Paradoxically, the flood did not help the island Štvanice much. On 8th and 9th August, when the Vltava started raising, nobody imagined that the whole island would soon be under water. It is true that the Municipal Police monitored Štvanice, but it was not due to the flood. The Flood Committee of Prague 7 had asked them to do so, because they were afraid that an illegal techno party would take place on the island. However Milan Steigerwald of the committee expressed a belief there would hardly be a problem in Štvanice. 600 cubic metres per second flew through Prague at that time (the normal state is 140 cubic metres per second).
Everything changed on 14th August. Evacuation boats cruised in Karlin and the tennis courts on Štvanice looked like swimming pools. Water was everywhere. Tennis players got back to Štvanice four days later. The flood did not destroy the building, yet all the equipment was covered in mud. It had been a long time since water last got to Štvanice. The clay surface, which was the pride of the courts, took long to be removed, as at its peak, the water reached up to the sixth row of the amphitheatre. Everybody helped, even volunteers. By the end of August, they managed to clear everything. Thus the reconstruction could start and it took nine months. It was not until the end of May 2003 that the tennis courts in Štvanice could again serve their purpose.
Tennis players in new environment
Brand new offices, changing rooms and courts were constructed, the hall under the stands was reconstructed, accommodation for representatives was built. The physiotheraphy and regeneration has a bigger swimming pool with a jacuzzi, sauna, steam room and a relaxation hall. Five years before the flood, Kaderka, the head of the Tennis Association had taken out an insurance policy for one hundred million CZK, which enabled the renovation of the courts.
The flood solved a long-lasting problem. Originally, Štvanice was under Ist CLTK, one of the oldest tennis clubs in the Czech Republic. After the new grounds had been built, nobody paid any attention to this fact. In the end, the Tennis Association and the Ist CLTK agreed, that the association would manage the central tennis court, the hall and the offices and Ist CLTK would manage the outdoor courts and their base. The Tennis Association was so enthusiastic, that it said that they would like to expand beyond Negrelli’s Viaduct and build new courts there as well. The association also talk about providing the central court with a roof.
The year when the tennis grounds were reopened are remembered as the year of dryness. This was mostly seen on Karlin‘s side of the island, where there is never enough water. It was possible to catch fish with hands or right into a landing net. Štvanice also become the setting for another after flood event. A delegation from the theatre Archa came to the island with a Japanese dancer Min Tanaka, who was also at the opening of Archa in 1994 and who poured the last drops of flood water that had settled in the theatre into the Vltava.
Skateboarders and ice-hockey players did well
Water also flooded a skateboard park just a few metres away from the tennis courts. It flooded the streetstyle part and a U-ramp. What was made of metal resisted, which was wooden floated away. Tomas Znamenacek, representative of the Czech Skateboard Cup tried hard to save the new mobile roof and he managed.
In Octobre 1997, ApeX CLUB o.s. started to manage the oldest winter stadium in Europe following the decision of the Prague City Assembly. It renewed the operation of the stadium and it is very likely, that without the club, the stadium would be no longer there. However, the people from the club started saving the stadium immediately after the flood. It was a lot of work, as the framework had been said to be in a very bad condition even before the flood, yet it survived the flood without a problem.
The full operation of the stadium started in November 2002. Contrary to many other sports clubs the ApeX CLUB managed without any outside contributions or help. The civic association itself financed all the expenses for the reconstruction of the machine room and the stadium buildings in the amount of 20 million CZK. At present, the stadium serves to train hockey youth and it is backed up by an excellent tradition and maybe even by the monument preservation authorities.