the waterfront walls) accessible. These were previously used for storing wood that floated down the Vltava. A café or a boat rental would be established on the riverbank. A smaller docking station could be created near the National Theatre, which could also serve for the supply of the theatre or for the arrival of audiences. The connection between the riverbank and the waterfront would be ensured by new staircases and a barrier-free reconstructed passage to Divadelní street.
    A new riverbank is proposed along Edvard Beneš waterfront, extending from the end of Kosárkovo waterfront past Štefánikův Bridge, which should provide a new connection for pedestrians between Holešovice and the center.
    In the area of transportation, architects propose to introduce more ferries and water trams and further construct a new navigation chamber for small vessels at the Old Town sluice. According to the study, as much private boat traffic as possible should be relocated to the left bank, which supposedly needs revitalization.
    The riverbanks should, according to architects, become pedestrian zones, giving priority to pedestrians over other types of transport. Currently, cars drive on many riverbanks, and some waterfronts also serve as parking lots.
    The riverbanks should, according to architects, be complemented with floating installations that would serve various equipment. According to the architects, there is a lack of sufficient toilets, beverage and snack vending machines, pontoons for sorted waste, or floating playgrounds on the banks.