Bělá (Divoká Orlice)

Bělá
The Bělá in Častolovice
Map
Location
CountryCzech Republic
RegionHradec Králové
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationSedloňov, Orlické Mountains
 • elevation1,048 m (3,438 ft)
Mouth 
 • location
Divoká Orlice
 • coordinates
50°7′20″N 16°10′18″E / 50.12222°N 16.17167°E / 50.12222; 16.17167
 • elevation
260 m (850 ft)
Length40.6 km (25.2 mi)
Basin size215.0 km2 (83.0 sq mi)
Discharge 
 • average2.39 m3/s (84 cu ft/s) near estuary
Basin features
ProgressionDivoká Orlice→ Orlice→ Elbe→ North Sea

The Bělá is a river in the Czech Republic, a right tributary of the Divoká Orlice River. It flows through the Hradec Králové Region. It is 40.6 km (25.2 mi) long.

Etymology

Bělá is a common Czech name of watercourses, derived from the Czech word bílá (i.e. 'white'). Names of rivers with this colour in the name often referred to the stony or pebbly nature of the river bed.[1]

Characteristic

The Bělá in Kvasiny

The Bělá originates in the territory of Sedloňov in the Orlické Mountains below the mountain Velká Deštná at an elevation of 1,048 m (3,438 ft) and flows to Častolovice, where it enters the Divoká Orlice River at an elevation of 260 m (850 ft). It is 40.6 km (25.2 mi) long. Its drainage basin has an area of 215.0 km2 (83.0 sq mi).[2] The average discharge at its mouth is 2.39 m3/s.[3]

The longest tributaries of the Bělá are:[4]

Tributary Length (km) River km Side
Kněžná 26.7 2.7 left
Lokotský potok 8.7 3.7 left
Štědrý potok 8.6 1.3 left

Course

The river flows through the municipal territories of Sedloňov, Deštné v Orlických horách, Liberk, Osečnice, Skuhrov nad Bělou, Kvasiny, Solnice, Černíkovice, Třebešov, Lično, Hřibiny-Ledská, Libel, Synkov-Slemeno and Častolovice.

Bodies of water

There are 122 bodies of water in the basin area. The largest of them is the fishpond Černíkovický rybník with an area of 43 ha (110 acres), built on the Chobot Brook.[2]

Canals

About 1 km before the mouth, the river divides and part of the water continues through the Alba Canal. It is a 17.4 km (10.8 mi) long canal, connecting the Bělá with the Dědina River. The canal was gradually built from the end of the 14th century until 1550. It used to feed a system of fishponds, which no longer exist today. It is a historically important example of landscape modifications in the Middle Ages, which is protected as a cultural monument.[5]

A cultural and technical monument is also the canal Dlouhá strouha, located in Kvasiny. It was built at the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries to power the large Černíkovice mill. The upper part of the canal was also used to supply several factories with water.[6]

References

  1. ^ Šmilauer, Vladimír. "O původu názvů českých řek". Naše řeč (in Czech). Institute of the Czech Language. Retrieved 2024-10-18.
  2. ^ a b "Základní charakteristiky toku Bělá a jeho povodí" (in Czech). T. G. Masaryk Water Research Institute. Retrieved 2023-10-05.
  3. ^ "Evidenční list operativního profilu: Bělá" (in Czech). Czech Hydrometeorological Institute. Retrieved 2024-10-18.
  4. ^ "Vodní toky". Evidence hlásných profilů (in Czech). Czech Hydrometeorological Institute. Retrieved 2024-10-18.
  5. ^ "Vodní kanál zv. Struha nebo Alba" (in Czech). National Heritage Institute. Retrieved 2024-10-18.
  6. ^ "Vodní kanál napájecí – Dlouhá strouha" (in Czech). National Heritage Institute. Retrieved 2024-10-18.
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