Czech Republic: Moving floods - The Vltava above Prague

No other river in Europe changes its face as quickly as the Vltava. It is called the Vltava in Czech, which used to mean "wild water". Its transformation is impressive: just a moment ago, the waters were winding in the shade through loops cut deep into the landscape, then the panorama opens up and the river becomes ever more stately, only to cross golden Prague just thirty kilometres later in stately splendour under the arches of Charles Bridge.

Musical accompaniment

A moving sight, now as then. Bedřich Smetana was one of those who were touched by the different faces of the Vltava. The composer, born in 1824, was also one of the few who was able to give artistic expression to this romantic sentiment. At a time when national sentiment was also flaring up in Bohemia, he created his own sound monument to the river with his symphony "Vltava".

In eight sections, "Die Moldau" musically follows the course of the river from its source to Prague, tracing its transformation in changing keys and tempi. The rows of notes flow along like the water, playing, undulating, flowing. A timeless wave melody. It was first performed 150 years ago in Prague, on St Sophia's Island. Smetana himself had only recently gone completely deaf. But he could read the enthusiasm of the audience on their faces. His musical poetry made the river of his homeland world-famous.

Start of the cruise at Vyšehrad

Our journey on the Vltava begins where Smetana's monumental story ends: beneath the mighty walls of Vyšehrad, Prague's stronghold. Legend has it that the first Bohemian princes ruled from here. They laid the foundations for an eventful history which, after an early period of prosperity, was long under foreign rule but ultimately led to an independent Czech Republic in the heart of Europe.

At the foot of the early medieval ramparts lies the Podolský přístav on the right bank: the basin of the harbour in the Podolí district is home to the jetties of the Český Yacht Club and TJ Tatran - and our boat for the coming week is also waiting for us at the latter: a classy Linssen Gr and Sturdy 40.0 AC from Bohemia Yacht Charter Prague. "Miss Elly" not only matches the elegant surroundings visually, but is also very well equipped.

The upper reaches of the Vltava

We decide that this time we will first head south and then return downstream to experience the transformation of the Vltava as Smetana did, spend a whole day in Prague and then continue on to where the river "disappears into the distance", as the description of the symphony says.

A total of 430 kilometres lie between the source of the Vltava in the Bohemian Forest and its mouth in the Labe, as the Elbe is called in Czech. Its last quarter is navigable throughout. This stretch begins at the Slapy dam at river kilometre 91, runs through the last two reservoirs of the Vltava cascade and continues via Prague and the lower reaches, which are also dammed, to Mělník on the Elbe - whereby the Vltava is clearly the more water-rich of the two rivers when they meet and yet loses its name.

From Prague to the south

It's so hot on this Sunday in early summer that even the shadows are hiding in the shelter of the Vyšehrad as we leave the harbour and point the bow upstream. The sun is blazing, so it's clear that everyone is drawn to the water, or at least to the water: We pass rowers and a small regatta field of dinghies. Ferries shuttle back and forth. Bass booms from a lounge raft with a big outboard motor. The young skipper with her captain's cap waves cheerfully to us from the flybridge while people are celebrating loudly down below.

The banks are flat, as if drawn with a ruler, and paved with stone rubble. On the adjoining green spaces, sun worshippers pay homage to their radiant goddess. Behind them are new neighbourhoods, modern cuboids made of glass, metal and concrete, flanked by more construction cranes. The four-lane dual carriageway 4 accompanies us on the starboard side, residential areas alternate with industrial plants.

A dam in front of us

After an hour, we reach the Modřany lock (the Czech word is "zdymadlo"), immediately get the green light and leave again just under a quarter of an hour later. On both sides, the landscape becomes more hilly and the horizon takes shape. The Berounka flows in on the right, followed by a river loop. The first dam stretches out in front of us: Vrané nad Vltavou.

