Children's Island (Dětský ostrov) lies along the left-bank Janáček Embankment between Legion Bridge and Jirásek Bridge. It covers 1.83 ha.
In the past there were several smaller islets in the Vltava in this area; their shape and size changed with deposits. The island is mentioned in the records as early as 1355, but as a result of floods it completely disappeared several times. Until the 18th century it was called Maltézský (Maltese), after the Lesser Town's Maltese Monastery of Our Lady under the Chain to which it belonged.
It received its current name in the early 1960s when a children's playground complex was built here. Between 1913 and 1916 the island was artificially extended during the construction of the Smíchov Lock. Part of Petržilka Island was attached to its southern end and a long dividing wall was built on the north side. The lock has two chambers and crosses the Old Town and Šítkov weirs. A water tower called Petržilka also stands at the southern tip of the island.
Today, the island offers visitors a complex of children's playgrounds, a small football pitch, ping-pong tables, a giant chessboard and a skatepark. On the north side of the island stands a pylon with an allegorical statue of the Vltava and its tributaries.
Before All Souls' Day, members of the Vltavan association place wreaths here every year in memory of those claimed by the river. A segmental footbridge leads to the island, using piers originally built for a planned bridge from Myslíkova Street.
We will take you on a cruise alongside Children's Island aboard our boats and steamboats during the Prague Grand Cruise, the lunch cruise or the dinner cruise.
