his(s)tory / Rohan

In previous posts, I touched on the current situation, now it's time to compare it with the history and story of the island, get a comprehensive picture and then focus on the future face of a forgotten and undefined place. Above all, I will examine maps, historical records in the form of orthophotos, previous use and the reason for emptying the place. Rohan Island used to be a major industrial port, but also a victim of floods, let's see who Rohan was in the glow and brilliance of times past.

Rohan Island was founded in the second half of the 16th century, when its owner became the miller Martin Šašek, who created it by modifying an old river bed.

Rohan Island, which is part of the Libeň bank of the Vltava River, has been an important port since the 19th century and also a link for domestic and foreign trade. After the transfer of the Vltava river, the port disappeared. The former Rohan Island port and surroundings gradually began to fill up until it merged with the mainland. The area functioned primarily as a warehouse for materials, but also mainland attracted sports use, the proposal from 1951 points to a sports venue that could have been established here and it was hoped that the Olympics would take place here. The plain was also used for military training. In 1968, the Department of the Chief Architect for the Capital City of Prague, published a study on the radical reconstruction of the area and issued plans for the construction of the area for residential use.

The revitalization of the "island" began in 1999. The generous River City project includes remarkable office buildings designed by American, French and Danish architects. If you walk around the buildings bearing the names of the world's rivers - Danube House, Amazon Court and Nile House. This is the first phase of development, which continues. In 2002, the island was the victim of floods, the area was cleared of stored materials and this was the impetus for the emergence of other development projects. We stand at a crossroads and watch the transformation of an interesting area, where there are important architectural structures, official buildings and new housing estates, but at the same time there is wild nature with specific fauna and flora.

1875, despite the floods, the area was the main port for Prague

1938, despite the fact that there were urban proposals for new development, the area remained reserved for rail transport

1951, study - variant for sports use of the island

1968, an urban study of the reconstruction of the Karlin area where Rohan Island is located

1981, the sports ground is postponed, the area functions as a huge warehouse of materials

2007, The City of Prague has announced a tender for the Rohan Island urban development project, the proposal was won by the Gehl Architects studio with the developers Sekyra Goup

2012, the latest study for the reconstruction of the island, the future face and details related to this design and geographical changes of the terrain, but also the identity of the place I will address in the next article