Vltava

This article is about a river in the Czech Republic. For the symphonic poem, see Má vlast.

Vltava
River
The Vltava's bend in Prague
Country	Czech Republic
Regions	South Bohemia, Central Bohemia
Tributaries
- left	Otava, Berounka
- right	Lužnice, Sázava
Cities	Český Krumlov, České Budějovice, Prague
Source	Černý potok
- location	Černá hora, Bohemian Forest
- elevation	1,172 m (3,845 ft)
- coordinates
Mouth	Elbe
- location	Mělník
- elevation	155 m (509 ft)
- coordinates
Length	430 km (267 mi)
Basin	28,090 km2 (10,846 sq mi)
Discharge
- average	149.9 m3/s (5,294 cu ft/s)
The course and drainage basin of the Vltava from its source to its confluence with the Elbe (magenta)
Wikimedia Commons: Vltava

The Vltava (IPA: /vəlˈtɑvə/; Czech pronunciation: [ˈvl̩tava]; German: Moldau, IPA: [ˈmɔldaʊ]) is the longest river within 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 Elbe at Mělník. It is commonly referred to as the Czech national river.

Course

The Vltava river is 430 kilometres (270 mi) long and drains an area about 28,090 square kilometres (10,850 sq mi) 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 bridges (including the famous Charles Bridge, shown below) and covers 31 kilometres (19 mi) within the city. The water from the river was used for drinking until 1912, when the Vinohrady Water Tower ceased pumping operations.

Several dams were built on it in the 1950s. The Orlík Dam supports the largest reservoir on the Vltava by volume, while the Lipno Dam in the Bohemian Forest (Czech: Šumava) retains the largest reservoir by area. North of Prague the Štěchovice Reservoir has been built over the site of the St John's Rapids. The river also features numerous locks and weirs 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 height difference from source to mouth is about 1,016 metres (3,333 ft) and the largest stream at the source is named Černý Potok (Black Brook). The Vltava itself originates by a confluence of two streams, the Warm Vltava (Teplá Vltava), which is longer, and the Cold Vltava (Studená Vltava), sourcing in Bavaria. Along its course, Vltava receives many tributaries, the biggest being Otava and Berounka from the left and Lužnice and Sázava from the right side. Its section around Český Krumlov (specifically from Vyšší Brod to Boršov nad Vltavou) is a very popular destination of water tourism.

The Vltava as it flows under the Charles Bridge in Prague

Etymology

Both the Czech name Vltava and the German name Moldau are believed to originate from the old Germanic words wilt ahwa ("wild water") (cf. Latin aqua). In Annales Fuldenses (872 AD) it is called Fuldaha; from 1113 AD it is attested as Wultha. In Chronica Boemorum (1125 AD) it is attested for the first time in its Bohemian form as Wlitaua.

Above-mentioned theory is unlikely to be true. There is a river Ltava in Ukraine with no traces of Germanic origins. The name of a settlement on this river was mentioned in the Hypatian Chronicle in 1174, traditionally connected to the name of the city of Poltava, Ukraine. There are many theories describing etymology of Ltava. Ukrainian:

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 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, but metal barriers were erected along the banks of the Vltava to help protect the historic city centre.

Use in culture and science

One of the best-known works of classical music by a Czech composer is Bedřich Smetana's Vltava, which is usually called The Moldau on recordings and in programmes. It is from the Romantic era of classical music and is a musical depiction of the river's course through Bohemia (listen).

A minor planet 2123 Vltava discovered in 1973 by Soviet astronomer Nikolai Stepanovich Chernykh is named after the river.

Smetana's symphonic poem also inspired a song of the same name by Bertolt Brecht. An English version of it, by John Willett, features the lyrics Deep down in the Moldau the pebbles are shifting / In Prague three dead emperors moulder away.

See also

• Moldavite

External links

• Geographic data related to Vltava at OpenStreetMap