River damn Prague. The narrowest street in Prague

Do you know that in the capital of the Czech Republic there is a street that is only 70 cm wide? It is called so - The narrowest street in Prague. If you are in Kampa, be sure to stop by, just remember to turn on the traffic lights.

There is a street in Prague where two people cannot walk at the same time. The width of the passage between the buildings is only 70 cm. Traffic lights are installed at both ends of the street - special, intended only for pedestrians. The street has no name, but it is called Vinarna Čertovka, after the restaurant at the other end. The narrowest street in Prague is located not far from and.

How did the street name come about?

Once it was not a street, but a fire passage that prevented the spread of fire. In the old days, Prague burned often, only in the 16th century the city suffered from two terrible fires. "Devil's" was the name of a winery located nearby. The people called the narrow passage "drunken lane" - the habitues of the winery left, holding hands on both of its walls. The owner of a liquor store placed a sign of his establishment above the entrance to the alley. So the new name gradually stuck to the street.

At first, there were no traffic lights. "Devil" arranged surprises for people - tipsy passers-by created traffic jams in the alley. The firefighters ordered the owner of the restaurant to install a traffic light, otherwise it was impossible to continue the business. After that, the street became an emergency exit from the institution in case of emergency.

You can now walk between the houses along Vinárna Čertovka only when the light is green. The walker presses the button before starting the movement - a red signal lights up on the opposite side. The unusual street is mentioned in all tourist guides, and the restaurant is popular, so there are a lot of people who want to take a walk here.

The legend of the river, Alois and "the house of the seven devils"

The name of the street, restaurant and hotel located in this house comes from the name of the river. The old woman of the Vltava, which separates the island of Kampa from, has long been called Devil's. Women came down the steps to the river to wash clothes. One of them was called Aloysia, she lived in the famous house "At the Seven Devils". The sullen lady had a grumpy disposition. They began to call her "the devil in a skirt", and then the river got its historical name.

In fact, the lonely Mrs. Aloisa really lived in the mansion "At the Seven Devils". For a long time mystical rumors were associated with this house - but this is a completely different story.

While in Prague, take the time to visit Vinárna Čertovka street. Press the traffic light button, enter the narrow passage and walk down the stairs, straight to the terrace famous restaurant. You will go to the bed of Chertovka, you will see charming pleasure boats and tourists who feed ducks and swans here.

How to find

Take tram 1, 12, 14, 15, 20, 22, 23, 97 to the Malostranské náměstí stop. There is a street near the Charles Bridge between houses 100/24 ​​and 101/26 along U lužického semináře street and leads to the restaurant Čertovka.

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The Chertovka River in Prague is a romantic place. A small branch of water separates from the Vltava in the center of Prague and attracts with Venetian-like views, as well as an old mill wheel and a funny sculpture on the bridge next to it.

In the old days, nine mills worked on Chertovka! Now two mill wheels have been preserved so that the inhabitants of Prague and tourists have an idea of ​​what useful functions the river has provided for centuries. A few years ago, a hero appeared at the wheel, who in the Czech Republic is called the waterman Kaburek.

History of the Devil and the Mill

The devil begins near the Legia bridge and stretches for about 740 meters, cutting off a narrow, elongated piece of land known as. The water branch passes under the Charles Bridge and rushes to the Vltava. It is believed that Chertovka is a canal dug by monks living on the banks of the river. Most likely, the need for such a channel was due to floods, which have always distinguished the wayward.

Already in the XIII century, the first mills were built on the river. The river was quite turbulent, and the power of the stream was enough to turn the wheels of nine flour mills. Currently, three former mills remain, which have long been converted into restaurants.

A large wooden wheel has survived only at two mills mlýn Huť and Velkopřevorský mlýn. This is near the second of them - the Velkoprshevorsky mill - a funny water Kaburek sits.

In 1890, the mill devices were badly damaged by a flood. The owners diligently restored production. But not water, but another element damaged the mills again: in 1938 there was a big fire. When the Velkoprzevorska mill was restored in the middle of the 20th century, it was already converted into a drying warehouse.

The mill wheel on Chertovka, which tourists stare at, has been restored several times. The current version is from the 70s. The wheel is 8 m in diameter and contains 36 blades. It rotates, since such a structure cannot remain in a static state, since under the influence of water the tree will simply collapse.

