What is the name of the river that runs through Prague?

The Vltava River, (German: Moldau), is the longest in the Czech Republic, flowing 270 miles (435 km). Its drainage basin is 10,847 square miles (28,093 square km). The river rises in the Bohemian Forest, the Teplá Vltava and the Studená Vltava. It flows first southeast, then north across Bohemia, and empties into the Elbe (Czech: Labe) River at Mělník, 18 miles (29 km) north of Prague. The middle and lower course of the Vltava is gorgelike, with rapids and incised meanders. Large hydropower dams with associated lakes provide recreational facilities. The Vltava’s principal tributaries are the Lužnice and Sázava (east) and the Otava and Berounka (west).

As it runs through Prague, 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.

The Vltava basin was flooded multiple times throughout recorded history. Markers have been created along the banks denoting the water line for notable floods in 1784, 1845, 1890, 1940, and the highest of all in 2002, when the flood left the Charles Bridge, seriously weakened, requiring years of work to repair. Prague was again flooded in 2013.

The river is celebrated as the second subject in a cycle of six symphonic poems under the general title of "Má vlast" (“My Country”) by the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana.