Vltava ( , ; german: Moldau ) is the longest
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...
in the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
, running southeast along the
Bohemian Forest
The Bohemian Forest, known in Czech as Šumava () and in German as Böhmerwald, is a low mountain range in Central Europe. Geographically, the mountains extend from Plzeň Region and South Bohemia in the Czech Republic to Austria and Bavaria in ...
and then north across
Bohemia
Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...
, through
Český Krumlov
Český Krumlov (; german: Krumau, , or ''Böhmisch Krumau'') is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. The historic centre with the Český Krumlov Castle complex is protected by law as an urban monument reservation, and sin ...
,
České Budějovice
České Budějovice (; german: Budweis ) is a city in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 93,000 inhabitants. It is located in the valley of the Vltava River, at its confluence with the Malše.
České Budějovice is t ...
and
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
, and finally merging with the
Labe at
Mělník
Mělník (; german: Melnik) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 19,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.
Mělník lies in one of the most im ...
. It is commonly referred to as the "
Czech
Czech may refer to:
* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
** Czech language
** Czechs, the people of the area
** Czech culture
** Czech cuisine
* One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus'
Places
* Czech, ...
national river".
Both the Czech name ' and the German name ' are believed to originate from the
old Germanic
Proto-Germanic (abbreviated PGmc; also called Common Germanic) is the reconstructed proto-language of the Germanic branch of the Indo-European languages.
Proto-Germanic eventually developed from pre-Proto-Germanic into three Germanic bran ...
words ' 'wild water' (compare
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
'). In the ' (872 AD) it is called '; from 1113 AD it is attested as '. In the ' (1125 AD) it is attested for the first time in its
Bohemian
Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to:
*Anything of or relating to Bohemia
Beer
* National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst
* Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors
Culture and arts
* Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...
form, '.
[
]
Course
The Vltava River is long and drains an area of in size, over half of Bohemia and about a third of the Czech Republic's entire territory. As it runs through Prague, the river is crossed by 18 bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...
s (including the Charles Bridge
Charles Bridge ( cs, Karlův most ) is a medieval stone arch bridge that crosses the Vltava river in Prague, Czech Republic. Its construction started in 1357 under the auspices of King Charles IV, and finished in the early 15th century.; The ...
) and covers within the city. The water from the river was used for drinking until 1912 when the Vinohrady Water Tower
Vinohrady Water Tower ( cs, Vinohradská vodárna) is a building in Vinohrady in Prague 10 which was originally built as a water tower. Today its architecture is recognized as culturally important although it is now converted to accommodate off ...
ceased pumping operations.[Water Tower of Vinohrady]
stovezata.praha.eu, retrieved 14 November 2013 It is, however, the source of drinking water in case of failures of or repairs to the water supply from the Želivka and Kárané sources. The Podolí water processing plant is on standby for such cases with the long section of the river upstream of the Podolí plant under the stricter, second degree of pollution prevention regulations.
The height difference from source to mouth is about and the largest stream at the source is named Černý Potok (Black Brook) or Teplá Vltava (Warm Vltava). The Vltava itself originates by a confluence of two streams, the Warm Vltava ('), which is longer, and the Cold Vltava ('' Studená Vltava''), sourcing in Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
. Along its course, Vltava receives many tributaries, the biggest being Otava and Berounka
The Berounka is a river in the Czech Republic, long, the biggest left tributary of Vltava, draining an area of . It carries the name Mže () for from its source in Germany, next to the Czech border, until its confluence with the Radbuza in Plze ...
from the left and Lužnice and Sázava from the right side.
Navigation
Between the confluence with the Labe(Elbe) at Mělník
Mělník (; german: Melnik) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 19,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.
Mělník lies in one of the most im ...
and Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
, the river is navigable by vessels of up to displacement. Most of the river upstream of Prague as far as České Budějovice
České Budějovice (; german: Budweis ) is a city in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 93,000 inhabitants. It is located in the valley of the Vltava River, at its confluence with the Malše.
České Budějovice is t ...
is currently navigable by craft of up to displacement, but such vessels cannot pass the dams at Orlík and Slapy, and are also restricted by a low bridge at Týn nad Vltavou
Týn nad Vltavou (; german: Moldautein) is a town in České Budějovice District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 7,800 inhabitants. It lies on the Vltava river. The town centre is well preserved and is protected b ...
. Work is planned to complete boat lift
A boat lift, ship lift, or lift lock is a machine for transporting boats between water at two different elevations, and is an alternative to the canal lock.
It may be vertically moving, like the Anderton boat lift in England, rotational, like ...
s, planned for but never completed, at the two dams, and to rebuild the bridge, in order for them to navigate throughout. Much smaller craft, of up to displacement and under beam and air draft, can avoid these obstacles.
Upstream of České Budějovice, the river's section around Český Krumlov
Český Krumlov (; german: Krumau, , or ''Böhmisch Krumau'') is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. The historic centre with the Český Krumlov Castle complex is protected by law as an urban monument reservation, and sin ...
