Children's imagination flooded the Vltava River
Children’s Imagination Flooded the Vltava – Prague Boats Hosted the Finalists of the Art Contest “The Vltava through Children’s Eyes”
On board the modern glass boat Bohemia Rhapsody, the Vltava came alive yesterday in the colors of children’s imagination. Prague Boats welcomed the finalists of the nationwide art contest The Vltava through Children’s Eyes, organized as part of the project “The Vltava – Famous and Navigable”.
The festive cruise began in a spirit of joy and emotion. The General Director of the National Heritage Institute, Naďa Goryczková, personally presented awards and gifts to the young artists whose works were selected by an expert jury from more than 1,500 entries.
After the ceremony, the children and their parents embarked on a cruise along the Vltava, discovering Prague’s landmarks from a unique perspective – from the surface of the river. The experience included a passage through the lock chamber, a fascinating technical highlight that many described as “floating in zero gravity.”
Upon arrival at Rašín Embankment, participants were greeted with a surprise – a visit to the historic steamboat Vyšehrad. Both children and adults discovered the magic of steam navigation from centuries past and learned that the current Vyšehrad is already the fourth vessel to bear this name, inseparably linked with the rich history of Czech river transport.
The final part of the day was dedicated to playfulness and admiration for engineering. In the lounge featuring an interactive Merkur construction set exhibition, children viewed an almost two-meter model of the Vyšehrad steamboat and a sixty-kilogram model of the Dancing House. And because children’s creativity knows no limits, they also built their own small models.
All the awarded artworks were displayed on board Bohemia Rhapsody – a vibrant mosaic of ideas, colors, and visions of the Vltava as seen by children from all over the country. A total of 145 school groups and hobby clubs and 374 individual participants took part in the competition. The result is a unique collection of two- and three-dimensional artworks capturing the Vltava in all its diversity – from quiet meanders to magical creatures from the river’s depths.
“It was a great honor for us to host the children whose creativity shows that the Vltava remains not only a symbol of Prague but also an endless source of inspiration for future generations,” said Lucie Nedvědová, Marketing Director of Prague Boats. “We believe that this day will stay in the memory of all the young artists as the moment when their drawings quite literally set sail.”
