St. John's rapids (''Svatojánské proudy'') was a stretch of fast flowing water on the

Vltava Vltava ( , ; german: Moldau ) is the longest river in the Czech Republic, running southeast along the Bohemian Forest and then north across Bohemia, through Český Krumlov, České Budějovice and Prague, and finally merging with the Labe at M ...

. It was situated at the place of today's

Štěchovice Reservoir Štěchovice Reservoir (in Czech ''Vodní nádrž Štěchovice'') is a dam on Vltava River built from 1937 to 1945 as the second stage of the Vltava Cascade. The dam is named after nearby village Štěchovice. The construction started before Wo ...

In music

The rapids were part of the inspiration for Smetana's ''

Má vlast ''Má vlast'' (), also known as ''My Fatherland'', is a set of six symphonic poems composed between 1874 and 1879 by the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana. The six pieces, conceived as individual works, are often presented and recorded as a single ...

'', and also the title of an opera by Josef Richard Rozkošný (''Svatojánské proudy'').Bedřich Smetana: letters and reminiscences Bedřich Smetana, František Bartoš, Bedřich Smetana - 1955 "Its premiere was given on October 3rd, 1871. The opera is named after the rapids which the river Vltava creates shortly before it reaches Prague. Smetana's symphonic poem Vltava also contains a part which is called "St. John's Rapids"."

References

Rapids Vltava {{CzechRepublic-stub