Misplaced Pages

#545454

22-684: At a presentation held annually in the Old Town Hall (Prague) , the recipient receives $ 10,000, a diploma, and a bronze statuette. Each award is often called the "Kafka Prize" or "Kafka Award". The award earned some prestige in the mid 2000s by foreshadowing the Nobel Prize when two of its winners went on to win the Nobel Prize in Literature the same year, Elfriede Jelinek (2004) and Harold Pinter (2005). The criteria for winning

44-463: Is a medieval settlement of Prague , Czech Republic . It was separated from the outside by a semi-circular moat and wall, connected to the Vltava river at both of its ends. The moat is now covered up by the streets (from north to south-west) Revoluční, Na Příkopě , and Národní —which remain the official boundary of the cadastral community of Old Town. It is now part of Prague 1 . Notable places in

66-503: Is a musical description of the river's course through Bohemia. 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. The Vltava River has been used as the setting for a number of films, including the 1942 Czech drama The Great Dam . More recently,

88-598: 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. Along its course, the river receives many tributaries. The longest tributaries of the Vltava are: Between the confluence with the Elbe at Mělník and Prague , the river is navigable by vessels of up to 1,000 tonnes (980 long tons; 1,100 short tons) displacement. Most of

110-769: Is the longest river in the Czech Republic , a left tributary of the Elbe River. It runs southeast along the Bohemian Forest and then north across Bohemia , through Český Krumlov , České Budějovice , and Prague . It is commonly referred to as the "Czech national river". Both the Czech name Vltava and the German name Moldau are believed to originate from the old Germanic words * wilt ahwa 'wild water' (compare Latin aqua ). In

132-725: The Annales Fuldenses (872 AD) it is called Fuldaha ; from 1113 AD it is attested as Wultha . In the Chronica Boemorum (1125 AD) it is attested for the first time in its Bohemian form, Wlitaua . The Vltava originates by a confluence of two rivers, the Teplá Vltava , which is longer, and the Studená Vltava , originating in Bavaria . From a water management point of view,

154-846: The Bohemian Reformation and Hussite movement . In 1402–1413 the church reformer Jan Hus preached there. In 1689, a great fire (called the French fire ) damaged a big part of the Old Town, including the Jewish Town. In 1784, the four towns of Prague were united into the Royal Capital City of Prague with a common administration. Vltava The Vltava ( / ˈ v ʊ l t ə v ə , ˈ v ʌ l -/ VU(U)L -tə-və , Czech: [ˈvl̩tava] ; German : Moldau [ˈmɔldaʊ] )

176-529: The Elbe River at Mělník at an elevation of 156 m (512 ft). The height difference from source to mouth is 1,018 metres (3,340 ft). The Vltava River drains an area of 28,089.9 square kilometres (10,845.6 sq mi) in size, over half of Bohemia and about a third of the Czech Republic's entire territory. The waters ultimately drain to the North Sea. As it runs through Prague,

198-590: The Old Town include Old Town Square and Astronomical Clock . The Old Town is surrounded by the New Town of Prague . Across the river Vltava connected by the Charles Bridge is the Lesser Town of Prague ( Czech : Malá Strana ). The former Jewish Town ( Josefov ) is located in the northwest corner of Old Town heading towards the Vltava. From its early existence, around the 9th century, Staré Město

220-596: The Vltava and Teplá Vltava are one river with single numbering of river kilometres . The Teplá Vltava originates in the territory of Kvilda in the Bohemian Forest at an elevation of 1,174 m (3,852 ft), on the slope of the Černá hora mountain. Together with the Teplá Vltava, the Vltava is 431.3 kilometres (268.0 mi) long. Without the Teplá Vltava, the Vltava is 377.0 kilometres (234.3 mi) long. The river flows north across Bohemia, through Český Krumlov , České Budějovice and Prague . It merges with

