Ceremonial designation of the steamboats Vltava and Vyšehrad as cultural monuments
By a decision of the Ministry of Culture, the historic steamboats Vyšehrad and Vltava of the Pražská paroplavební společnost (PPS) have been granted heritage protection. The ceremonial gathering for this occasion will take place on Monday 16 September at high noon aboard the steamboat Vltava at the historic Prague Steamboat Company moorings on Kampa, the only Czech certified eco-friendly mooring. A commemorative document on the granting of heritage protection will be handed over to the management of PPS by the Minister of Culture Jiří Balvín; speeches at the ceremony will also be given by the Mayor of the Prague 1 Municipal District Oldřich Lomecký, the Director General of the National Technical Museum Karel Ksandr, the Director of the Prague office of the National Heritage Institute Ondřej Šefců, and the Director of the Heritage Care Department of Prague City Hall Jiří Skalický.
The boats Vyšehrad and Vltava are an inseparable part of Prague's character and at the same time the last working Czech historic steamboats. Vyšehrad celebrated her 75th anniversary of being launched on water on 1 May this year; Vltava is two years younger. Both steamboats represent the typical vessels built for Prague steam navigation between 1865 and 1949. Since being launched they have — often as a result of political changes — gone through several names and various modifications, yet their hulls and unique steam engines have been fully preserved. A few years ago, PPS sensitively renovated Vltava, based on period sources, back to her original 1940 appearance.
"The management of the Prague Steamboat Company is fully aware of its responsibility towards the company's traditions and the historical heritage it has inherited," says PPS Executive Director Štěpán Rusňák. "That is why we ourselves initiated the declaration of the steamboats as cultural monuments and voluntarily took on the demanding requirements of heritage protection." PPS's care for its historic vessels is also highly appreciated by experts abroad, as evidenced for example by the invitation of the steamboat Vltava to Dresden the year before last for the celebrations of the 175th anniversary of Saxon steam navigation. Vltava and Vyšehrad carry thousands of passengers every year on routes from the Slapy reservoir to Mělník.
The Pražská paroplavební společnost was founded in 1865 by the later legendary mayor František Dittrich and is thus one of the oldest still-operating companies in the Czech Republic. It is currently part of the Evropská vodní doprava group, the country's largest waterway transport operator.
