The Svatava () 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 ...

and

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. It flows through

Saxony Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...

in Germany and through the

Karlovy Vary Region The Karlovy Vary Region () is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the westernmost part of the country. It is named after its capital Karlovy Vary. It is known for spas, which include Karlovy Vary and Mariánské Lázně. ...

. It is a left tributary of the

Ohře The Ohře (), also known in English and German as Eger (), is a river in Germany and the Czech Republic, a left tributary of the Elbe River. It flows through the Bavarian district of Upper Franconia in Germany, and through the Karlovy Vary Region ...

River. It is long.

Etymology

The name is derived from the Czech word ''svatá'', i.e. 'saint'. The name first appeared in Latin texts from 1181 and 1184 as ''Zuata'' and ''Znata'', but ''Znata'' is considered a typo. The settlements

Svatava Svatava may refer to places: * Svatava (river), a river in the Czech Republic and Germany * Svatava (Sokolov District), a market town in the Czech Republic *Svatava, a village and part of Černovice (Pelhřimov District) in the Czech Republic ...

and Zwota were named after the river.

Characteristic

The Svatava (as Zwota) originates in the territory of

Markneukirchen Markneukirchen () is a town in the Vogtlandkreis district, in Saxony, Germany, close to the Czech Republic, Czech border. It lies in the Elster Mountains (part of the Fichtel Mountains), southeast of Plauen, and northeast of Aš (Czech Republic) ...

in the

Ore Mountains The Ore Mountains (, or ; ) lie along the Czech–German border, separating the historical regions of Bohemia in the Czech Republic and Saxony in Germany. The highest peaks are the Klínovec in the Czech Republic (German: ''Keilberg'') at ab ...

at an elevation of ; however, the Zwotawasser stream, which originates in the territory of Schöneck at an elevation of is usually referred to as the main source of the river. The Svatava then flows to Sokolov, where it merges with the Ohře River at an elevation of . It is long, of which is in the Czech Republic, forms the Czech-German border and is in Germany. 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 , of which is in the Czech Republic. The longest tributaries of the Svatava are:

Course

The river flows through the

, only the last of the river are located in the

Sokolov Basin The Sokolov Basin or Falkenau Basin (; , formerly also ''Falkenau-Elbogen-Karlsbader Becken'') is a structural basin and geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. It is located in the central part of the Karlovy Vary Region. It is named ...

. The most notable settlement on the river is the town of Sokolov. The river flows through the municipal territories of Schöneck (as Zwotawasser) and

Klingenthal Klingenthal is a town in the Vogtland region, in Saxony, south-eastern Germany. Geography Klingenthal is situated directly on the border with the Czech Republic opposite the Czech town of Kraslice. Klingenthal is 29 km southeast of Plauen, ...

in Germany and then continues in the Czech Republic through

Kraslice Kraslice (; ) is a town in Sokolov District in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 6,400 inhabitants. It was a large and important town until World War II. It is known for the manufacture of musical instruments. Administrat ...

Rotava Rotava () is a town in Sokolov District in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,800 inhabitants. Administrative division Rotava consists of two municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Rotava ...

Oloví Oloví () is a town in Sokolov District in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,700 inhabitants. Administrative division Oloví consists of four municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Olov ...

Dolní Nivy Dolní Nivy () is a municipality and village in Sokolov District in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The c ...

Krajková Krajková () is a municipality and village in Sokolov District in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 900 inhabitants. Administrative division Krajková consists of seven municipal parts (in brackets population according t ...

Josefov Josefov (also Jewish Quarter; ) is a town quarter and the smallest cadastral area of Prague, Czech Republic, formerly the Jewish ghetto of the town. It is surrounded by the Old Town. The quarter is often represented by the flag of Prague's Jew ...

and Sokolov.

Bodies of water

There are 196 bodies of water in the basin area, but none of them is notable. The largest of them is the fishpond Přebuz with an area of .

Fauna

The occurrence of 20 species of fish and one species of lamprey was proven in the river; 11 species of fish were observed in the upper course and 17 species in the lower course. Of the endangered species, the most significant is the occurrence of the

brook lamprey The brook lamprey (''Lampetra planeri''), also known as the European brook lamprey and the western brook lamprey is a small European lamprey species that exclusively inhabits freshwater environments. The species is related to, but distinct from, ...

, the

common minnow ''Phoxinus phoxinus'' (known colloquially as the Eurasian minnow, minnow, Channel minnow, or common minnow) is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Leuciscidae, which includes the daces, minnows and related fishes. It i ...

and the

European bullhead The European bullhead (''Cottus gobio'') is a freshwater fish that is widely distributed in Europe, mainly in rivers. It is a member of the family Cottidae, a type of sculpin. It is also known as the miller's thumb, freshwater sculpin, common bu ...

. On the lower course of the Svatava, ide and

burbot The burbot (''Lota lota''), also known as bubbot, mariah, loche, cusk, freshwater cod, freshwater ling, freshwater cusk, the lawyer, coney-fish, lingcod, or eelpout, is a species of coldwater ray-finned fish native to the subarctic regions of ...

also occurred.

Tourism

The Svatava is suitable for river tourism. About of the river is navigable. Although it is a relatively fast river, it is not too difficult for paddlers.

References

External links

River flow at Svatava station
– Flood Warning and Forecasting Service of the

Czech Hydrometeorological Institute The Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (CHMI; ) is the central state office of the Czech Republic in the fields of air quality, meteorology, climatology and hydrology. It is an organization established by the Ministry of the Environment of the Cz ...

{{authority control Rivers of the Karlovy Vary Region Rivers of the Czech Republic Rivers of Saxony Rivers of Germany Vogtland International rivers of Europe Czech Republic–Germany border Border rivers