Vltava
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The Vltava [listen] (Moldau in German and many other Germanic languages, Moldva in Hungarian, unrelated to the Moldova river of Romania) is the longest river in the Czech Republic, draining into the north from its source in Šumava through Český Krumlov, České Budějovice, and Prague (Praha), merging with the Elbe (Labe) at Mělník. It is 430 kilometers long and drains about 28,000 square kilometers; at their confluence the Vltava actually has more water than the Elbe, but joins the Elbe at a right angle to its flow so that it appears on maps as merely a tributary.
In August 2002 a flood of the Vltava killed several people and caused massive damage and disruption along its length.
One of the pieces from the classical Czech composer Bedřich Smetana's set of six symphonic poems, Má Vlast is called Vltava, and is an evocation of the course the river takes.
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