The Tichá 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 ...

, the secondary source river of the Orlice River. It flows through the

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 ...

and

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 ...

regions. It is long, making it the 21st longest river in the Czech Republic.

Etymology

The name Orlice 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 attribute ''tichá'' means 'silent' and refers to its character (compared to

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 ...

, i.e. "wild Orlice").

Characteristic

The Tichá Orlice 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 ...

at an elevation of and flows to Žďár nad Orlicí, where it merges with the

at an elevation of and together they form the Orlice. It is long, making it the 21st 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 Tichá Orlice are:

Course

The largest town on the river is

Ústí nad Orlicí Ústí nad Orlicí (; ) is a town in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 14,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument zones, urban monument z ...

. The river flows through the municipal territories of Červená Voda, Králíky, Lichkov, Mladkov,

Těchonín Těchonín () is a municipality and village in Ústí nad Orlicí District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe ...

, Sobkovice, Jamné nad Orlicí, Jablonné nad Orlicí, Mistrovice, Verměřovice, Letohrad,

Dolní Dobrouč Dolní Dobrouč () is a municipality and village in Ústí nad Orlicí District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,600 inhabitants. Administrative division Dolní Dobrouč consists of three municipal parts (in brackets p ...

, Ústí nad Orlicí, Hrádek,

Orlické Podhůří Orlické Podhůří is a municipality in the Ústí nad Orlicí District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 700 inhabitants. Orlické Podhůří lies approximately north-west of Ústí nad Orlicí, east of Pardubice, and ...

Sudislav nad Orlicí Sudislav nad Orlicí is a municipality and village in Ústí nad Orlicí District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 100 inhabitants. Sudislav nad Orlicí lies approximately west of Ústí nad Orlicí, east of Pardubice, ...

Brandýs nad Orlicí Brandýs nad Orlicí (; ) is a town in Ústí nad Orlicí District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,300 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone. Etymology Acc ...

Zářecká Lhota Zářecká Lhota is a municipality and village in Ústí nad Orlicí District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 200 inhabitants. Zářecká Lhota lies approximately west of Ústí nad Orlicí, east of Pardubice, and e ...

Choceň Choceň (; ) is a town in Ústí nad Orlicí District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 8,600 inhabitants. Administrative division Choceň consists of seven municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 c ...

Újezd u Chocně Újezd u Chocně () is a municipality and village in Ústí nad Orlicí District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 300 inhabitants. Újezd u Chocně lies approximately west of Ústí nad Orlicí, east of Pardubice, and ...

, Čermná nad Orlicí, Borohrádek and Žďár nad Orlicí.

Bodies of water

There are 557 bodies of water in the basin area. The largest of them is the Hvězda fishpond with an area of , built on the Třebovka.

Fauna

The entire course of the river is protected as a

Special Area of Conservation A special area of conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and ap ...

for the abundant occurrence of the

European river lamprey The European river lamprey (''Lampetra fluviatilis''), also known as the river lamprey or lampern, is a species of freshwater lamprey. Description Adult river lampreys measure from in the marine forms and up to in the lake forms. The very elonga ...

Tourism

The Tichá Orlice is suitable for river tourism, but the upper course is suitable only for experienced paddlers. The lower course is popular because of its year-round navigability.

References

External links

River flow at Čermná 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 ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ticha Orlice Rivers of the Hradec Králové Region Rivers of the Pardubice Region Rivers of the Czech Republic