This park – island situated between the main course of the Vltava and its arm called Čertovka, from which you can admire the large wheel of the former Grand Prior’s Mill dating back to 1400, is one of the most romantic and picturesque places in Prague. It is no wonder that the prestigious tourist site VirtualTourist has named it the second most beautiful city island in the world. The island’s meadows are often used for picnics and relaxation.
The oldest record of Kampa dates back to 1169, in the charter of the church of the Maltese Order, during the period when King Ladislaus II (Vladislav II.) reigned. The origin of the name Kampa is uncertain: it can perhaps be linked to Tychon Gansgeb of Kamp, who had a house here in the 17th century, or to the Latin term campus – camp, heath, which once stretched over the island, or to the term "zákampí" – placed in the shade. Čertovka is an artificial canal, a water arm of the Vltava River, initially named Rožmberk Channel (Rožmberská strouha) in 1585, according to the owner of the neighbouring land Vilém from Rožmberk. Today’s name Čertovka comes from the house of the Seven Devils (čert= devil) (dům U sedmi čertů). This picturesque view of the city is also called Prague’s Venice (Pražské Benátky).
