Destruction of Charles Bridge: The symbol of Prague was destroyed by a great flood in 1890
Rumors of a great flood began to spread in Prague on September 1, 1890: “There were reports from all sides of heavy rains and rising water in the tributaries of the Vltava.” The pressure below, which was advancing to Central Europe from northern Italy at the time, brought abundant precipitation at the frontal border, especially in the Vltava river basin, and it rained the most in the Novohradské Mountains and Šumava. Not only the upper Vltava was flooded, but also its tributaries Malše, Otava, Úhlava, Radbuza or Úslava in the Plzeň region. The flood wave, which rushed relentlessly on Prague and the cities on the lower reaches of the Elbe, was further multiplied by the water from the ruptured dikes of some ponds. (among other things, Pond World).
Disaster on the horizon
So far, serious measures have been taken in the Czech capital and warnings have been issued about the impending danger. Residents in vulnerable areas have been warned “To prepare the needs for eviction in the fall”. The army was also on standby.
In the early hours of September 3 from “The citadel of Vyšehrad and the bastion No. XIX were given alarm shots that a flood occurred in Prague”. In the morning, the water invaded the streets of the Old Town, Kampa, Podskalí and Josefova below. After ten o’clock in the morning, the Vltava exceeded the height of the large water from 1872 and in three afternoons it already exceeded the normal level by 3.5 meters.
The predatory current began to destroy and carry with it everything that stood in its way: rafts, boats, wooden swimming pools, docks. The first human lives were lost when soldiers dismantled a training pontoon bridge in Karlín near the Invalidovna and swept away their driftwood logs. Twenty engineers died in the waves.
On Thursday, September 4, the catastrophe reached its peak.“Three times the alarm wounds were announced by a cannon increase in water”, followed by a tragic finale: a huge flood of water, the permanent Charles Bridge. First, at half past five in the morning, two arches collapsed, at half past nine in the morning, the two pillars were overturned. The disaster also claimed sacrifices in life, because most of them were people who none of them seemed to believe could not withstand much water. The historical memory was short, only a few remembered that the monument was damaged during the flood of 1784, as it survived the great waters of 1845 and 1872.
Elemental control
The Vltava in Prague culminated on September 4 between 8 pm and 10 pm at a flow rate of 3,975 m³ / s (century-old water is talked about at a flow rate of 3,700 m³ / s), almost a third of what was then Prague was flooded: especially the Old Town near today’s Novotný footbridges, Karolíny Světlé, Anenské, Náprstkovy or Divadelní streets. The water also found its way to Bethlehem Square, to Karlova and Husova streets to the church of St. Jiljí and stopped in Linhartské near the Old Town Square. The whole of Josefov was flooded to St. Haštal or the coastal part of Karlín. The water also penetrated the ground floor of the National Theater and destroyed the botanical garden in Smíchov. Four thousand houses were found under the surface, and to this day, the extent of the devastating flood in the city is reminiscent of a number of brands.
The flood of September 4, 1890 destroyed several arches of Charles Bridge. (photo: Wikimedia Commons, unknown author, CC0)
On the night of Friday, September 5, the water finally began to recede and the people of Prague slowly added up the damage. Only those for torn and washed-off rafts climbed to 100,000 gold. Many houses, factories, warehouses, roads, railways were destroyed. František Thun, Provincial Marshal and Archbishop of Prague. Already on Saturday, September 6, calls for charitable collections traveled to all regions.
However, Prague was not the only one where the great water caused considerable damage. Cities were also affected on the lower reaches of the Vltava in the Mělnicko region, and the flooded Elbe ruled mainly in the Litoměřice, Ústí nad Labem and Děčín regions. Although the flood of September 1890 was not the greatest in Bohemia, it was extremely destructive, unlike the others. In addition, a memento remained in the form of the demolished Charles Bridge.
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“The month of September 1890 will remain the fate of the Czech nation, and especially in the history of the royal capital of Prague, for the most time recorded by color. The enormous material damage that our nation has suffered these days and the subversion of a memorable, world-famous and famous work of art, the destruction of which not only our mother Prague, but all the homeland and all the educated world, will forever remind us and our later descendants of the first week of the month. September 1890, “ she wrote then Golden Prague.
The more devastating flood came after more than a hundred years. In 2002, the Vltava culminated with a flow rate of 5,160 m³ / s. It also overcame the disaster of 1890 in terms of the amount of damage and the extent of the flooded places.