Prague – Podskaláci: Hard workers, the Vltava fed them and they spoke their own language
Already the name “Podskalí” suggests that it is a place that is located under a rock. This is the area of today’s Výtoně between the Jiráský and Železniční most bridges, bounded on the eastern side by Vyšehradská Street and on the western side by the Vltava River. It was the access to the river that made Podskalí what it wasthe local inhabitants sailed tons of wood on it for trade, mined sand from the river and ice in winter, and also earned extra income by fishing, shipping, or operating ice rinks.
Map of Podskálí at that time
Author: Otto Hoffmann
It lived in Podskalí even before the foundation of New Town, and when Charles IV. to fortify the city with a wall, he included Podskalí in it. Life here was no fairy tale, hard workers faced floods almost every year and in 1420 the settlement was even burned by Sigismund’s troops. As it was a transshipment point for key material, Podskalí was also looted during the Thirty Years’ War.
Better times
With the onset of Baroque, Podskalí gained fame and prosperity. Due to the large increase in the number of additional buildings, the demand for wood supplies rose significantly, and Podskaláci came into their own. At that time, clearly defined rules applied to wooden navigation. Podskalská street was important, there were 40 houses in it, which always included a piece of shore for unloading wood. Only the residents of these dwellings could engage in the wooden rafting business. Behind the wooden floating houses stood several others, where other necessary workers and craftsmen lived, who subsequently processed the wood.
considering that we are talking about the period when taxes and fees were collected in kind, Prague collected the customs duty in the form of part of the driftwood. Logs were so-called “cut out” for Prague from every raft that sailed to the shore of Podskalí. Today’s name of the area – Vytoň – is derived from this fact. Due to the supervision of a superior choice, it was here in the mid-16th century from the Podskalská celnice, which is one of only three buildings that survived after Podskalice.
»Podskalian«
The local patriot Otto Hoffmann (74) deals with the history of Podskalí and the stories of its inhabitants. As a representative of Prague 2, he wrote a mini-series for the Town Hall newspaper about the timber settlement. In a work in progress, which he did not have time to publish, he devoted, for example, the speech of the then Podskalák people and their slang.
“Their slang, I wouldn’t be afraid to say argot, arose spontaneously and was based on their profession. The podskalács worked constantly and, especially during the voyage, did not have time for long conversations, they often shortened their words and mangled them in various ways. Neruda also mentions the Podská language in one of his texts, describing it as hollow, long, comfortable and at the same time singing. She writes that those who spoke to her were used to speaking from one wide river to the other,” explained Hoffmann Lightning.
He himself had the opportunity of a man, a true Podskalák, who Podskalák also supports. “It was an old man, he made a living by weaving baskets on the beach, it’s been a long time and he died when he was over 90 years old. He didn’t say much, though when he spoke, few understood him,” says Hoffmann.
They say hard
By nature, the Podskalacs were rough and hardworking people, no one coddled them and they were always dependent on themselves on the water. “It was due to the work they did, they were rough because, such was the fight with the river back then, compared to before, today the Vltava is a lazy stream. The person who controlled the rows of rafts had to have a patent, pass an exam and know every big stone in the Vltava. If he made a mistake, he would not only destroy all the material, but also endanger the lives of many people. Their tenacity was really due to the hardness of this work”, explains Otto Hoffmann.
Podská hastrman
Hoffmann also managed to track down several rumors and stories, which are passed down about Podskálí, one of them is also the legend about the hastman, which the people of Podskalí have grown up with. Its very opening sentences aptly describe the nature of Podskals: “The Podskals always stuck together, they didn’t have big differences between them, and when something happened, they solved the matter directly among themselves and didn’t need a court. The Podskaláci were hospitable, but if a guest from another quarter took the liberty, he was suddenly outside, often through the window, with a lesson to go somewhere else to learn manners.“
The demise of a quirky neighborhood
Under the rocks it disappeared as a result of improvements to the banks and the Prague Sanitation. The shore, which was used for unloading material, was modified to its current form, and as part of flood protection, today’s floodplain was built here. During the remediation, massive construction in the central part of the city at the beginning of the 20th century gave way the remaining baroque houses of all craftsmen and swimmers. Only two original buildings have been preserved, one of them is now The Podska customs house, which today serves as a museum.
Čech’s bridge has only two pillars. It is decorated with sculptures on both sides. In the past, they were supposed to protect water and fire. Will we see the same effective spectacle in the 21st century? (April 13, 2022) David Winter
Mockup of a raft
Author: Otto Hoffmann