242-407: The award include the artwork's "humanistic character and contribution to cultural, national, language [sic] and religious tolerance , its existential, timeless character, its generally human validity and its ability to hand over [sic] a testimony about our times." Previous winners. Old Town (Prague) The Old Town of Prague ( Czech : Staré Město pražské , German : Prager Altstadt )

SECTION 10

#1732766040546

264-492: The banks denoting the water line for notable floods in 1784, 1845, 1890, 1940, and the highest of all in 2002. In August of 2002, 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

286-612: The largest reservoir on the Vltava by volume, while the Lipno Reservoir retains the largest reservoir by area. The Štěchovice Reservoir is built over the site of St John's Rapids . The river also features numerous 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 Vltava basin has flooded multiple times throughout recorded history. Markers have been created along

308-539: The mid-14th century the importance of the Old Town of Prague increased rapidly. The city was prospering thanks to the development of trade and craftsmanship and became one of the most important Central European metropoles. Its brilliance and fame still further increased when the Bohemian king Charles IV became the Roman Emperor in 1355. Quite suddenly the attention of all medieval Europe was turned towards Prague,

330-638: The moat and wall were dismantled. In 1348, the University of Prague was founded by Charles IV. Since the late 14th century its main seat has been in Carolinum located in the Old Town of Prague. In 1357, Charles IV commenced building of a new bridge over the Vltava river connecting the Old Town with the Lesser Town of Prague . In 1391, the Bethlehem Chapel was built in the Old Town for sermons in Czech. The chapel played an important role in

352-523: The residence of the head of the Holy Roman Empire . The original town hall was extended by a mighty square stone tower, a symbol of the power and pride of the town council of the first city in the Kingdom and Empire. In 1364 when it was completed the tower was the highest in the city. After the city was expanded in the 14th century by Charles IV with the founding of the New Town of Prague ,

374-523: The river is crossed by 18 bridges (including the Charles Bridge ) 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, and is now a place to view the city. It is, however, the source of drinking water in case of failures of or repairs to the water supply from the Želivka and Kárané sources. The Podolí water processing plant

396-651: The river upstream of Prague as far as České Budějovice is navigable by craft of up to 300 tonnes (300 long tons; 330 short tons) displacement, but such vessels cannot pass the dams at Orlík and Slapy , and are also restricted by a low bridge at Týn nad Vltavou . Work is planned to complete boat lifts , planned for but never completed, at the two dams, and to rebuild the bridge, in order for them to navigate throughout. Much smaller craft, of up to 3.5 tonnes (3.4 long tons; 3.9 short tons) displacement and under 3 metres (9.8 ft) beam and 3 metres (9.8 ft) air draft, can avoid these obstacles. Upstream of České Budějovice,

418-479: The river's section around Český Krumlov (specifically from Vyšší Brod to Boršov nad Vltavou ) is a very popular destination for water tourism . Nine hydroelectric dams have been built on the Vltava south of Prague to regulate the water flow and generate hydroelectric power , starting in the 1930s. Beginning at the headwaters, these are: Lipno , Lipno II , Hněvkovice , Kořensko , Orlík , Kamýk , Slapy , Štěchovice and Vrané . The Orlík Reservoir supports

440-603: 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. One of the best-known works of classical music by a Czech composer is Bedřich Smetana 's Vltava , sometimes called The Moldau in English. It is from the Romantic era of classical music and

462-417: Was formed. According to ancient records, the city had around 13 gates, and a huge moat, providing strong defenses. In 1338, the councilors of the Old Town of Prague were granted a permission by John of Luxembourg , King of Bohemia, to buy a magnificent patrician house from the family Volfin od Kamene ( German : Wolfin von Stein ) and rebuild it into their town hall – the still existing Old Town Hall . In

SECTION 20

#1732766040546

484-467: Was laid out of settlements which appeared from the spacious marketplace on the bank of Vltava. Records dating back to 1100 AD indicate that every Saturday a market was held on the marketplace, and large military gatherings also took place there. Thanks to trade the merchants of the area became rich, and when King Wenceslaus I of Bohemia gave them the privileges of township, the Town of Prague ( Město pražské )

#545454