The three large lift gates of the weir are closed, it was a dry spring. Even before we can moor at the waiting area, the steel caulking gates of the right-hand chamber open, a wakeboard boat leaves, followed by two sea kayaks, then we go upwards, ten metres at least. However, the distance between the vertical guide beams intended for cargo and passenger ships is too great for us. We make do by taking both ball fenders of our Linssen on the side of the chamber wall.

The Vltava Cascade

And so it goes. The calm waters of the Vrané nad Vltavou reservoir spread out in front of us. The village itself lies to the left, with the forest extending to the shore road on the right. Seen upstream, the lake is the first of the Vltava cascade, a chain of nine dams that begins here at kilometre 71 and stretches in increasingly loose succession for around 250 kilometres to the upper reaches. Begun in Vrané in 1930, it was not completed until the early 1990s.

The cascade serves both to generate electricity and as a bulwark to tame the wild Vltava - or at least keep it in check. Because it doesn't always work, sometimes the river turns back. Then the floods break through as they always have, despite all the protective structures. The last time this happened was in 2002, when the "millennium flood" in Central Europe caused widespread devastation and billions in damage along the Vltava. The water flow in Pr ag at that time was 5,300 cubic metres per second. It is usually 150 cubic metres.

Holiday mood in Davle

On a day like today, such a commotion is unimaginable. Instead, you can enjoy the opportunity to cool off on the shore. The route is really beautiful, peaceful. Wooded rocky slopes approach on both sides. Their reflection makes the river shimmer green. Prague suddenly seems very far away.

One more bend and after a total of four hours we have reached our destination: the small holiday resort of Davle. We take the stern to the modern jetty of the public harbour on the west bank, below the old pedestrian bridge. Sunday atmosphere. The two other water travellers, a young couple in a sailing yacht with its mast laid down and a bearded best-ager in a self-built cabin cruiser, doze in their cockpits.

Quite little water...

The continuous navigation does not end here in Davle, but only thirteen kilometres further up at the Slapy dam, but we stay anyway. There are no official guest moorings there, as our jetty neighbour explains in good English: "There is only the jetty for the excursion steamer and a waiting area for trailer transport up to the reservoir behind the dam." What's more, the water level is now "pretty low", he adds, looking at our imposing steel yacht.

Nevertheless, we think about it: this part of the route is said to have particularly inspired Smetana, with its narrow meanders in a deep gorge. If we couldn't find a free berth there, we would have a problem - especially as there is also the Štěchovice barrage with its twenty-metre-high shaft lock on the way, which we would have to pass twice.

For coffee in Štěchovice

The compromise: at three o'clock in the afternoon, we hop on our bikes and cycle along the riverside road to Štěchovice, just five kilometres away. On the way, we pass the confluence of the Sázava and Ostrov svatého Kiliána, St Kilian's Island. The foundations of a tenth-century monastery are said to lie behind the canopy of tall trees.

We are sitting on the terrace of the Kavárna Ella in Štěchovice enjoying a French wreath, chocolate hardcore cake and Prague coffee when the "Vltava" comes steaming upstream, blows its whistle and then docks with foaming paddle wheels just below the café to take some day trippers ashore. The historic paddle steamer travelled between Prague and Slapy at the weekend and is now on its way back.

A beautiful place

Back in the saddle, it takes us at least a quarter of an hour to reach the Štěchovice lock, a sky-high affair with a drop of twenty metres. We push up the road to the headwater. Once past the facility, the view opens up into the steep, deeply incised river valley. We leave the bikes and follow a footpath along the rocky bank into the forest. The sun plays in the shade of the foliage as the Vltava flows silently by. A beautiful place. Somewhere above must be the viewpoint where the composer spent a lot of time.

A yellow dot emerges from behind the bend: a rubber dinghy with two paddlers drifting along. The infamous St John's Rapids used to be at this point, but are now submerged. But on a display board, a black and white photo shows a wooden raft in steep, standing waves. Three men are battling the river on long oars. What a transformation

Return to Prague

Next change of scene: we are back in Prague after another day on the river, this time downstream in Smetana's order. However, we are not moored in Podolsk harbour again, we wanted to go into the centre of the metropolis to create a contrast to the forest solitude of yesterday. So we pass the charter base, several bridges and also the pretty Vltava islands, the latter via the narrow lock channel of the Smíchov lock on the left bank.

