Prague has countless numbers of romantic places. The riverside on Kampa surely occupies an honorable place in a space between the Lichtenstejn palace and the Charles Bridge. There is a port for favourite tour boats. But you may also sit down on the riverside navigation and observe the busy movement on the river. There are some views presenting themself, such as view of Smetanovo Rirverside, Old Town of Prague, Old Town´s Water Tower and like name weir, Old Town´s Bridge Tower and untraditional view of Charles Bridge including its vehement pillars and ice guards, which serve to their protection. On one of the pillars there is a sculpture of the mythical noble czech emperor Bruncvik. He grips a sword in his hand and by the side he has a big shield with the Old Town emblem and also a lion, whom according to a legend save from death. And so the lion had served him faitfully for the rest of his life. Most probably it is a matter of analogy of the german Rolands, the stone knigts. They have symbolized the independence of the town, capital law and a customs freedom since the late Middle Ages. Current sculpture of Bruncvik is a replica from 1884 and was made by sculptor Ludvik Simek. From the west there is an appealing side facade of the house called By the picture of a Virgin Mary No. 514. The famous czech painter Adolf Kašpar lived in this romantic place and the originally renaissance house from the second half of the 16th century, reconstructed in 1671 and 1730. Today Adolf Kašpar is known as a legendary illustrator of Bozena Nemcova´s Babička/The Grandma. At first he lived here in a rent at Mrs. Repkova, but three years after his graduation at the prague´s academy of the fine art in 1907 he had married her daughter. The memorial plaque with his bust is a reminder of his staying here. There could be another one. Which would remind a legendary rescuer of the drowning people Mr. Joseph Rousek. From 1898 he had a cobbler workshop on the ground floor and while working he always watched by one eye the happening on the river. When the boat fliped over or somebody was drowning he immediately rushed to rescue. It is stated that he had saved over 200 people until his death which stroke him in 1942.
