The Berounka () is a

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

, a left

tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...

of the

Vltava The Vltava ( , ; ) is the longest river in the Czech Republic, a left tributary of the Elbe River. It runs southeast along the Bohemian Forest and then north across Bohemia, through Český Krumlov, České Budějovice, and Prague. It is com ...

River. It flows through the

Plzeň Plzeň (), also known in English and German as Pilsen (), is a city in the Czech Republic. It is the Statutory city (Czech Republic), fourth most populous city in the Czech Republic with about 188,000 inhabitants. It is located about west of P ...

and Central Bohemian regions to

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

. It is formed by the confluence of the Mže and Radbuza rivers in

. Together with the Mže, which is its main source, the Berounka is long, which makes it the fifth longest river in the Czech Republic. Without the Mže, it is long.

Etymology

The river is named after the town of Beroun. Originally, the entire stream was called Mže () and the name first appeared in the 12th century, among others in '' Chronica Boemorum''. The name was written as ''Mse'', ''Msa'' and ''Misa''. From the 17th century, the lower course started to be named Berounka, but the name Mže still appeared as a name for the entire stream at the end of the 19th century. In order to avoid confusion, an initiative to rename the lower course back to the historical name Mže was created in 2008, but its efforts were unsuccessful due to the strongly adopted current name.

Characteristic

From a water management point of view, the Berounka and Mže are two different rivers with separate numbering of river kilometres. In a broader point of view, the Berounka (as Mže) originates in the territory of Mähring in the Upper Palatine Forest at an elevation of and flows to

- Lahovice, where it enters the Vltava River at an elevation of . It is long, of which is in Germany. In the Czech Republic, it is long, which makes it the fifth longest river in the country. Its

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...

has an area of . The name Berounka is used from the confluence of the Mže with the Radbuza in

and from this point to the confluence with the Vltava, the river is long. The Berounka has many significant tributaries. The sources and longest tributaries of the Berounka are:

Settlements

There are several large settlements on the river. The Mže flows through Tachov and

Stříbro Stříbro (; ) is a town in Tachov District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 8,100 inhabitants. The historic town centre with the Renaissance Stříbro bridge is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech ...

. After its confluence with the Radbuza in

, the Berounka flows through Beroun,

Řevnice Řevnice () is a town in Prague-West District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,800 inhabitants. Etymology The name is derived from the personal name Řevna, meaning "the village of Řevna's people". The personal ...

, Dobřichovice, Černošice and along the edge of

Bodies of water

There are 7,502 bodies of water in the basin area; the largest of them is the Hracholusky Reservoir with an area of , built at the confluence of the Mže and the stream Úterský potok. There are no bodies of water built directly on the lower course of the Berounka.

Fauna

The river is home to the mollusc '' Unio pictorum'', which is critically endangered within the Czech Republic. The endemic species '' Bulgarica nitidosa'' lives by the river.

Use

There is an artificial slalom course in Roztoky, on the 63rd river km.

Tourism

The Berounka is considered one of the most beautiful rivers in the country and is among the most popular rivers for river tourism. Almost its entire flow from Plzeň is navigable. It is popular thanks to the sections in the protected landscape areas of Křivoklátsko and Český kras, which lead through unspoiled nature. The Berounka belongs to the undemanding rivers suitable for beginner paddlers. An 82 km long educational trail for paddlers runs along the river.

References

External links

River flow at Beroun station
– Flood Warning and Forecasting Service of the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute {{authority control Rivers of the Central Bohemian Region Rivers of the Plzeň Region Rivers of Prague Rivers of the Czech Republic