Hermes, Shelter ship on the Vltava in Prague, Czech Republic

Hermes is a 75-metre-long, 9-metre-wide two-deck vessel moored on the left bank of the Vltava in Prague, just east of Štefánik Bridge. Its accommodation area is built from wood, wooden boards and insulating wool, with fire-retardant paint and a fire alarm system. It has 28 cabins of four to five beds each, divided into sectors A to D, plus a dining room for 50 people, toilets and showers.

Built in 1962, the vessel served as a towed cargo barge of Czechoslovak Elbe Shipping on the Ústí nad Labem–Hamburg route. The First General Boat Company bought it and began converting it into a floating hostel in November 2006; it then won the city tender for a homeless shelter. The city paid about 23 million CZK, with 15 million from the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, and the ship opened on 1 February 2007.

The ship is named after Hermes, the Greek messenger of the gods and patron of travellers, merchants and thieves. Clients pay 20 CZK for a night and must leave by 6:30 a.m.; women made up about 15% of those sleeping aboard in early 2007.

The ship is moored on the left bank of the Vltava at the Kapitána Jaroše embankment, just east of Štefánik Bridge. Boarding for clients runs from 19:30 to 20:30, with wake-up at 5:30 and departure by 6:30. It is a working night shelter, not a visitor attraction.

The ship is named after Hermes, the Greek messenger of the gods and protector of travellers, which fits a vessel moored by the embankment. It was converted in three months by 111 workers, and the city bought it for about 23 million CZK, with 15 million CZK contributed by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.