The (''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 Poem s, ''
Má Vlast '' is called ''Vltava'', and is an evocation of the course the river takes.
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