Vaults on Rašínovo Embankment

Rašínovo Embankment is now one of the most attractive and vibrant riverfront spaces in central Prague. Its riverside promenade runs from the Vyšehrad rock at Výtoň to Jirásek Bridge beside the Dancing House and offers beautiful views of the Hradčany skyline.

Today's embankment and promenade were built in two stages. The first section, from Palacký Square to Jirásek Square, was constructed between 1870 and 1878 together with Palacký Bridge. The second section, running from Palacký Square to the Vyšehrad rock, was completed in 1905 along with the Vyšehrad Tunnel. Building the embankment swept away old Podskalí, a distinctive settlement of Prague boatmen and timber rafters.

Between Palacký and Jirásek bridges, the broad riverside served as the main landing place of the Prague Steamboat Company and the starting point for popular excursions to Štěchovice. Between Palacký Bridge and the railway bridge, timber rafts floated down from the Šumava forests once moored here. The last arrived in 1947.

The riverfront gained a new lease of life between 2009 and 2019 through major reconstruction. Architect Petr Janda turned the vaults in the embankment wall—formerly storage spaces and openings used to catch rafts—into cafés, bars, galleries, workshops, studios and public toilets. Seeking the strongest possible connection between inside and outside, he replaced the old gates with enormous glazed pivot windows weighing up to 2.5 tonnes.

The renewal of the riverfronts at Rašínovo and opposite Hořejší Embankment is one of Prague's largest investments in public space in recent decades and an outstanding example of contemporary architecture elegantly joining old and new.