Vltava River

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	48°58′29″N 13°33′39″E / 48.97472°N 13.56083°E / 48.97472; 13.56083
Mouth	Elbe
- location	Mělník
- elevation	155 m (509 ft)
- coordinates	50°20′29″N 14°28′30″E / 50.34139°N 14.47500°E / 50.34139; 14.47500Coordinates: 50°20′29″N 14°28′30″E / 50.34139°N 14.47500°E / 50.34139; 14.47500
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)

The Vltava (/vəlˈtɑːvə/; 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.

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. It is, however, the source of drinking water in case of failures/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.