Earlier in its place there used to be two historically older dams, Šítkovský and Old Town, and there was a system of lock chambers. The lock was built by Lanna between 1911-1922. Technically, it is composed of four successive gates. From the end of the Children's Island then proceeds through the wall a separate channel that leads to Old Town weir at Sova's Mills. Today the operator of the weir is the state enterprise Vltava River Basin.
Interesting fact:
The lock chamber at Smíchov is the busiest lock on the River Vltava. The tourist shipping is its prime interest.
