About this place
The Raftsmen monument stands at Výtoň in Prague, in a small park just south of the former Podskalí customs house, on the riverside edge of the New Town district. It is a modest but telling landmark along this stretch of the Vltava embankment, recalling a trade that once defined daily life here, long before river regulation and the rise of the railway made it obsolete.
Who is the monument dedicated to?
The inscription on the base — "Na paměť podskalských plavců – vorařů," meaning "In memory of the Podskalí raftsmen and boatmen" — makes the dedication explicit. It honors the residents of old Podskalí, Prague's historic riverside district along the Vltava, whose livelihood depended on rafting timber downriver and running the boats that moved goods along the water. For centuries this trade was one of the economic backbones of the district; Podskalí lived off the river long before modern transport infrastructure made the raftsmen's work redundant.
Who created it, and when?
The monument was made by sculptor Jan Jiříkovský and unveiled in 1971. It was commissioned by Vltavan, an association founded in the second half of the 19th century by former raftsmen and their descendants, at a time when the traditional trade was already fading and its members wanted to preserve the memory of their shared history and craft. The monument itself marks the hundredth anniversary of the association's founding — the large stone bears the name "Vltavan" together with the society's emblem, while the base carries the dedication to the raftsmen quoted above.
Why was it placed at Výtoň specifically?
The location is not incidental. Výtoň sits right next to the former Podskalí customs house, the point where goods carried down the Vltava were historically checked before moving further into the city. It was here that the paths of Prague's raftsmen, merchants and customs officials regularly crossed. Placing the monument at this exact spot on the embankment, rather than elsewhere in the city, underlines that it commemorates a very specific, local Podskalí tradition rather than river navigation in general terms.
What can visitors see there today?
The monument sits in a small, quiet park that today serves as a pocket of calm greenery right beside the busy riverside road. It is easy to walk past while hurrying along the embankment, but it rewards a short stop — one of the few physical traces of the hard, everyday work that tied the people of Podskalí to the Vltava for generations. Nearby remnants connected to the former customs house and the district's river trade give visitors a fuller picture of this corner of Prague's history.
Frequently asked questions
Where exactly does the monument stand? At Výtoň in Prague, in a small park just south of the former Podskalí customs house, along the Vltava riverside.
Who made the monument and when? Sculptor Jan Jiříkovský, unveiled in 1971 to mark the hundredth anniversary of the Vltavan association.
Who is the monument dedicated to? The raftsmen and boatmen of old Podskalí, Prague's former riverside district, who worked transporting timber and goods on the Vltava.
Are there other traces of this tradition nearby? Yes, the monument stands next to the site of the former Podskalí customs house, historically linked to river trade in Prague.
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