Sova's Mills

If you wander off to the left bank of the Vltava River; the location of the Kampa Island, you will discover the Sova's Mills, which is certainly a spot that should not be missed on your travels in Prague.

The earliest written mention of the mills on Kampa is from 1393, but the mills were here much earlier. The name to be known after Václav Sova of Liboslav, the owner, who built the house, the mills, the iron-mill together with the grinding mill, sawmill and many other buildings. Originally the gothic mills were later rebuilt into a Renaissance style.

After 1850, the entrepreneur František Odkolek acquired the and had them converted to steam mills hiring architectects Josef Schulz and Josef Zítek. Odkolek's mill burned down in 1896 and what was left of it became the property of the Prague community. The front part of the building on the river was demolished in 1920 with the regulation of the river and the construction of the lock Smíchov.

Today you will find here the Kampa Museum, which boasts a unique collection of contemporary art, presenting a wealth of works by the renowned Czech painter František Kupka. The collection was assembled in the USA by the Czech collector Mrs. Meda Mládková with the help of her husband, who then gave it as a gift to Czech Republic.

Before that, in 2000, the mills underwent a necessary reconstruction and the building was transformed into an original modern gallery with creative elements in stainless steel and glass. The curiosity of the building ia an extravagant artifact in the shape of a giant glass cube in a metal frame, installed on the building, which was done with the help of a helicopter.

Many will remember the protests of conservationists against this installation in the view of the Prague Castle. However, the Ministry of Culture ultimately allowed the installation. The visual symbol of the museum was the four-meter, over two tons heavy wooden chair, which was destroyed by the big flood in 2002. It was then replaced by a new one from poplar wood, which measures eveb more - 6 meters.

A perfect way to fully explore Sova's Mills in during our two-hour cruise, on which you can also look forward to passing through the lock. Click here to find out more about the destinations of our boats and steamboats.