Bohemian Flats, Historic residential site along Mississippi River in Minneapolis, United States.
Bohemian Flats is a historic site along the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, now a riverfront park sitting directly beneath the Washington Avenue Bridge near the University of Minnesota. The flat, open ground along the water includes picnic tables, canoe racks, and restroom facilities.
Starting in the 1880s, immigrant families settled on this low floodplain and worked in the mills nearby, forming one of Minneapolis's most densely packed riverside neighborhoods. By the 1940s, the city cleared the area to make way for the Washington Avenue Bridge.
The name Bohemian Flats comes from the Czech and Slovak settlers who were among the first to occupy this low stretch of riverbank and gave it its informal identity. Today visitors come to picnic, launch canoes, or simply sit by the water where those households once stood.
The park is easy to reach on foot from the University of Minnesota and sits right on the riverbank, so the ground near the water can be slippery after rain. Sturdy shoes are a good idea, especially if you plan to use the canoe launch or walk close to the water's edge.
The houses built here had no fixed foundations, which meant the whole neighborhood flooded every spring and families moved out temporarily each year before returning once the water dropped. Some households simply floated their belongings out and waited on higher ground until the river retreated.
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