Unsurprisingly, driving through the Old Town is a special experience, not least because the round arches of the Charles Bridge are waiting for us immediately after the lock, where tourists are waiting for us with their smartphones out. There is also a lot of traffic, so you have to be careful. Excursion boats come and go every minute, turning and cruising according to a pattern that only the community of their captains understands.

A square in the centre of the city

However, the backdrop is fantastic: on the right, the immaculate façades of the Wilhelminian era, the Gothic gate tower, the pompous splendour of the Rudolfinum. On the left, the winding alleyways of Malá Strana, the relaxed neighbourhood. Although its sights such as the John Lennon Walls and the Franz Kafka Museum cannot be seen from the water, the city's landmark towers above it all: Pražský hrad - Prague Castle with the three-towered St Vitus Cathedral. Once the seat of emperors and kings, today the seat of the president.

We get our berth a little further on at the public jetty on the Edvard Beneš bank below Letna Park by the Čechův most bridge. However, we had to move again after visiting the harbour master: We would have been in the way of the "Elbe Princess", a river cruiser booked for later. By then, we had long since dived into the old town and were sitting in a less touristy, nameless alleyway away from the crowds of visitors around the Old Town Square, carefully balancing our wrought-iron chairs on the cobblestones. Perfect!

The Vltava is on the move!

On the table is a list of what we still want to experience. At the top of the list is Franz Kafka's "Rotating Head" (an art installation) and, last but not least, a sundowner on one of the floating beer gardens, old barges, on the banks of the Náplavka. Tomorrow is also reserved for Prague, after which we want to spend the remaining two days travelling further north to Kralupy and Nelahozeves, where we will visit the castle. No sooner said than done!

At Blue Hour, we actually manage to get a seat on board the Port Lounge Bar, on the upper deck by the railing. The atmosphere is great. Brightly lit party ships pass by on the river in an endless procession. Lights flash, samba rhythms and electro beats echo across the water. Even without Smetana, the Vltava is on the move!

Precinct information

The charter company

Bohemia Yacht Charter Prague enables cruises on the Vltava and Elbe, starting from the charter base in Podolsk harbour (Podolský přístav, Podolské nábř., 147 00 Praha 4, Czech Republic). Parking on the closed premises, good connection to the city centre by tram. The company is also part of the Linssen Boating Holidays network. Contact: Bohemia Yacht Charter Prague, Jinonická 761/18, 150 00 Praha 5, Czech Republic. Tel. +420 739 000 770.

The boat

Our week-long cruise took place on a Linssen Grand Sturdy 40.0 AC. The 12.85 metre long steel displacement boat has three double cabins (bow and aft cabin each with WC and shower). The upmarket equipment is very extensive and, like the boat, was in perfect condition. The handling characteristics and engine (110 hp diesel) are ideally suited to the conditions on the water. Bow and stern thruster available. The handover took place in German immediately after arrival. Weekly prices: 3,990-4,890 euros.

The Vltava

The Vltava is navigable from its confluence with the Elbe (river kilometre 0) to České Budějovice at kilometre 230. However, the continuous navigability only extends, as described, as far as the Slapy dam at kilometre 91, where there is a possibility of transfer by trailer, but only for small watercraft and pleasure craft. The area is easy to navigate, as the current is not an obstacle at normal water levels due to the continuous barrage regulation. There is virtually no buoyage, but it is not needed.

Locks and harbours

The locks are very different in terms of the equipment and design of the chambers, so attention is required. We never had to book in advance, and only in Prague did we have to wait more than 15 minutes for the 16 locks at the eight barrages on the outward and return journeys. Berths for a yacht of this size are not frequent, but are available in sufficient numbers to allow for a flexible itinerary.

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