Of all the rivers in the Czech Republic, the Vltava is the longest one of all. Its main stream has its source at the southeast side of the Cerna mountain and its all downhill from there! The section of the Vltava river that begins at Kvilda is known as "Tepla" Vltava which means "warm" and it has its confluence with the Studená Vltava near a small town known as Chlum. There is another part of the river known as "Studena" Vltava which means "cold" and it has its source in Austria. In addition to the interesting sources of the Vltava river, there are also large peat-bogs at the upper end of the river. The valley is very thin and it gets wider over a gradual period except for a short section above the town of Horni Vltavice. The relatively small descent that happens over a gradual period causes the river to meander and thereby gives this area the name of "Heart of the Vltava". In another section it regains the look of a mountain stream as it flows through a deep and narrow area with a very rocky river bottom. When the river finally empties into the Ceske Budejovice basin, the bed is still relatively deep and narrow. The Vltava has been the birthplace of many settlements and it is a rich part of the Czech peoples heritage.