The Blanice (, ''Flanitz'') 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 right

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 Otava River. It flows through the

South Bohemian Region The South Bohemian Region () is an administrative unit (''Regions of the Czech Republic, kraj'') of the Czech Republic, located mostly in the southern part of its historical land of Bohemia, with a small part in southwestern Moravia. The western ...

. It is long.

Etymology

The name is derived from the old Czech word ''blan'', which meant 'meadow'. The name referred to the character of the territory through which it flows. The river is sometimes called Vodňanská Blanice to distinguish it from the eponymous tributary of the Sázava.

Characteristic

The Blanice originates in the territory of the

Boletice Military Training Area Boletice Military Training Area () is a military training area in Český Krumlov District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. Half of the military area is located in the Bohemian Forest range. Geography Boletice Military Training ...

in the

Bohemian Forest The Bohemian Forest, known in Czech as () and in German as , is a low mountain range in Central Europe. Geographically, the mountains extend from Plzeň Region and the South Bohemian Region in the Czech Republic to Austria and Bavaria in Germ ...

at an elevation of and flows to

Putim Putim is a municipality and village in Písek District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 600 inhabitants. The village centre is well preserved and is protected as a village monument zone. Etymology The name is deri ...

, where it enters the Otava River at an elevation of . It is long. 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 longest tributaries of the Blanice are:

Course

The most notable settlement on the Blanice is the town of

Vodňany Vodňany (; ) is a town in Strakonice District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 7,400 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument zones, ...

. The river flows through the

and through the municipal territories of Zbytiny,

Volary Volary (; ) is a town in Prachatice District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,700 inhabitants. It is located in the Bohemian Forest, close to the border with Germany. An area in the northern part of the town with t ...

, Záblatí, Kratušín, Zábrdí, Dvory,

Prachatice Prachatice (; ) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 11,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument reservations, urban monumen ...

, Husinec, Těšovice,

Strunkovice nad Blanicí Strunkovice nad Blanicí is a market town in Prachatice District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,300 inhabitants. Administrative division Strunkovice nad Blanicí consists of eight municipal parts (in brackets po ...

Bavorov Bavorov () is a town in Strakonice District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,700 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument zones, ur ...

, Hájek, Vodňany,

Protivín Protivín () is a town in Písek District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 4,800 inhabitants. Administrative division Protivín consists of nine municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): ...

, Skály, Heřmaň and

Bodies of water

There are 419 bodies of water larger than 1 ha in the basin area. The largest of them is the fishpond Dřemlínský with an area of . The only body of water built directly on the Blanice is the Husinec Reservoir. It was built in 1935–1939 for flood protection. It has an area of 61 ha.

Nature

The Blanice is known for its abundance of the

freshwater pearl mussel The freshwater pearl mussel (''Margaritifera margaritifera'') is an endangered species of freshwater mussel, an Aquatic animal, aquatic bivalve mollusc in the family Margaritiferidae. Although the name "freshwater pearl mussel" is often used fo ...

, which is critically endangered within the Czech Republic. Around 1990, the number of individuals in the river was estimated at 114 thousand. Due to a very severe winter in 1990, due to the pollution of the river in 1992 and due to the

2002 European floods In August 2002, a week of intense rainfall produced flooding across a large portion of Europe. It reached the Czech Republic, Italy, Spain, Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Ukraine and Russia. The event killed 2 ...

, their number dropped to 7,500 in 2016. To increase the number of freshwater pearl mussel above 10,000, a project of experts is underway in the 2020s. On the upper course of the river, there are two national nature monuments that protect the riverbed and its surroundings. Blanice National Nature Monument has an area of and the adjoining Prameniště Blanice National Nature Monument has an area of . The subject of protection in these areas is primarily the biotope and the population of freshwater pearl mussels. The valley of the river in the territory of Záblatí is protected as Kaňon Blanice Nature Reserve with an area of . The subject of protection is, among other things, the occurrence of freshwater pearl mussels,

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 ...

s and

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, ...

s in the river. The riverbed between Záblatí and Dvory is protected as Blanice Nature Monument with an area of . In addition to freshwater pearl mussels, the protected species European bullhead, brook lamprey,

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

Eurasian otter The Eurasian otter (''Lutra lutra''), also known as the European otter, Eurasian river otter, European river otter, common otter, and Old World otter, is a semiaquatic mammal native to Eurasia and the Maghreb. The most widely distributed member o ...

are found here.

Tourism

The Blanice is suitable for river tourism. About of the river is navigable. The most popular is the section between Husinec and

, where rowing races and rafting are organized.

References

External links

River flow at Heřmaň 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 South Bohemian Region Rivers of the Czech Republic