Swans in Prague. Secret place with swans in Prague Where to feed the swans in Prague

When we were preparing for our honeymoon in Prague and planning our wedding day, I searched the Internet for photos and information about parks, gardens in Prague, and some very romantic places in Prague where we could take a walk or have a small picnic. I very often came across wedding photographs of newlyweds feeding swans in Prague, but I still couldn’t find information about where they were, what kind of embankment it was, where you could come and feed the swans.

When we were in Prague and looking for places for a wedding walk with guests, we went on reconnaissance to look for this secret place with swans in Prague. It turned out that this place was not secret at all, as I thought. When we walked along the embankment, approaching the Charles Bridge, on the opposite bank we saw this very place. Here it is

We crossed the Charles Bridge to the opposite side and turned right. To find and see swans in Prague, follow the address of the Franz Kafka Museum (in the photo above, its sign is visible on the left).

Swans are the sweetest creatures, a swan couple remains faithful to each other all their lives, which is why swans are one of the purest symbols of love! By a wonderful chance we were able to see this tender manifestation of feelings. I've never seen anything like this. Incredible!

But then something attracted the attention of this wonderful couple, and they were distracted from each other. Someone must have come with fresh white bread to treat the swans.

These swans are not at all shy; when they see bread, they immediately run to eat it, so come to the swans in Prague with bread, and preferably fresh, they are selective!

We even managed to film a short video of swans feeding in Prague, it’s a fun activity, I’ll tell you! We went back there on our wedding day and have been there several times since. You should definitely take a walk to this place and look at these cute creatures!

I have marked this place more accurately on the map below. Cross the Charles Bridge and then turn right along U lužického semináře street, then go down Cihelná street. Not far from this place there is the Franz Kafka Museum, the Pissing Boys Fountain, and the Voyanov Gardens.

The Prague swans are a floating Prague landmark, beautiful and biting.

These, at first glance, modest handsome men, decorously arching their long necks, float along the Vltava, dividing the city into two parts - right in the center, between three bridges. Everyone knows them - every Prague resident, every tourist!
I could still survive this.
But they are not only known and praised, they are publicly nurtured!
This is something I can no longer survive. I die every time.
From hunger. And out of envy.
Why them and not me? Am I not handsome?

Swans in Prague are white and fluffy, a symbol of purity and eternal love; they don’t even bother to fly away for the winter. They feel good here. Winter is mild. In January, at -7, Czechs shout: “We are having the coldest winter in the last 100 years!”
Half a thousand birds crest along the shores and wait for food. The really desperate people put up advertisements.

Swans on the Vltava. Prague. Winter

In winter, the Vltava has not frozen for over 60 years!

“WE ARE HUNGRY! We like bread, baguettes, lettuce, apples, apple skins, boiled vegetables. Thank you! YOUR SWANS"

And they are fed. They are pampered. They are revered. Swans in Prague live under special patronage. They no longer walk around without security.

They slow down the trams - the same ones that no one will stop, and create traffic jams on the bridges!

In addition, they receive free protected living space. For beauty.

And they allow themselves too much! I personally know the victim of a swan attack that happened at dawn last November. Having surrounded a fragile Moscow girl dreaming of taking a selfie with birds in the rays of the rising sun, the swans attacked the victim with unprecedented impudence and chewed on a bag of fresh rolls. The leader of the feathered group, a bird with a dubious past, cunningly grabbed a selfie stick and hurried to flee the crime scene. But you can’t take Muscovites so easily! The selfie stick returned to the owner’s hands after a short but very entertaining conversation.

The annual number of victims is hidden, statistics have not been made public to this day, but I assure you, the number goes into the thousands!

The Prague Swan is certainly beautiful, but extremely cunning and very greedy. Brazen and daring creatures. I'm not friends with them. They make me nervous... One nasty white swan once pinched my... butt. I don't like them.
And my two-legged one cheats on me with them and fills their insatiable beaks. What I wrote about with sorrow in .

These impudent people have made the Vltava so comfortable that they have started to rule the city too! Over the years, New Year's fireworks, which were launched on the river - from a large boat - have been replaced. Since 2013, fireworks have been moved to the city so as not to disturb the palmates.

Then these white and bottomless people took over the city budget - hundreds of thousands of crowns went to the quacking greedy people! For what? Why?

Because every year dozens of kamikaze swans crash into tram electrical wires on bridges. The Czechs counted the dead, mended the necks of those still alive, became sad and thoughtful. And then they started attaching scarers to electrical wires - they shine ultraviolet light directly into the birds’ eyes and scare them with terrifying sounds! But these gluttons are so big that when they rise into the air and pick up speed, they don’t always have time to dodge... Especially in the darkness, when the signs are hard to see.

Dead birds near Prague City Hall with the accompanying text: “Shame on your fireworks”

If one day you decide to feed these swallowers, take care of your hands. Experienced swans bite like a dachshund would never dare - unceremoniously and without a twinge of conscience. And where can conscience come from? One belly and a neck. Bring them some bread, or better yet some chopped herbs, treat them and wait. They will come to rummage through your pockets.

Because this is the white mafia of Prague!

If you're lucky, you might meet local Glodav, red Bobrik!
He is a Glodavets because he chokes from hunger (a rodent in our opinion), which, however, is noticeable by his skinny butt.
He is a professional nutria. Swans are also kept at bay by most tourists. Very cute. He started a family with children on free grub.

Watch the video to end and you will understand how charming this guy is!

Glodavets with his retinue of swans! This is what they look like - waterfowl gluttons of the city of Prague.

And yet I don’t understand at all why they all get more than me.
They are beautiful?
Me too.
They are hungry?
Me too!
But they don’t give me bread...
I don't understand.

Let me remind you that we have already talked about the difficult life of dogs in the Czech Republic -!

Respectfully,
Your hungry chapmaker

Peter the Swan: a love story

Black Swan Petra fell in love with a swan-shaped boat. The boat owners tried several times to separate the loving Petra from her plastic partner, but their attempts were unsuccessful. Moreover, Petra refused to fly south alone, without her beloved. Typically, owners store their boats in storage for the winter. But in this case, an agreement was reached with Allwetter Zoo - the lovers (the boat and Petra the swan) will be moved to a small lake next to the elephant pavilion for the winter. George Adler, director of the Allwetter Zoo, said:

“We may have to do this every winter now because the swan obviously truly believes he has found a partner for life.”

This is a true story that took place in northern Germany. According to The Guardian.

Swans in Prague: interesting facts

Swans enjoy wintering in Prague because The Vltava doesn't freeze- thanks to the cascade built on the river in the 60s.

The last time the Vltava froze completely was in 1056.

In Prague 500-600 swans winter annually.

The first wild swans settled in the Czech Republic after the Second World War.

95-100 wounded swans per year goes to the veterinary center. Dozens of birds die.

Swans injured at night and during fireworks, crashing into the electrical wires of tram lines invisible at night, which in the Czech Republic are under voltage of 600 volts.

Since 2013, the system began to be implemented on bridges where tram tracks are laid. Firefly– marking of electrical wires to scare away birds.

Three species of swans live in the Czech Republic: small swan (4-9 kg), whooper swan (7-10 kg) and mute swan (8-12 kg). The latter are the most common.

The whooper swan is the national symbol of Finland.

The mute swan is the national symbol of Denmark.

In addition to swans, the Vltava, which flows in the capital, is home to seagulls, ducks, pigeons, nutria, 33 species of fish and crayfish; mollusks, river shells and pearl barley live at the bottom.

Where to feed swans in Prague:

Kampa Island – at the exit to the Vltava
Streletsky Island
Palackého bridge (Palackého most),
Manes Bridge (Mánesův most),
Legia Bridge, also known as the Legionnaires' Bridge (most Legií), passing over Streltsy Island,
Jiráskův most (Jiráskův most) near the Dancing House
On the Smichov embankment near the Railway Bridge (Železniční most)

Geese-swans in Prague. travel_me_away wrote in February 10th, 2017

On all my European trips to Prague, I set aside one day, and not always the whole day. In vain, of course. This is not enough even for the historical center, but even more so for leisurely walks and a detailed acquaintance with the city. Although there is a plus in this (perhaps the only one) - in all my photos Prague is depicted in its most trump angles. From a tourist point of view, of course. There are no “atmospheric” photos of distant and untrodden nooks and crannies in my archive, as well as summer photos of this beautiful city. For now!

Our hotel was located some distance from the center, three metro stations from Wenceslas Square. I don’t know Prague very well, so it was most convenient to start and end the walk here. Once upon a time there was a horse market on the site of this square, and now local residents gather here for any occasion. Most often, the hockey victories of the Czech national team are celebrated en masse.

In January, Wenceslas Square looks a little dull, and the wind is strong here, so we take a few photos of beautiful buildings and turn into quieter streets.

I love looking at facades like this.

Balconies, bay windows... mmm...! But the cold wind literally drove me away from the square.

On the opposite side is the Wiel House, named after the architect who built it in 1896. In our times this is a bookstore.

An unknown building with a clock.

Well, that’s it, my fingers are completely frozen, so I’m in a hurry to leave Wenceslas Square and turn into quiet, almost deserted streets, even on a day off.

The embankment of the Vltava River, across which 10 bridges are thrown, and there are 18 in total in Prague.

Walking along the opposite bank, we continue to enjoy looking at the facades of houses on the embankment.

All buildings are almost the same in height. The eye is pleased with such architectural aesthetics.

Charles Bridge, connecting the historical districts of Lesser Town and Stare Mesto, is undoubtedly the most famous of Prague's bridges. Its length is 520 m. The bridge is decorated with thirty sculptures, each of which Prague guides have their own tourist story about.

View from the bridge downstream (in my case to the right).

In addition to the huge number of ducks and swans, which we will talk about separately, there are a lot of greyhound gulls in Prague. Anything edible that is in the hands of small children is easy prey for them. We fought back =).

I couldn’t help but take a photo of this lovely little shop. I’m sure it’s not empty in the summer, but I personally didn’t dare sit on it at -9.

The most beautiful view is again from the Charles Bridge, but upstream. The same swans, generously fed by tourists.

The photo is quite early in the morning, so I was easily able to capture the bridge with a small number of people.

We turned off the Charles Bridge and headed down to the embankment to watch the swans. Along the way, we are looking for a grocery store so that “we won’t visit empty-handed,” but apart from a confectionery shop selling pretzels, we didn’t come across anything. Okay, pretzels are just pretzels. They really won't refuse!

There's always something wrong with these kids! =)

And with adults too... Such is the sculptural composition in the courtyard where the Kafka Museum is located. These two unscrupulous comrades, by the way, relieve themselves on the map of the Czech Republic!

Well, we got closer to these beauties. How graceful and... arrogant they are! They swim up in a gang and demand a treat! My two pathetic pretzels were gone in a moment. Eh, you should have a sliced loaf here, guys!

After feeding the swans, we decided to have a snack ourselves. I will leave the gastronomic component of our Prague walk without attention, because... (don’t throw slippers at me) I don’t drink beer even in the Czech Republic, and a duck with a boar’s knee terrifies me just by its appearance.

Having refreshed ourselves, we headed up towards Vysehrad - the historical district of Prague, located on a hill. Along the way we came across beautiful buildings and temples unknown to me. I confess that I was poorly prepared for this trip.

Well, you understand, yes, that I often photograph facades =).

And intricate door handles and locks sometimes come into view.

As soon as you climb the NNth number of steps up (the fitness bracelet will be happy with you) and see the Starbucks balcony filled with Chinese, know that you are already close. By the way, this is the coolest Starbucks I've ever seen. I haven’t been to Dubai yet.

We got there close to sunset.

So that there are no truly stunning views. Although the day was sunny, the sunset was not so great. It’s winter after all, so a few photos of Prague’s red roofs and you can leave this good place for viewing without regret and try to get to the cathedral before dark.

Here it is, St. Vitus Cathedral - the pearl of Prague Castle. Until 1836, Czech kings were crowned here.

Despite the very cool weather by the standards of these latitudes (let me remind you that it was -9 outside), there were many who wanted to lie down on the paving stones in front of the cathedral to capture it in its entirety. As you understand, I am not one of these crazy people.

Christmas has passed, but they decided to leave the decorations for now.

This is the last photo taken before dark. Soon the sun set and we, wandering through the streets covered in the evening twilight, wandered towards the bars.

Later, in a great mood, we took a leisurely 30-minute walk to the hotel. The frost got worse and at night it was about -17, which is quite usual for us (I put on a hat and that’s it), but the Czechs were in shock. They are kind of heat-loving.

When leaving, I once again promised myself to return here for at least 3 days and in the warm season. There are so many things I haven’t seen in Prague yet!

In January, Wenceslas Square looks a little dull, and the wind is strong here, so we take a few photos of beautiful buildings and turn into quieter streets.

I love looking at facades like this.

Balconies, bay windows... mmm...! But the cold wind literally drove me away from the square.

On the opposite side is the Wiel House, named after the architect who built it in 1896. In our times this is a bookstore.

An unknown building with a clock.

Well, that’s it, my fingers are completely frozen, so I’m in a hurry to leave Wenceslas Square and turn into quiet, almost deserted streets, even on a day off.

The embankment of the Vltava River, across which 10 bridges are thrown, and there are 18 in total in Prague.

Walking along the opposite bank, we continue to enjoy looking at the facades of houses on the embankment.

All buildings are almost the same in height. The eye is pleased with such architectural aesthetics.

View from the bridge downstream (in my case to the right).

I couldn’t help but take a photo of this lovely little shop. I’m sure it’s not empty in the summer, but I personally didn’t dare sit on it at -9.

The most beautiful view is again from the Charles Bridge, but upstream. The same swans, generously fed by tourists.

The photo is quite early in the morning, so I was easily able to capture the bridge with a small number of people.

There's always something wrong with these kids! =)

Well, you understand, yes, that I often photograph facades =).

And intricate door handles and locks sometimes come into view.

We got there close to sunset.

Here it is, St. Vitus Cathedral - the pearl of Prague Castle. Until 1836, Czech kings were crowned here.

Christmas has passed, but they decided to leave the decorations for now.

This is the last photo taken before dark. Soon the sun set and we, wandering through the streets covered in the evening twilight, wandered towards the bars.

When leaving, I once again promised myself to return here for at least 3 days and in the warm season. There are so many things I haven’t seen in Prague yet!

These majestic creatures live on the Vltava River and small ponds all year round. Walking along the embankment, it is difficult not to notice their curved snowy necks, bright red beaks and massive bodies.

Swans are migratory birds, but they are in no hurry to fly away from Prague. There are almost no frosty winters here, there is a lot of light food and even more admiring attention. Swans are among the revered heroes of folk tales and legends. Gray ducks swimming nearby look rather modest against their background.

Local residents and guests of the city treat swans almost like pet birds. Swans are not at all shy and consider the river their full-fledged patrimony. Large flocks slowly drift along it, and these aggregations attract many people. The most impudent birds often come ashore, arch their necks, look straight into your eyes, demand their rightful piece of bread and take it right out of your hands. Swans have to take the initiative, because nimble seagulls and ducks are constantly scurrying around.

A little about security

Mature and experienced swans know how to warmly welcome a generous guest. Noticing that they can make money, they warmly raise their luxurious wings. Having won attention, they swim up and carefully eat from the hand. Young and timid birds often wait with their necks stretched out. And it’s better to be careful not to reach out to them. During feeding, they can very sensitively grab a finger, because their beaks are solid. Therefore, it is much safer to simply throw food into the water. This is also a very impressive sight. And of course, children can only be closely introduced to “reliable” and “tested” birds.

What to feed?

Swans can eat almost anything that does not drown in water, including chips. But the most win-win option is an ordinary bun. Birds notice how crumbs are thrown into the river and swim to this place. When the food has been tasted and appreciated, the swan may swim closer. In addition to bread, you can use finely chopped vegetables such as carrots, apples, cabbage and lettuce leaves, as well as a special grain mixture from a pet store.

Rules and etiquette

People in Prague are very kind to swans. It will be considered good form if you prepare for the feeding procedure in advance. In different places along the Vltava embankment you can see people with bags of bread neatly cut into small pieces.

Most swans behave with dignity, measuredly and rather leisurely. Birds cannot always quickly remove their necks in case of danger. Therefore, when feeding, you need to be as careful as possible and not make sudden movements, so as not to accidentally injure the bird. Do not forget that the swan is an impressively sized bird with a large wingspan and a powerful beak. If threatened, he himself can injure the offender.

How to feed?

Since swans usually compete with other birds for food, a noisy rush is created. In such a situation, you can divide the birds into separate groups, as local residents sometimes do. They bring several bags with different food. Cereals are crumbled onto the steps for the pigeons, and small crumbs of bread are thrown further into the river for the seagulls. The ducks move towards the seagulls. As a result, the swans are the closest and eat the choicest pieces almost out of hand.

Best places to feed

From there you need to go down to the right bank of the Vltava. And walk along the river to the floating boats Matilda and Clotilde. Here, a lot of birds get caught both from ships and from kind passers-by. In this place you can get close to the water itself and chat to your heart’s content with friendly birds.

The Mill Canal and the Vltava River are favorite habitats for beautiful and ever-hungry birds. Flocks of swans, ducks and seagulls literally cling to the shores of the island in the hope of profiting. There is a place like a beach, where there is no equipped stone embankment. Swans freely go ashore, walk, set up a rookery, preen their feathers, come close to people and ask them for food. You can walk to the Malaya Side along the Manesov Bridge and immediately after it go down to the water. A good guideline is .

This place is great for feeding from boats and catamarans.

Palacky Bridge

Another voracious flock lives near the bridge near the piers.