The Zdobnice () 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

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 ...

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 long.

Etymology

The oldest written record of the river is from 1356, when the name was written as ''Wrobnitz''. One theory says that the name is of Czech origin and is derived from the old Czech word ''zdobný'', meaning 'good', 'suitable'. According to other theory, the name could be derived from the

Old Prussian Old Prussian is an extinct West Baltic language belonging to the Baltic branch of the Indo-European languages, which was once spoken by the Old Prussians, the Baltic peoples of the Prussian region. The language is called Old Prussian to av ...

word ''stabis'', which meant 'stone'. The village of Zdobnice was named after the river.

Characteristic

The Zdobnice originates in the territory of

Liberk Liberk is a municipality and village in Rychnov nad Kněžnou District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 700 inhabitants. It is known for the wooden Church of Saints Peter and Paul, which is protected as a national ...

in the

Orlické Mountains The Orlické Mountains (, , ) or Eagle Mountains are a mountain range located mainly in northeastern Bohemia in the Czech Republic. It is a mesoregion of the Central Sudetes. They follow the border with Kłodzko Land in Poland Poland, of ...

below the mountain

Velká Deštná Velká Deštná () is a mountain in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. With an elevation of , it is the highest mountain of the Orlické Mountains and of the whole Central Sudetes range. There is an observation tower on top of the ...

at an elevation of and flows to

Doudleby nad Orlicí Doudleby nad Orlicí () is a market town in Rychnov nad Kněžnou District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,800 inhabitants. Administrative division Doudleby nad Orlicí consists of two municipal parts (in brack ...

, where it enters the Divoká Orlice 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 average discharge at its mouth is 1.87 m3/s. The longest tributaries of the Zdobnice are:

Course

The most populated settlement on the river is the town of

Vamberk Vamberk (; ) is a town in Rychnov nad Kněžnou District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 4,600 inhabitants. Administrative division Vamberk consists of three municipal parts (in brackets population according to ...

. The river flows through the municipal territories of

, Zdobnice, Rokytnice v Orlických horách, Pěčín,

Javornice Javornice is a municipality and village in Rychnov nad Kněžnou District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central ...

Slatina nad Zdobnicí Slatina nad Zdobnicí is a municipality and village in Rychnov nad Kněžnou District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked countr ...

Jahodov Jahodov is a municipality and village in Rychnov nad Kněžnou District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Eu ...

, Rybná nad Zdobnicí, Vamberk and

Bodies of water

There are no fishponds and reservoirs built directly on the Zdobnice. However, the river feed two small fishponds near Vamberk-Peklo. The construction of the Pěčín Reservoir near the village of the same name was planned in the 2010s. It was supposed to provide drinking water in times of its deficiency. Due to the resistance of municipalities and environmental activists and due to the insufficiently proven need for this construction, it was decided in 2018 to end preparations for construction.

Tourism

The Zdobnice is suitable for river tourism, but only after heavy rains or melting snow. About of the river is navigable.

References

External links

River flow at Slatina nad Zdobnicí 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