(specifically from Vyšší Brod
Vyšší Brod (; german: Hohenfurth) is a town in Český Krumlov District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,500 inhabitants. It is the southernmost municipality in the Czech Republic. Vyšší Brod Monastery, an im ...
to Boršov nad Vltavou
Boršov nad Vltavou (until 1950 Boršov; german: Payreschau) is a municipality and village in České Budějovice District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,000 inhabitants.
Boršov nad Vltavou lies on the Vltava r ...
) is a very popular destination for water tourism
Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a s ...
.
Dams
Nine hydroelectric dams have been built on the Vltava south of Prague to regulate the water flow and generate hydroelectric power
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...
, starting in the 1930s. Beginning at the headwaters, these are: Lipno, Lipno II, Hněvkovice, Kořensko, Orlík, Kamýk, Slapy, Štěchovice
Štěchovice is a market town in Prague-West District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,100 inhabitants. It lies on the Vltava river.
Administrative parts
Villages of Masečín and Třebenice are administrative p ...
and Vrané. The Orlík dam supports the largest reservoir on the Vltava by volume, while the Lipno dam retains the largest reservoir by area. The 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 ...
is built over the site of St John's Rapids
St. John's rapids (''Svatojánské proudy'') was a stretch of fast flowing water on the Vltava. It was situated at the place of today's Štěchovice Reservoir.
In music
The rapids were part of the inspiration for Smetana's ''Má vlast
''Má vla ...
.
The river also features numerous weirs
A weir or low head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the river level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...
that help mitigate its flow from in elevation at its source near the German border to at its mouth in Mělník.
Floods
The Vltava basin has flooded multiple times throughout recorded history. Markers have been created along the banks denoting the water line for notable floods in 1784, 1845, 1890, 1940, and the highest of all in 2002.
In August of that year, the basin was heavily affected by the 2002 European floods
In August 2002, a week of intense rainfall produced flooding across a large portion of Europe. It reached the Czech Republic, Italy, Spain, Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Ukraine and Russia. The event killed 232 ...
when the flooded river killed several people and caused massive damage and disruption along its length, including in Prague. It left the oldest bridge in Prague, Charles Bridge, seriously weakened, requiring years of work to repair.
Prague was again flooded in 2013. Many locations within the Vltava and Elbe basins were left under water, including the Prague Zoo
Prague Zoological Garden (Czech: ''Zoologická zahrada hl. m. Prahy'') is a zoo in Prague, Czech Republic. It was opened in 1931 with the goal to "advance the study of zoology, protect wildlife, and educate the public" in the district of Troja in ...
, but metal barriers were erected along the banks of the Vltava to help protect the historic city centre.
References in culture, politics and science
One of the best-known works of classical music
Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...
by a Czech composer is Bedřich Smetana
Bedřich Smetana ( , ; 2 March 1824 – 12 May 1884) was a Czech composer who pioneered the development of a musical style that became closely identified with his people's aspirations to a cultural and political "revival." He has been regarded i ...
's ''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 ...
'', sometimes called ''The Moldau'' in English. It is from the Romantic era
Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic, literary, musical, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate ...
of classical music and is a musical description of the river's course through Bohemia
listen
.
A minor planet
According to the International Astronomical Union (IAU), a minor planet is an astronomical object in direct orbit around the Sun that is exclusively classified as neither a planet nor a comet. Before 2006, the IAU officially used the term ''minor ...
2123 Vltava discovered in 1973 by Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
astronomer Nikolai Stepanovich Chernykh is named after the river.
Smetana's symphonic poem also inspired a song of the same name by Bertolt Brecht
Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a pl ...
. An English version of it, by John Willett
John William Mills Willett, MBE (24 June 1917 – 20 August 2002) was a British translator and a scholar who is remembered for translating the work of Bertolt Brecht into English.
Early life
Willett was born in Hampstead and was educated ...
, features the lyrics ''Deep down in the Moldau the pebbles are shifting'' / ''In Prague three dead emperors moulder away.''
US First Lady Hillary Clinton and US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright
Madeleine Jana Korbel Albright (born Marie Jana Korbelová; May 15, 1937 – March 23, 2022) was an American diplomat and political scientist who served as the 64th United States secretary of state from 1997 to 2001. A member of the Democratic ...
met in Prague, strolled through Wenceslas Square with Václav Havel, and took a fourth of July cruise on the Vltava River in summer 1996 after the Velvet Revolution. [ Albright, Madeleine with Bill Woodard. (2003). ''Madam Secretary: A Memoir,'' p. 220. NY, NY: Hyperion, Miramax Books. ]
See also
* Moldavite
Moldavite ( cs, vltavín) is a forest green, olive green or blue greenish vitreous silica projectile glass formed by a meteorite impact in southern Germany (Nördlinger Ries Crater) that occurred about 15 million years ago. It is a type of tekt ...
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Rivers of the Central Bohemian Region
Rivers of the South Bohemian Region
Geography of Prague