Water Kabourek

The sculpture of a merman is a modern decoration of the Devil. This mill wheel keeper was created several years ago by the Czech sculptor Josef Nálepa. The bronze figure of Kabourek with a lantern on his forehead, according to the author, personifies a kind man who loves beer and stares at beautiful girls)))

If you look at Kaburek from the bridge, located next to the wheel, you can not help but notice his bulging eyes. Again, the author noted that this look is not evil, but is explained by the fact that Kaburek lives in water.

Devil Legends

Many are puzzled by the name of the river. There are several legends why the Vltava branch was called Devil's. It should be noted that this name appeared not so long ago, if correlated with the history of the water channel. In relation to the Chertovka River, it has been mentioned since the end of the 19th century.

The most famous of the legends is associated with the image of an insidious laundress who allegedly lived in a house on the banks of a stream. Her grumpy temper led a company of young people to decorate the walls of her house with seven devils. Neighbors immediately dubbed the woman and her house the Devil. Yes, this nickname took root so much that the rivulet soon began to be called in the same way.

Another legend tries to draw attention directly to the nature of the river. The water, falling into a narrow channel from the Vltava, seethed and rushed so that people involuntarily cried out: “Devil!” Who knows what the current was in those ancient times, but now Chertovka is almost an idyll, along which tourist boats float, then swans that live here all the time.

There is a Venice. And it is located in the very center of the ancient city on the mysterious river with the cheerful name Devil. This is one of the most favorite places for tourists and locals.

Camp Island. He is the Venice of Prague. He is a park, he is a favorite place for lovers. The houses on the island are so close to the water that they are completely reflected in it. Therefore, a unique mirror effect is created.

The island of Kampa has its own ghosts. At night, drowned people come to the mill and the miller's daughter wanders around, looking for someone. The water Kabourek also appears in a wet green coat and a hat hung with seaweed. He likes to visit the pub "At the Golden Scissors": the music is quieter there than in other places.

Campa got its name from the Spanish soldiers who camped on it after the defeat. Czechs at the Battle of White Mountain. And by the way, the Italian legions could also call him.

The island itself originated in the 15th century and until the middle of the 16th was covered with orchards and vineyards. And after the grandiose fire of 1541, when almost all Prague, here they began to bring the remains of burnt houses. The island was fortified, its surface leveled out due to the burnt boards, and the fire-fighted citizens of Prague were able to build houses here. In modern terms, it was a venture project :-) And wealthy people were afraid to invest in it, the island could go under water. Therefore, artisans settled on the new land, who had nothing to lose :-) A quarter with a miniature trading area appeared on the island. And it still exists! And since the island turned out to be a artisan, it was on it that, starting from the 17th century, pottery fairs were held. Craftsmen came from all over the kingdom!

The island of Campa lies between the Bridge of the Legions and the Bridge of Manes. This is the place these days. where you can spend a lot of money expensive restaurants, hotels , stores. In addition to modern riches, the embassies of Malta, France, Estonia and other states were placed on the island. And for the balance of high and earthly, they built the Cathedral of the Virgin Mary under the Chain belonging to the Knights of the Order of Malta

The history of the “House of Anna” is connected with the flood of 1892, when Anna saved the icon of the Mother of God floating by from the water, and soon the water subsided. Anna hung the icon over the balcony and lit an unquenchable lamp, which still glows today. True, the burning oil is now replaced by an electric light bulb.

There is also a unique street on Kampa. Almost like in Paris. It is so narrow that two people cannot pass through it at once! For her sake, even a traffic light was put up, can you imagine? To avoid "traffic jams" at the "entrance" and "exit". Somehow unusual. traffic jams are usually formed by cars, but here there are only two people :-) On Kampa, by the way, there is the Lennon Wall. When the musician was killed in 1980, his Prague fans began to paint his portraits on an ordinary wall, write couplets of his songs and write their own poems dedicated to John. It turned out to be a handmade monument. Only the authorities did not think this idea was successful and they ordered everything to be whitewashed. And then the French ambassador stood up in defense of the Wall. Santa Barbara, right? I told you that there is a French embassy on the island. So he worked in a building near this place. A former admirer of the musician, he turned to the then government with a request not to touch anything and promised to take the wall under his own supervision. Thanks to him, the Wall still exists.

