The Chrudimka 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

Elbe The Elbe ( ; ; or ''Elv''; Upper Sorbian, Upper and , ) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Republic), then Ge ...

River. It flows through the

Pardubice Region Pardubice Region () is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located mainly in the eastern part of its historical region of Bohemia, with a small part in northwestern Moravia. It is named after its capital Pardubice. As an administrat ...

. It is long, making it the 18th longest river in the Czech Republic.

Etymology

The river is named after the town of

Chrudim Chrudim () is a town in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 24,000 inhabitants. It is the second largest town of the region. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#M ...

Characteristic

The Chrudimka originates in

Krouna Krouna is a municipality and village in Chrudim District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,400 inhabitants. Administrative division Krouna consists of six municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 ce ...

in the

Iron Mountains The Iron Mountains are a subrange of the Blue Ridge Mountains. These mountains are located around the common meeting point of Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina. A portion of the Appalachian Trail runs the crest of the Iron Mountains ab ...

at the elevation of and flows to

Pardubice Pardubice (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 92,000 inhabitants. It is the capital city of the Pardubice Region and lies on the Elbe River. The historic centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Repub ...

, where it enters the Elbe River at the elevation of . It is long, making it the 18th longest river in the Czech Republic. 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 Chrudimka are:

Course

The most notable settlement on the river and the final destination before it enters the Elbe is the city of

. The river flows through the municipal territories of

, Kameničky, Hamry,

Hlinsko Hlinsko () is a town in Chrudim District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 9,600 inhabitants. The local part of Betlém is well preserved example of folk architecture and is protected as a Cultural monument (Czech Republi ...

, Vítanov, Vysočina, Trhová Kamenice, Horní Bradlo, Seč, Bojanov, Libkov, České Lhotice, Svídnice,

Slatiňany Slatiňany () is a town in Chrudim District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 4,200 inhabitants. Administrative division Slatiňany consists of five municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): ...

, Tuněchody, Úhřetice, Úhřetická Lhota and Pardubice.

Bodies of water

There are several reservoirs built on the Chrudimka: Hamry, Seč, Seč II, Křižanovice I and Křižanovice II. The largest body of water in the basin area is the Seč Reservoir with an area of . Its purpose is primarily flood protection, but it is also used for recreation,

hydropower Hydropower (from Ancient Greek -, "water"), also known as water power or water energy, is the use of falling or fast-running water to Electricity generation, produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by energy transformation, ...

generation and water retention in the dry season. There are 83 bodies of water larger than 1 ha in the basin area.

Fauna

The fauna in the river and its immediate surroundings is represented by

edible frog The edible frog (''Pelophylax'' kl. ''esculentus'') is a hybrid species of common European frog, also known as the common water frog or green frog (however, this latter term is also used for the North American species ''Rana clamitans''). It ...

common toad The common toad, European toad, or in Anglophone parts of Europe, simply the toad (''Bufo bufo'', from Latin ''bufo'' "toad"), is a toad found throughout most of Europe (with the exception of Ireland, Iceland, parts of Scandinavia, and some List ...

northern pike The northern pike (''Esox lucius'') is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus ''Esox'' (pikes). They are commonly found in brackish water, moderately salty and fresh waters of the Northern Hemisphere (''i.e.'' holarctic in distribution). T ...

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 ...

common kingfisher The common kingfisher (''Alcedo atthis''), also known as the Eurasian kingfisher and river kingfisher, is a small kingfisher with seven subspecies recognized within its wide distribution across Eurasia and North Africa. It is resident in much of ...

European 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 ...

and European crayfish.

Economy

Before the Křižanovice II Reservoir there is Práčov, the largest hydroelectric power station in the

Tourism

Along the course of the river from its source to Chrudim there is an educational trail called ''Krajem Chrudimky'' ("through Chrudimka's region"), which is long. The Chrudimka is suitable for river tourism. It belongs to the undemanding rivers suitable for beginner paddlers.

References

External links

River flow at Nemošice 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 Pardubice Region Rivers of the Czech Republic