Towpaths in the Vltava River Landscape Rediscovering a Phenomenon of River Trades

The diploma thesis focuses on towing paths in the landscape of the Vltava River and their significance as historical traces shaping the relationship between humans and the river. The work explores the vanished river crafts of rafting and barge navigation, their principles, modes of movement through the landscape, and their transformation within the contemporary environment. The analytical part examines the historical context of river transport, the development of the river landscape, and surviving fragments of infrastructure connected to river navigation, such as remnants of towing paths, navigation structures, mooring points, and river-related operations. The design part interprets these historical traces through landscape architectural interventions in the areas of Týn nad Vltavou, the Svatojánské Streams, and Prague. The proposal works with principles of reinterpretation of river crafts, readability of historical traces within the landscape, continuity of movement, rhythm of access points to water, biodiversity support, and strengthening the relationship between humans and the river. The individual interventions are based on principles applicable across various landscape and historical contexts and aim to reintroduce the vanished river craft through a contemporary landscape architectural language. The result is a set of interventions that build upon the memory of place, improve landscape accessibility, and create new recreational and public layers responding to the historical character of the territory.