The name Výtoň comes from the verb "vytínat" ("to cut out"), which used to refer to the way customs duty was collected by cutting out one-twelfth of the logs from a raft of timber floated down the Vltava. Timber rafting at this time was the livelihood of people called Podskaláci, after the Podskalí settlement where they lived. Today the name Výtoň has also been transferred as a label for the area around the junction of Svobodova Street and Rašín Embankment. The same name is used for the tram stops near this junction and the adjacent ferry pier.
Today's Výtoň building was the former customs house. The building has a Late Gothic core and dates from the 16th century. Its upper floor is timber-framed and the ground floor is masonry. The upper floor was bricked up only under Rudolf II. The New Town's tax collector, a controller and two officials worked in the building. Notably, the building stands in a slight depression, evidencing the original ground level. The surrounding terrain was raised during the construction of the Prague embankments.
In 1833 the customs administration was abolished, and the building temporarily housed the U Koppů inn. The idea of building a museum dedicated to life in Podskalí eventually prevailed.
Today it houses a branch of the City of Prague Museum with two permanent exhibitions — Vanished Podskalí and The History of Prague Steamshipping. The Vltavan association from 1871, which preserves the ancient traditions of Podskalí, is also based here.
You can sail to Výtoň aboard our boats and steamboats. Just join us for example on the Prague Grand Cruise, the lunch cruise or the dinner cruise.
