Changelog

The sketch shows the river curling past the castle tower and the old town's rooftops.

The Vltava through Český Krumlov is one of the most-paddled rivers in the country. This new tool reads the live flow at the Vyšší Brod gauge — the one local boat operators watch — and places it against the range they consider runnable: too low and you scrape the gravel, too high and it's for experienced paddlers only. When the river reaches a flood degree it is closed, and that call rests with the hydrological service and the town flood commission, both linked here. The flow is the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute's open data.

A new tool reads the live Vltava level at the gauges upstream of town — Vyšší Brod (about 43 km up) and Zátoň (about 20 km) — next to the town's own Nové Spolí gauge. Because the upstream gauges rise before the water reaches the centre, a climbing reading there is an early sign of a flood pulse heading down the valley. It stays descriptive: the official flood degree is still set by ČHMÚ and the town flood commission, both linked.

Český Krumlov sits inside a tight bend of the Vltava, and a rising river is the town's oldest risk — the 2002 flood was catastrophic, and the Vltava reached its highest flood degree again twice in 2024. "Is the Vltava Rising?" now shows the live water level at the Český Krumlov (Nové Spolí) gauge, with its recent range and whether it's rising, steady or falling. The reading comes straight from the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute's open data (ČHMÚ, under CC BY 4.0), updated through the day. The page describes the river — it is not a flood warning. The official flood degree is set by ČHMÚ and the town flood commission, both linked from the tool, along with the 24-hour flood hotline.

Four tools built for the people who live here, not for visitors: the Karta Krumlováka residents'-card companion (what it gets you, who can get one, how to sign up), a festivals calendar that flags resident pricing, an "open for locals" board where residents share where to shop and eat away from the crowds, and a parking & arriving guide.