Previous state
The space along the Vltava River in Prague was originally used for redistributing materials transported by boats, but the old vaults that once connected the river and city were converted into warehouses and then abandoned for almost half a century. After the devastating floods of 2002, a private company obtained permission to use this public space as a carpark. However, the local residents believed that this riverside space should be used differently and, in 2009, they came together to organise exhibitions there, and open it to artistic interventions and a range of other events. Their activism breathed new life into the space and the project was officially adopted in 2017.Aim of the intervention
The initiative was envisaged as a programmatic architectural revitalisation of the Prague riverfront. The vaults have been transformed into small “sanctuaries” that are open to the water’s edge.Description
he restored area, extending almost four kilometres, covers three riverside walks in Prague. The first phase and part of the second represents the city’s largest investment in public space since the 1989 revolution. The project includes reconstructing twenty vaults along the river wall and opening spaces that house cafés, workshops, galleries, and public amenities.
The interventions are harmoniously integrated into the original setting through the strategy of architectural acupuncture, thus forming a monumental ensemble. The vaults of the Rašín embankment have accesses with enormous glass pivoting windows, indeed the largest in the world, seven centimetres thick and five and a half metres in diameter). The Dvořák and Hořejší embankments have sculptured steel entrances. The new spaces have wheelchair access and mobile flood protection systems.
Assessment
The project began fifteen years ago and is now in its second phase, which includes renovating six more vaults (two on the Rašín embankment and four on the Dvořák embankment) which, transformed into cultural and commercial spaces, keep their connection with the river. This revitalisation of Prague’s riverfront is a model project which has inspired the rehabilitation of similar spaces in other cities of the Czech Republic and around the world. This public space is the city’s second most visited place and has become a living laboratory that demonstrates the power of citizens when deciding on uses of public space. The next phases of the project envisage street furniture design (underground wastepaper disposal, fountains, benches) a floating pool, a cruise terminal, and floating toilets.[Last update: 28/05/2025]
