Štvanice Footbridge

Štvanice Footbridge links Karlín with Holešovice and Štvanice Island for pedestrians and cyclists. Prague's twentieth crossing of the Vltava offers distinctive sculptural details, a popular walk across the river and a fresh view of the city.

The bridge is white and minimalist, winding through the landscape like a slender, unobtrusive curve. It is 300 metres long and four metres wide, with five piers: two on Štvanice Island, two in the river and one in Karlín. It was designed by Petr Tej, Marek Blank, Jan Mourek and Vít Najvárek. Their proposal emerged from an international architectural competition in 2017 organised by the Prague Institute of Planning and Development. Construction began in January 2022 and the bridge was completed in July 2023.

The new pedestrian and cycle connection is striking for both its curve and brilliant whiteness. It is made from a special white concrete with a remarkably delicate, marble-like appearance. Its aggregate grains are tiny—the largest just two millimetres across, compared with 32 millimetres or more in ordinary concrete. The resulting surface has no pores for water to enter and freeze, making the material exceptionally durable. The footbridge should therefore last 200 years without repair, while ordinary concrete structures often need work after only 50. Its final span on the Holešovice side also has a hydraulic lifting system able to raise the end above the level of even a once-in-a-thousand-years flood.

Ornamental details complement the minimalist form. The bronze handrail is illuminated, and each end carries a different animal head: a hare for Štvanice, a horse for Karlín's former riding school, and a bull for Holešovice Market, once the city slaughterhouse. The ornaments were designed by Aleš Hvízdala. A long ramp follows the edge of Štvanice Island, where the sculpture River by Jan Hendrych, emeritus professor of Prague's Academy of Fine Arts, stands at its foot under the care of Prague City Gallery.