Troja Basin

Together with Soutok Park and Rohan Island, it is Prague’s largest river project. It is a complex set of projects: from the Troja Bridge to the Podbaba area, which aims to make the area more accessible for relaxation and to introduce more natural elements. The project also includes extensive flood protection measures.

The Troja Basin is a fragmented area with a number of administrators and owners and diverse interests. But there is one thing they have in common: the shared responsibility for avaluable landscape. The answer to the question of how to take care of this coordinated area can be found, among others, in the documents Concept of the Imperial Island and Action Plan created at IPR.

The capital city is currently preparing a whole set of projects to revitalise Prague’s riverscape. Apart from the Troja Basin, these are Rohan Island and Štvanice. On the south side of Prague, the recreational area at the confluence of the Rivers Vltava and Berounka awaits development. This will bring Prague closer to Munich, known for its successful revitalisation of the 8-km-long Isar river.

In terms of flood protection, the Troja Basin is one of the most critical places in Prague. That is why a set of recommendations has been developed to help improve the flood protection of the zoo and sensitively integrate the measures into the flood area. Other planned interventions include, for example, the revitalisation of the river and the creation of new natural and relaxation areas with high-quality public spaces.

Troja Embankment

The Troja Embankment is an area from the restored footbridge to the end of the zoo grounds. Now it is mostly an unmaintained engineered bank with a narrow cycling path. In addition to constructing flood protection elements for the zoo, there are several measures planned which will support biodiversity and improve the environment for the visitors. The area below the Troja chateau, in particular, will undergo a radical transformation. As early as next spring, the area could see temporary improvements in front of the castle garden entrance. We could see Prague chairs and tables, art installations and access to the river.

Wild Vltava – River Revitalisation

The Wild Vltava project restores the riverscape along the Imperial Island. The aim of the project is to improve flood protection, support biodiversity and create a natural flood park – a new area for relaxation in the heart of the Troja Basin.

The area will be better protected against flooding thanks to the planned widening of the river bed and the creation of new gravel islands. Another important flood protection element will be the “safety soakaways” across the Imperial Island, i.e. a lowered park-like terrain filled with troughs of pools and fords. This system transfers water in a regulated amount from the navigation canal to the main river bed. The soakaways will also have significant educational potential: they will illustrate the natural evolution of riverbeds and floodplains.

New Green Connection: Troja, Imperial Island, and Bubeneč

The urban planning study examines various options for the new pedestrian and cycling connections across the River Vltava from Bubeneč to Troja. The new connection also includes a pedestrian footbridge offering an alternative to the congested right-bank cycling path and new walking trails for visitors coming to Stromovka and the entire Troja Basin. On the right bank, the footbridge will conveniently connect to the riverside cycling path and the area in front of the southern entrance to the zoo. This will create an entirely new green connection between Prague 6 and Troja, and further on to Ďáblický Háj.

Stromovka Embankment

The new waterfront will create a better connection between Stromovka and the river and offer improved conditions for the citizens of Prague to relax here. The study design calms the traffic on the riverside road, creates access to the water and considers raising the existing bridge, for example, by a lifting footbridge to the Imperial Island. The waterfront will also accommodate a new café and sanitary facilities, which are currently lacking in this part of the park. The desired result of the design is to lead to more even use of the parks in the Troja Basin and reduce the load on the main parts of Stromovka and the Troja Embankment. Negotiations are currently under way, and the study to transform the waterfront will be approved shortly. Once the study is approved, temporary measures can be taken to, for example, calm the surrounding traffic.

More information can be found on the IPR Praha website.

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