This article is about the river in the Czech Republic. For the composition by Bedřich Smetana, seeMá vlast. For the restaurant in Helsinki, Finland, seeVltava (restaurant).
Vltava
The Vltava in Prague
The course anddrainage basin of the Vltava from its source to its confluence with the Elbe (magenta)
Both the Czech nameVltava and the German nameMoldau are believed to originate from theold Germanic words*wilt ahwa 'wild water' (compareLatinaqua).[5] In theAnnales Fuldenses (872 AD) it is calledFuldaha; from 1113 AD it is attested asWultha. In theChronica Boemorum (1125 AD) it is attested for the first time in itsBohemian form,Wlitaua.[6]
The Vltava originates by a confluence of two rivers, theTeplá Vltava, which is longer, and theStudená Vltava, originating inBavaria. From a water management point of view, the Vltava and Teplá Vltava are one river with single numbering ofriver kilometres. The Teplá Vltava originates in the territory ofKvilda in theBohemian Forest at an elevation of 1,174 m (3,852 ft), on the slope of theČerná hora mountain. Together with the Teplá Vltava, the Vltava is 431.3 kilometres (268.0 mi) long. Without the Teplá Vltava, the Vltava is 377.0 kilometres (234.3 mi) long. The river flows north across Bohemia, throughČeský Krumlov,České Budějovice andPrague. It merges with theElbe River atMělník at an elevation of 156 m (512 ft). The height difference from source to mouth is 1,018 metres (3,340 ft).[7][8]
The Vltava River drains an area of 28,089.9 square kilometres (10,845.6 sq mi) in size, over half of Bohemia and about a third of the Czech Republic's entire territory.[9] The waters ultimately drain to the North Sea.
As it runs through Prague, the river is crossed by 18bridges (including theCharles Bridge) and covers 31 kilometres (19 mi) within the city.[10] The water from the river was used for drinking until 1912 when theVinohrady Water Tower ceased pumping operations, and is now a place to view the city.[11] 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.
Along its course, the river receives many tributaries. The longest tributaries of the Vltava are:[12]
From a strict hydrological point of view, it is the Elbe upstream ofMělník that is a tributary of the Vltava rather than the other way around, owing to the Vltava's longer distance upstream (434 km or 270 mi against 294 km or 183 mi of the Elbe), greater discharge, and largerdrainage basin; however, since at the confluence point the Elbe flows through the main valley in a straight line, relative to which the Vltava flows at a right angle, the combined river downstream is identified as the Elbe.
Between the confluence with theElbe atMělník andPrague, the river is navigable by vessels of up to 1,000 tonnes (980 long tons; 1,100 short tons) displacement. Most of the river upstream of Prague as far asČeské Budějovice is navigable by craft of up to 300 tonnes (300 long tons; 330 short tons) displacement, but such vessels cannot pass the dams atOrlík andSlapy, and are also restricted by a low bridge atTýn nad Vltavou. Work is planned to completeboat lifts, 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 3.5 tonnes (3.4 long tons; 3.9 short tons) displacement and under 3 metres (9.8 ft) beam and 3 metres (9.8 ft) air draft, can avoid these obstacles.[13]
Historic Centre ofČeský Krumlov near the Vltava River
Nine hydroelectric dams have been built on the Vltava south of Prague to regulate the water flow and generatehydroelectric power, starting in the 1930s. Beginning at the headwaters, these are:Lipno,Lipno II,Hněvkovice,Kořensko,Orlík,Kamýk,Slapy,Štěchovice andVrané. The Orlík Reservoir supports the largest reservoir on the Vltava by volume, while the Lipno Reservoir retains the largest reservoir by area. TheŠtěchovice Reservoir is built over the site ofSt John's Rapids.
The river also features numerousweirs that help mitigate its flow from 1,172 metres (3,845 ft) in elevation at its source near the German border to 155 metres (509 ft) at its mouth in Mělník.
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.[16][17][18]
In August of 2002, the basin was heavily affected by the2002 European floods 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.[17]
Prague was againflooded in 2013. Many locations within the Vltava and Elbe basins were left under water, including thePrague Zoo, but metal barriers were erected along the banks of the Vltava to help protect the historic city centre.[19][20]
The Vltava as it flows along the north side of central Prague, taken from theStalin Monument socle inLetná Park
In the classic narrative of thegolem inJewish folklore, the mysticJudah Loew ben Bezalel made the artificial giant "out of clay from the banks of the Vltava River and brought it to life through rituals and Hebrew incantations to defend the Prague ghetto fromantisemitic attacks andpogroms."[21]
One of the best-known works ofclassical music by a Czech composer isBedřich Smetana'sVltava, sometimes calledThe Moldau in English. It is from theRomantic era of classical music and is a musical description of the river's course through Bohemia.
Smetana's symphonic poem also inspired a song of the same name byBertolt Brecht. An English version of it, byJohn Willett, features the lyricsDeep down in the Moldau the pebbles are shifting /In Prague three dead emperors moulder away.[22]
The Vltava River has been used as the setting for a number of films, including the 1942 Czech dramaThe Great Dam. More recently, the Vltava has been used as a film location for such films asAmadeus in 1984 andMission: Impossible in 1996. The river also appeared in the 2002 filmxXx. During filming,Vin Diesel'sstunt double, Harry O'Connor, was tragically killed when heparasailed into thePalacký Bridge while filming an action sequence.[23]
^"The Vltava River – Historical Communication Link in the Český Krumlov Region".Český Krumlov – UNESCO World Heritage. 2023. Archived fromthe original on 24 April 2016. Retrieved19 June 2015.The length of its flow to the mouth of the river to the Labe River near Mělnik is 430.2 km. Down to Český Krumlov it has a catchment area of 1,339 km2, the whole basin of the Vltava river is 28,090 km2.
^"About Prague".Avantgarde Prague. Retrieved11 April 2024.River Vltava (Moldau in German): It flows from south to north through the city for 31 kilometres, before joining the River Elbe near Prague. Nineteen bridges span the river.
^Papadaniil, Sofia; Schütze, Susann; Alukwe, Isaac (16 September 2007)."I. Flood Protection Measures of the City of Prague".Technische Universitat Dresden. Retrieved19 June 2015.Several flood marks along the river show the water levels of the different events in history and try to keep this danger of flooding in mind of the people.
^abYates, Ricky (9 February 2010)."Flooding in Prague".Ricky Yates – an Anglican in Prague. Retrieved19 June 2015.
^Yates, Ricky (15 April 2012)."The Vltava River".Ricky Yates – an Anglican in Prague. Retrieved19 June 2015.
