Výtoň

The old customs house, where the duty was paid directly from timber logs floated down the river. Today it is the Museum of Podskalí and Steam Navigation.

The building of the Podskalí customs house at Výtoň is a remnant of the days when customs were paid from timber rafted from the upper Vltava River. Duties were paid by so-called drawing, i.e. by pulling out one out of every 12 logs of timber floated down the river. In those days timber rafting was the livelihood of people known after the settlement of Podskalí as "Podskaláci". Currently the name Výtoň also refers to the area where Svoboda Street crosses the Rašín Embankment. It is also the name of the tram stop near this crossing and the adjacent ferry harbour.

The preserved customs house has a late Gothic core and was built in the 16th century. Its floor is timbered and the ground floor is made of brick. The floor was walled only during the time of Rudolf II. Inside the building worked the New Town pickers, a controller and two officials. Today, you will notice a peculiarity that the building stands in a hollow below the level of the surrounding terrain, indicating its original height. The increase was made during the construction of the Prague embankments.

In 1833 the customs house was closed and a public house called U Koppů operated there temporarily. The idea to build a museum about life in Podskalí finally prevailed.

Today it houses a branch of the Museum of the Capital City of Prague with permanent exhibitions of the former Podskalí and the History of Prague Steam Navigation. Also headquartered here is the Vltavan Guild in Prague dating to 1871, which preserves the ancient traditions of Podskalí.