In August of 2002 a 100-year flood caused by over a week of continuous heavy rains ravaged Europe, killing dozens, dispossessing thousands, and causing damages of billions of dollars in the Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Romania and Croatia. 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A one-hundred year flood is calculated to be the maximum level of flood water to be expected in an average one-hundred-year period. ... World map showing location of Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. ... National motto: Truth prevails (Czech: Pravda vítězí) Official language Czech Capital Praha (Prague) President Václav Klaus Prime Minister Jiří Paroubek Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 114th 78,866 km² 2% Population  - Total (2003)  - Density Ranked 76th 10. ... The Republic of Austria (German: Republik Österreich) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. ... The Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland) is one of the worlds leading industrialised countries, located in the heart of Europe. ... National motto: None Official language Slovak Capital Bratislava President Ivan Gašparovič Prime Minister Mikuláš Dzurinda Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 126th 49,035 km² Negligible Population  - Total (2004)  - Density Ranked 103rd 5,379,455 109/km² Independence January 1, 1993 (division of Czechoslovakia) Currency Slovak koruna Time zone  - in summer CET... The Republic of Poland, a democratic country with a population of 38,626,349 and area of 312,685 km², is located in Central Europe, between Germany to the west, the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south, Ukraine and Belarus to the east, and the Baltic Sea, Lithuania and... The Republic of Hungary (Magyar Köztársaság) or Hungary (Magyarország) is a landlocked country in Central Europe, bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia. ... Romania (formerly spelled Rumania or Roumania; Romanian: România) is a country in southeastern Europe. ... The Republic of Croatia is a crescent-shaped country in Europe bordering the Mediterranean, Central Europe and the Balkans. ...

Development of the floods

The floods first started with heavy rainfall in the Eastern Alps, which resulted in floods in Northern Italy, Bavaria and the Austrian states of Salzburg and Upper Austria. The floods gradually moved eastwards along the Danube, although the damages in the large cities on its shores were not as severe as in the areas affected by the floods later. In some cases, damages were averted by good flood defense systems (for example, there were virtually no damages in Vienna in spite of a record water level of the Danube). The Alps is the collective name for one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria in the east, Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany, through to France in the west. ... The Italian Republic or Italy (Italian: Repubblica Italiana or Italia) is a country in southern Europe. ... With an area of 70,553 km² and 12. ... Since Austria is a federal republic according to the constitutional framework of Austrian politics, Austrias nine provinces are customarily referred to as States of Austria or Bundesländer, singular Bundesland. ... Salzburg (area 7154 sq. ... Upper Austria (Ober sterreich) is one of the nine federal states or Bundesl nder of Austria. ... For other uses of Danube, see Danube (disambiguation). ... This article is about the city and federal state in Austria. ...

When the rainfall moved northeast to the Bohemian Forest and to the source areas of the Elbe and Vltava rivers, the result were catostrophic water levels first in the Austrian areas of Mühlviertel and Waldviertel and later in the Czech Republic, Thuringia and Saxony. Rivers changed their courses in unexpected ways, which caught residents off guard. Several villages in Northern Bohemia, Thuringia and Saxony were more or less destroyed by rivers changing their courses. The Šumava is a low mountain range in Central Europe. ... The Elbe River (Czech Labe, Sorbian/Lusatian Łobjo, Polish Łaba, German Elbe) is one of the major waterways of central Europe. ... The Vltava (German: Moldau) is the longest river in the Czech Republic, draining north from its source in Šumava through Český Krumlov, České Budějovice and Prague, merging with the Elbe (Labe) at Mělník. ... The Free State of Thuringia (German Freistaat Thüringen) lies in central Germany and is among the smaller of the countrys sixteen Bundesländer (federal states), with an area of 16,200 sq. ... With an area of 18,400 sq. ... Bohemia is also a place in the State of United States of America: see Bohemia, New York. ...

The two large cities that were most severely hit were Dresden and Prague, in both of which large parts of the old town were under water and numerous historic buildings were damaged. The Prague Subway system was affected by water entering the tunnels. Brühls Terrace and the Frauenkirche Dresden [ˈdreːsdn̩] (Sorbian/Lusatian Drježdźany), the capital city of the German federal state of Saxony, is situated in a valley on the river Elbe. ... Prague (Praha in Czech) is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. ... The Prague metro is an underground public transport network in Prague, Czech Republic. ...

External Links

• Flood damage at the Jewish Museum in Prague (http://www.jewishmuseum.cz/en/aflood.htm)
• Flood damage at the Prague City Gallery (http://www.citygalleryprague.cz/english/en_info/eninfozt.html)