July 1432 and August 2002—two millennial floods in Bohemia?

Abstract

This paper describes an enormous flood that occurred in Bohemia in August 2002, which is considered to be one of the most disastrous to take place in the past 1000 years. Data on the catastrophic flood of July 1432 are also presented, derived from documentary records. The two floods are compared and analysed with respect to other heavy floods in Bohemia from the viewpoint of epigraphic and further documentary sources for the Vltava in Prague (water levels with respect to the relief of Bradáč, the “Bearded Man”) and for the Elbe at Děčn (flood marks cut into Castle Rock). Documentary evidence thus makes it possible to compile a chronology of the heaviest floods in Bohemia since the 12th century. However, the summer rain floods of July 1432 and August 2002 stand out as the greatest, while the case of September 1118 must be ranked near them. The concentration of four disastrous winter floods in the years 1784–1862 is also worthy of note, because it corresponds to the last stage of the Little Ice Age.