The embankment on Rašínovo nábřeží — better known as Náplavka and for its farmers’ markets — is a popular spot for Praguers during the warmer months.
People come here on weekends for walks, to feed ducks and swans, and to bike. This embankment, however, was not always a place of leisure.
Previously, Náplavka was a hub for rowing, sand mining, and the timber trade. As such, many of the residents of the now-defunct Podskalí settlement relied on the Vltava River for their livelihood.
Today, only one building from that settlement survives — the former Podskalská customs house on Výton.
Part of the embankment was once used to dismantle and anchor rafts from the Šumava forests to Prague found floating on the river.
After a devastating flood, the city decided to build up the embankment walls to protect it from further flood damage.
Completed in 1910, these walls stand at 1320 meters long and reach a height of more than 10 meters in some places. This created a floodplain between the walls and the river, which is regularly fortified to this day.
