The Kupa () or Kolpa ( or ; from in

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

times; ) river, a right tributary of the

Sava The Sava, is a river in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, a right-bank and the longest tributary of the Danube. From its source in Slovenia it flows through Croatia and along its border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and finally reac ...

, forms a natural border between north-west

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

and southeast

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

. It is long, with a length of serving as the border between Croatia and Slovenia and the rest located in Croatia.

Etymology

The name ''Colapis'', recorded in antiquity, is presumed to have come from the

Proto-Indo-European Proto-Indo-European (PIE) is the reconstructed common ancestor of the Indo-European language family. No direct record of Proto-Indo-European exists; its proposed features have been derived by linguistic reconstruction from documented Indo-Euro ...

roots ''*quel-'' 'turn, meander' and ''*ap-'' 'water', meaning 'meandering water'. An alternative interpretation is ''*(s)kel-''/''*skul-'' 'shiny, bright', meaning 'clear river'.

Course

The Kupa originates in Croatia in the mountainous region of

Gorski Kotar Gorski Kotar () is the mountainous region in Croatia between Karlovac and Rijeka. Because 63% of its surface is forested it is popularly called ''the green lungs of Croatia'' or ''Croatian Switzerland''. The European route E65, which connects B ...

, northeast of

Rijeka Rijeka (; Fiume ( �fjuːme in Italian and in Fiuman dialect, Fiuman Venetian) is the principal seaport and the List of cities and towns in Croatia, third-largest city in Croatia. It is located in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County on Kvarner Ba ...

, in the area of Risnjak National Park. It flows a few kilometers eastwards, receives the small Čabranka River from the left, before reaching the Slovenian border. It then continues eastwards between the

White Carniola White Carniola (; ; or ''Weiße Mark'') is a traditional region in southeastern Slovenia on the border with Croatia. Due to its smallness, it is often considered a subunit of the broader Lower Carniola region, although with distinctive cultural, l ...

region in the north and

Central Croatia In contemporary geography, the terms Central Croatia () and Mountainous Croatia () are used to describe most of the area sometimes historically known as Croatia or Croatia proper (), one of the four historical regions of the Republic of Cro ...

in the south. The Kupa receives influx from the river

Lahinja The Lahinja is a river in White Carniola, the extreme southeastern part of Slovenia. It is long and originates from several karst springs at the end of a steephead valley between the villages of Knežina, Belčji Vrh, and Mali Nerajec. In ...

from the left in

Primostek Primostek () is a village in the Municipality of Metlika in the White Carniola area of southeastern Slovenia. It lies on the right bank of the Lahinja, Lahinja River, close to its confluence with the Kupa (river), Kolpa River, next to the border w ...

, passes Vrbovsko, and eventually detaches from the Slovenian border having passed Metlika. It then reaches the city of

Karlovac Karlovac () is a city in central Croatia. In the 2021 census, its population was 49,377. Karlovac is the administrative centre of Karlovac County. The city is located southwest of Zagreb and northeast of Rijeka, and is connected to them via the ...

, where it receives influx from two other rivers from the right, Dobra and

Korana The Korana is a river in central Croatia and west Bosnia and Herzegovina. The river has a total length of and watershed area of . The river's name is derived from Proto-Indo-European ''*karr-'' 'rock'. It was recorded in the 13th century as ''Co ...

(which in turn is joined by

Mrežnica The Mrežnica () is a river in Karlovac County, Croatia. It is long and its basin covers an area of . Mrežnica is considered special due to its large number of waterfalls, totalling 93. It rises in Kordun, west of Slunj, and flows northwards, ...

). The Kupa continues flowing to the east, where it merges with Glina from the right, it then passes through two small towns called Šišinec and Brkiševina, and then proceeds to the town of

Sisak Sisak (; also known by other alternative names) is a city in central Croatia, spanning the confluence of the Kupa, Sava and Odra rivers, southeast of the Croatian capital Zagreb, and is usually considered to be where the Posavina (Sava basin ...

where it merges with Odra from the left and, after passing through Sisak town centre, flows into the Sava River.

Pollution

Fairly unpolluted downstream to Karlovac, the upper Kupa is a popular place for bathing in summer. The section from Stari Trg down to

Fučkovci Fučkovci () is a settlement on the terrace above the left bank of the Kolpa River in the Municipality of Črnomelj in the White Carniola area of southeastern Slovenia, next to the border with Croatia. The area is part of the traditional region o ...

since 2006 is part of the Slovenian Krajinski park Kolpa nature reserve. The hydrological parameters of the Kupa are regularly monitored at

Radenci Radenci (; ) is a town on the right bank of the Mura River in the Mura Statistical Region of northeastern Slovenia. It is a well-known spa town and was first mentioned in written documents dating back to 1436. After 1833, when a new source of min ...

Kamanje Kamanje is a village and a municipality in Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary t ...

, Jamnička Kiselica and Farkašić.

History

In 1899, the notary of Brod, M. Pavelić, set out to excavate an easier path down to the source of the Kupa.

Gallery

Izvor rijeke Kupe.jpg, Main spring. Izvor Kupe (9).jpg, Source canyon. Valley of Kolpa river (49511580216).jpg, From ''Sodevska stena''. Kupa-lauf.JPG, At

Ozalj Ozalj is a town in central Croatia, located north of Karlovac and southwest of Jastrebarsko, on the Kupa River. It is close to Žumberak/Gorjanci, Žumberak in the north and the border with Slovenia in the northwest, with Metlika being the close ...

. Kupa River from Šišinec .jpg, In Šišinec.

References

Sources

External links

source of Kupa picturesAwarded "EDEN - European Destinations of Excellence" non traditional tourist destination 2010
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kupa (River) Rivers of Croatia Rivers of White Carniola International rivers of Europe Croatia–Slovenia border Border rivers Natura 2000 in Slovenia Landforms of Karlovac County

Etymology

Course

Pollution

History

Gallery

See also

References

Sources

Further reading

Biology

Ecology

Geology

External links