Prague’s Štvanice island will get a new beach zone, open in limited form this week

Prague will soon have another spot where people can swim in the Vltava river. An area called Plovárna Baden Baden is being created on Štvanice ostrov in Prague 7.

This year it will operate in a limited mode from August 13 at 5 pm until the middle of September, and there will be no admission fee. Sunbeds, toilets, showers and refreshments will already be available for visitors in 2020.

In 2021 there will be beaches with sand, a paddling pool for children, a wooden pier and various sports facilities. The pier will be used for sunbathing and cultural purposes.

The plan for the future is to have beach volleyball, football and a badminton court. There will also be the opportunity to use paddle boards and pedal boats.

Plovárna Baden Baden will be in the large grassy area the eastern tip of the island, behind the tennis courts and skateboarding area, and across the river from Pražská tržnice. The island is accessible by a ferry that is part of Prague’s public transit system, by foot from the bridge Hlávkův most, or by tram to the stop Štvanice.

“We would like to return this phenomenon of folk swimming pools to Prague and convince not only Praguers of the fact that the water quality is much better than before, but also that it is not necessary to leave Prague to go bathing,” David Boháč, one of the owners of the swimming pool, said according to the Czech edition of Forbes magazine.

“We have been noticing that Prague has lagged unnecessarily in this respect for some time. The idea to create a swimming pool on the Vltava was gradually formed thanks to a visit to several European cities such as Copenhagen, Berlin and Vienna, where similar projects operate,” Boháč said.