Prague developer fills in part of the Vltava opposite Vyšehrad

In Prague, on the left bank of the Vltava in Smíchov, excavators are filling in a small bay under the railway bridge opposite Vyšehrad: this is how the developer is preparing the site for the Bay 55 residential complex. Although the Povodí Vltavy authority had assured that the bay would remain, the water surface here is clearly shrinking.

What was promised and what can be seen on site

The construction is going ahead with a permit, mostly on plot 558/4 in the Smíchov cadastral area, said Jaroslava Vedlová from the secretariat of the Povodí Vltavy director general. According to her, the “small bay,” that is plot 5077/2 marked “water surface,” will remain.

This differs from the visualizations the developer has been showing in recent years: they show no bay, and the future embankment sits almost level with the edge of the current Smíchov embankment.

The company’s manager Diana James confirmed that the place will change. They will build “into the water,” but a small bay will still be created, and all decisions, she said, have been agreed with the authorities and properly permitted. She added that the project is complex and many details are not obvious at first glance.

The most expensive project in Prague’s history

The company Daramis is building the residential complex on one of the last vacant plots in central Prague, right on the riverbank, with views of Prague Castle and Vyšehrad. According to the company, it is the costliest residential project in the city’s history by investment volume.

In early September, Daramis founder Omri Sivor said that Bay 55 would start in August. The first big stage is an extension of the Smíchov embankment, which will expand public space along the Vltava. The whole project is planned for completion in 2030.

The two rows of historic early 20th-century apartment buildings with stone embankments will be joined by a glass complex of simple lines. It is the first large-scale development since the Dancing House that will noticeably change the look of the embankments in the capital’s center.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz