The lock closes its gates, as tall as a building, the water rises, and the boat is lifted some twenty metres in a silence barely broken by the lapping of water. This spectacular passage, the highest of its kind in Czechia, marks the arrival in a small town in the Vltava valley upstream from Prague. River vessels linking the capital to the landscapes of Central Bohemia make a countryside stop here, far from the urban crowds.

A valley carved by the river

Here the Vltava flows between wooded slopes that narrow into gorges, a landscape that has drawn Praguers on weekends for generations, canoe on the car roof or hiking pack on the shoulder. Excursion boats leaving from Rašín Embankment in the capital head south in the warm season, serving Davle, Štěchovice and the area around the large Slapy reservoir. The Štěchovice dam, completed in the mid-20th century, created its own body of water and gave the town its current character as a gateway to water sports.

A discreet town with a golden past

Mentioned as early as 1209, the town long lived from gold panning, as the sands of the Vltava once carried flakes of gold. This era left traces in the surrounding hills and in local memory, maintained by residents with quiet pride. The present-day town, raised to town status in 1932, cultivates a more peaceful reputation, that of its handmade pottery, found in workshops and on stalls at seasonal markets.

Walks between river and forests

The stop lends itself to simple pleasures, the kind you enjoy without a schedule or an admission ticket. An easy walk along the riverbanks leads to the dam area and offers lovely views of the reservoir and the hills. Marked trails then climb into the forests overlooking the valley, the realm of mushroom pickers in autumn. In summer, the reservoir's coves attract swimmers and canoeists, and the inn terraces serve local trout with a mug of lager. Excursions offered by the cruise lines sometimes head to Slapy Lake, farther south near Třebenice, whose winding shores are among the most popular holiday spots in Central Bohemia.

The legend of the buried treasure

The area also feeds one of the country's most persistent mysteries. At the end of the Second World War, crates of German archives were buried in the nearby hills, and some of them, unearthed in 1946, fuelled the wildest rumours of a treasure still hidden. Since then, amateur searchers and enthusiasts have periodically probed the surrounding forests, without confirmed success. Residents smile at this endless quest, which adds a touch of mystery to woodland walks.

Off-the-beaten-path Bohemia

At departure, when the boat descends the giant lock and resumes its course along the Vltava, passengers keep an impression of an interlude from this stop. Here, Czechia isn't told through its castles or Gothic spires, but through a tamed river, deep forests and an art of the weekend that Praguers practise as connoisseurs. This off-the-beaten-path Bohemia is well worth a detour, and it makes you want to explore the valley all the way to its source.