If it weren't for the longest river in the Czech Republic, there wouldn't be any capital either. Or certainly not in the place or form as we know it today. The Vltava and its banks are the real cradle of Prague and still help shape our ideas about the direction the development of the capital should take. Last year, the Centre for Architecture and Metropolitan Planning (CAMP) prepared a major exhibition, which focused on the Vltava in detail. The City and the River is a reduced version of the original exhibition, tailored to the Kobka 17 exhibition hall and presented during the city-wide festival Poznej Vltavu.

Just like in CAMP, visitors to Kobka 17 can keep their feet dry as they walk along the Vltava, from the confluence with the Berounka all the way to Císařský ostrov, thanks to a 1:1,000 scale model of the river that winds its way through the entire exhibition hall. A projection of archive photographs and films invites you to take a journey into the history of the Vltava in Prague, where old bridges, ferries, and harbors with their boat crews, ice cutters and ice skaters come to life. The exhibition summarizes information and the highlights of the Vltava, which we may pass by every day without even being aware of, and it also offers a glimpse into the future, showing examples of projects planned to be implemented on the Vltava or in its immediate surroundings. From the new parks on Rohan Island and the confluence with the Berounka, to transport constructions such as the bridge, Dvorecký most, to the Vltava Philharmonic - a new concert hall on the banks of the river.

The information contained in the exhibition is mostly based on documents prepared by the Institute of Planning and Development of the City of Prague, especially the publication Concept of Prague's Banks. We would like to thank all our colleagues from IPR Prague, especially from the Archive, Public Space and Green Infrastructure offices, for their significant help and cooperation in the preparation of the exhibition.