Prague set for end of pier reconstruction show

The Directorate of Waterways of the Czech Republic is set to invest tens of millions of crowns into the renovation of a pier at the Vltava embankment in the centre of Prague. The 500-metre long metal pier, running along the Edvard Beneš embankment between the Štěfánikův and Čechův bridges, was built in 2008 in order to take some strain off the berth on the other side of the river.

Edvard Beneš embankment, photo: ŠJů, CC BY-SA 3.0

The pier, which cost nearly 70 million crowns, has been used as a mooring place for large pleasure cruisers and botels mainly from Germany. It was also supposed to serve as an emergency landing place during floods.

After the reconstruction is completed, the pier can be used by small recreational vessels, which didn’t have a place to moor in Prague until now. The boats can be connected to electricity and spend a night there. The pier and boats will be guarded by a camera system.

Prague city councillors have also promised to make the pier accessible to the public, who can use it for getting from one bridge to another without having to use the busy street running along the river.

The reconstruction work on the pier is set to begin within the next few days. It should be open to boats already in April to accompany the launch of the new season. The whole project should be completed by the end of June.

The house adjacent to the pier will also undergo reconstruction and serve as a maintenance facility.

The upcoming reconstruction will make the pier and the access path to the pier safer for use, Jan Bukovský of the Directorate of Waterways told the daily e15.

The renovation of the pier, which is set to cost around 38 million crowns, will be carried out by construction companies Labská and Argo Automatizace.