Muzeum v podskalské celnici na Výtoni Customs

Welcome. You are standing in front of one of the most important stone monuments of this part of Prague. Take a look at the building that stands right by the Vltava bank. It's a museum in the Podskalská customs office on Gutoni. Can you feel the weight of history that radiates from these thick stone walls? This building is not just an ordinary house, it is a silent witness of centuries who has survived the changes of time, the coming and going waves of the river and the constant movement of people who once sought to live here. Feel this atmosphere. You are in a place where the fortress of stone meets with a constant flow of water.

Look at this building and try to imagine what it looked like at the time of its creation. Its roots go back to the 15th century. Imagine then Prague, constantly evolving, where Vltava was the main transport artery, life and challenge. This building was not built here for aesthetic joys, but for a very practical and important purpose. She served as a customs officer. At that time, it meant that every ship that sailed through these waters with cargo had to stop here. It had to be checked, fees had to be paid and order had to be observed. Imagine the voices, the noise of water hitting the banks, the smell of wood and floating goods. This customs office was the gateway through which the wealth and the daily needs of the city went through.

Now pay attention to the architecture itself, which is right before your eyes. Notice how this two-storey stone structure works. Her mass will attack you immediately. This is not a building that was built quickly or lightly. It smells of strength and durability. Even though the building was built in the fifteenth century, its appearance had undergone an important transformation around the year sixteen hundred. At the time there was an internal modification and also a reconstruction of the portal you can see. Pay attention to the portal. It's one of those details that tells us that the building wasn't just a simple utility object, but it had its dignity. These stone shapes were made up of people who wanted the place to be important and lasting. Even if we don't know the names of the particular builders, their work here is evident in every stone block that's kept this building together for hundreds of years.

Now, let's move on in time to the moments that saved this building from falling into oblivion. History could be much sadder if the effort to preserve monuments did not play an important role. Over the centuries, the world around Podskoli was changing. The old ways of sailing gave way to new technologies, the need for customs as such disappeared. There was a risk that this historical object would simply be removed to make room for modern construction. But in nineteen hundred and eight, something crucial happened. The city decided to buy this building because it recognized it as a valuable monument. That was a break. Thanks to this decision, you can stand here today and touch the same walls that decided their fate.

In the following years, the building function changed again, just as the city had new needs. In nineteen hundred thirty-nine, the building became part of the administration of the Prague City Museum. It wasn't just the ship control site anymore, it was the place where the city's memory began to be stored. Later, in the year two thousand and three, the building underwent reconstruction, in which the original Podskalská pub was reopened. Imagine the nights people used to hang out here, relax after hard work on the river and share their stories at the table. This building was therefore not only a cold office, but also an artery to social life in this part of Prague.

Now I want to invite you to think about one interesting thing. Maybe you think museums are just places where we look at things behind glass. But this place is different. It's a museum that lives in the body of a historic building. When a new permanent exhibition opened in the year two thousand fifteen, the museum gained the ability to tell the story of Podskalí and Vltava right where these events took place. Expositions are not just about history, they are about people, about the tradition of sailing, about how the river shaped the lives of everyone who settled in its vicinity.

Now that you know the foundation of this construction and know how important it was for business and for the lives of people in this region, it is the best time to enter. Let the stories of the sailing tradition, the history of the local region and how the Vltava changed over time. Every room and every object in the exhibit will help you better understand what you're seeing right now. The building awaits you. We wish you pleasant tours and let yourself drift through the history of Podskalí.