If you wonder what the name Naplavka means, it’s an area on the river bank which lies lower than the waterfront road itself. It most often serves as a dock for boats, but properly arrranged, it is the perfect place for romantic walks by the river. There are several embankments (Naplavka) in Prague and each of them attracts visitors to something different. There are nice restaurants and bars that offer many specialties. Some of them host a number of interesting events during the season.
At first glance, visitors to the Náplavka will be attracted by the ships that have arrived. But you will not only find different types of beers, cocktails and delicacies on their decks, but also exhibitions, concerts or flea markets. You can rent a kayak or paddleboard here, play beach volleyball on board one of the boats, etc.
Life on both river banks of the Vltava in the centre of Prague has been significantly revived and got more attractive thanks to the revitalisation of the popular embankments at Rašínovo nábřeží, which took few years to implement.
The round holes in the walls of the embankments originally served as warehouses for materials brought by ships to Prague. They were unused for many years and perhaps event the Prague people themselves didn’t notice them, as the entrances were made of stone and almost blended in with the surroundings.
Change came with 2019. The architect designed three types of new functions for the dungeon space: a gallery, a café and public toilets.
All dungeons have new glass revolving doors. The glass is elliptical in shape and the largest measures about 5.4 metres at its widest point. The weight is between 2.1 and 2.5 tonnes. The glass is manufactured by the American company Reynolds, which has a branch in Thailand, from where the glass was transported to Prague via Hamburg.
The reconstruction of Prague's embankment is on the list of the 40 most interesting European projects that have a chance to win the Ludwig Mies van der Rohe Prize in 2022, an architectural award announced by the European Commission and the van der Rohe Foundation.
If you want to please your taste buds or buy fresh local ingredients, don't forget the regular farmers markets! Every Saturday from 08:00 to 14:00 you can walk around the stalls and buy everything from dairy products, pastries and eggs to cold cuts, fresh fish and vegetables to wines, homemade jams or cut flowers. The selection is really wide, the sellers are accommodating and will often let you taste them before you buy.