One of the arms separates Campo from the Lesser Country Vltava with the name Devil. This river is interesting because the houses along its edges go straight into the river with their walls, just like in Amsterdam or Venice.

On Kampa there is a restaurant "At the Charles Bridge", where Vladimir Putin drank beer with the President of the Czech Republic. Putin tasted local sausages, shook hands with visitors and left his autograph for the host.

One city is connected with the river legend. She got her infernal name from a certain washerwoman Aloisia Nemtsova, who lived on Maltezskaya Square in house number 476 and came daily to wash clothes on the river. The woman had a very bad character, which quarreled with many neighbors and residents of the island, for which Aloysia herself was called the devil, the house in which she lived was called the house "At the Three Devils", and the river - the Devil. It should be noted that the Praguers began to settle on Kampe only in the 16th century after a big fire, as a result of which most of buildings in Prague burned down. However, wealthy Praguers were in no hurry to build their palaces in this place, fearing that the island might someday go under water. Craftsmen lived here mainly. There are a few legends the origin of such a cheerful name of the river

According to one version, a long time ago, back in the time of Rudolph II, when the water in this river was clean and transparent, the washerwomen who lived nearby washed the royal linen here. One of them was very angry and quarrelsome. She constantly quarreled with neighbors, provoked fights and scandals. They called her Devil. She liked this name and asked the artist to paint her hut with seven devils. He complied with the request, but depicted only six tailed figures, and she herself was to become the seventh. After her death, the seventh imp was still missing and they named the river where the evil woman washed clothes all her life.

But most likely the name came from a miller who lived in the house "At the Seven Devils" and had communication with evil spirits :-) And why not? There were actually several mills at this place. Now, however, only one wheel remains of them, built somewhere at the end of the 16th century and operated until 1936. They knew how to build before! Water marks are now being made near it. And the 2002 flood broke all records

In the 16th century, Kampa was a district of mills and gardens; residential buildings appeared here later. Here lived the architects Kilian Dientzenhofer and Josef Zitek, the linguist Josef Dobrovsky, the poet Vladimir Golan, the father of Czech animation Jiri Trnka. Many of them are reminded by monuments on the lawns of the local park.

And the first mills were built in the XII century by the monks of the monastery of the Order of the Yukhanites in honor of Johann of Jerusalem. God's people looked after the bridge (still Yuditin's), put it in order, repaired it and took a toll for use. By the way, Tsvetaeva loved to walk near this bridge

Well, here it is. These monks dug a canal two meters, which later turned into a sleeve Vltava, and now called Devilish.

Early 19th century Prague rapidly built, dilapidated wooden houses were replaced by stone buildings. The German merchant Kraftman from the urban area of ​​Mala Strana decided to build a house on street Cihelna. He came to the burgomaster Karl Krueger for permission.

The burgomaster, an all-powerful and courageous handsome man, had a secret lover named Ellie, who lived in a house on the banks of the canal (or the branch of the river Vltava) close to charles bridge, near the place where the merchant was going to build a house.

The burgomaster looked at the plan and saw that this house would block the road to his beloved and it would be impossible to secretly enter her house, since he would have to make a long detour past residential buildings and trading shops along the river. And the burgomaster demanded that the merchant build a house at a distance of 0.6-0.7 m from the wall of the neighboring house. Why and to whom this passage is needed, the burgomaster did not explain. Residents of the nearest houses were extremely surprised by the demand to leave the passage, because each house had two exits: one to the city street and the other on the waterfront. Before, houses were always built close to each other - it was cheaper and stronger that way. But an order is an order. When the construction was over, the residents of neighboring houses, which were separated by a strange narrow passage, decided to find out who needed this street. To their great delight, they found out that this person was the mayor Karl Kruger himself, of course, they also learned about his secret beloved Ellie.

The inhabitants of the houses were not offended by the burgomaster, but the young beauty, the daughter of a fisherman, was nicknamed Devil. Soon the rumor about lovers and a narrow street for secret rendezvous spread throughout the city. Many years have passed since then, the name of both the burgomaster and his mistresses have been forgotten, but behind this place Prague forever remained the name Devil.