The Orlice (, ) 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 ...

, with a brief stretch in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

. It is 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

Hradec Králové Region Hradec Králové Region (, ) is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic located in the north-eastern part of the historical region of Bohemia. It is named after its capital Hradec Králové. The region neighbours the Pardubice Region in t ...

. It is formed by the confluence of the

Divoká Orlice The Divoká Orlice (, ) is a river in the Czech Republic and Poland. It flows through Lower Silesian Voivodeship in Poland and through the Hradec Králové and Pardubice regions. It is the upper and middle course of the Orlice, but usually it is c ...

and

Tichá Orlice The Tichá Orlice () is a river in the Czech Republic, the secondary source river of the Orlice River. It flows through the Hradec Králové and Pardubice regions. It is long, making it the 21st longest river in the Czech Republic. Etymology Th ...

rivers. Together with the Divoká Orlice, which is its main source, the Orlice is long, of which is in the Czech Republic, making it the 14th longest river in the country. Without the Divoká Orlice, it is long.

Etymology

The name is derived from the Slavic word ''orel'', i.e. '

eagle Eagle is the common name for the golden eagle, bald eagle, and other birds of prey in the family of the Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of Genus, genera, some of which are closely related. True eagles comprise the genus ''Aquila ( ...

' (literally "female eagle"). The river probably got its name from the abundance of eagles, but it could also have just been the accidental catch of an eagle. The names of its sources, Divoká and Tichá, refer to their character: ''tichá'' means 'quiet' and ''divoká'' means 'wild'. The Divoká Orlice was also called Dravá Orlice (i.e. 'ferocious', 'fierce').

Characteristic

The Orlice is one of the least disturbed watercourses in the Czech Republic and has only three

weir A weir or low-head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the water level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...

s. From a water management point of view, the Orlice, Divoká Orlice and Tichá Orlice are three different rivers with separate numbering of river kilometres. The Orlice itself is formed by the confluence of the Divoká Orlice (which is larger by volume and therefore the main source) and Tichá Orlice (which is longer) in the territory of Žďár nad Orlicí, and is long. In a broader point of view, the Orlice (as Divoká Orlice) originates in the territory of

Szczytna Szczytna () is a town in Kłodzko County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It is the seat of the administrative district (gmina) called Gmina Szczytna, close to the Czech Republic, Czech border. It is located in the historic K ...

in the

Bystrzyckie Mountains The Bystrzyckie Mountains (, , ) are a mountain range in Poland, part of the Central Sudetes The Central Sudetes ( or ''Střední Sudety'', , ) are the central part of the Sudetes mountain range on the border of the Czech Republic and Poland. T ...

, on the slope of the Biesiec mountain at an elevation of and flows to

Hradec Králové Hradec Králové (; ) is a city of the Czech Republic. It has about 94,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Hradec Králové Region. The historic centre of Hradec Králové is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech R ...

, where it enters the Elbe River at an elevation of . It is long, of which is in Poland and the next forms the Czech-Polish border. Including the border, is in the Czech Republic, making it the 14th longest river in the country. The Tichá Orlice is the secondary source of the Orlice. It originates in the territory of Červená Voda in the

Hanušovice Highlands Hanušovice Highlands (, ) are highlands within the Eastern Sudetes mountain range that runs between Poland and the Czech Republic. It is named after Hanušovice town. The area is 793 km² and its average elevation is 527.2 meters. The hig ...

and is located exclusively in the Czech Republic. It has less volume than Divoká Orlice but it is the longer source. Taking into account the Tichá Orlice, the total length of the Orlice would be . The

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, ...

of the Orlice has an area of , of which is in the Czech Republic. The sources and longest tributaries of the Orlice are:

Settlements

The river flows through the municipal territories of Albrechtice nad Orlicí,

Týniště nad Orlicí Týniště nad Orlicí () is a town in Rychnov nad Kněžnou District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 6,300 inhabitants. Administrative division Týniště nad Orlicí consists of six municipal parts (in brackets ...

, Petrovice,

Třebechovice pod Orebem Třebechovice pod Orebem () is a town in Hradec Králové District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,900 inhabitants. Třebechovice pod Orebem is best known for the Museum of Nativity Scenes. Administrative divi ...

, Běleč nad Orlicí, Blešno and

Bodies of water

There are no reservoirs and fishponds built on the Orlice. There are 1,534 bodies of water in the basin area. The largest of them is the fishpond Hvězda with an area of . The second largest is Pastviny I Reservoir with an area of , built on the Divoká Orlice. The area around the river is rich in

oxbow lake An oxbow lake is a U-shaped lake or stream pool, pool that forms when a wide meander of a river is meander cutoff, cut off, creating a free-standing body of water. The word "oxbow" can also refer to a U-shaped bend in a river or stream, whether ...

Tourism

The Orlice is suitable for river tourism and belongs to the rivers suitable for less experienced paddlers. The river has enough water throughout the year.

Notes

References

External links

River flow at Týniště nad Orlicí 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 Hradec Králové Region Rivers of the Czech Republic