Svitavka

For the market town in the South Moravian Region, see Svitávka.

Svitavka Zwittebach
The Svitavka in Zákupy
Location
Countries	Czech Republic Germany
Region/ State	Liberec Saxony
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Jonsdorf, Lusatian Mountains
• elevation	586 m (1,923 ft)
Mouth
• location	Ploučnice
• coordinates	50°39′36″N 14°37′31″E
• elevation	254 m (833 ft)
Length	37.1 km (23.1 mi)
Basin size	132.5 km^2 (51.2 sq mi)
Discharge
• average	1.16 m^3/s (41 cu ft/s) near estuary
Basin features
Progression	Ploučnice→ Elbe→ North Sea

The Svitavka (also called Svitávka; German: Zwittebach) is a river in the Czech Republic and Germany, a right tributary of the Ploučnice. It flows mostly through the Liberec Region in the Czech Republic and briefly also through Saxony in Germany, where it originates. It is 37.1 km (23.1 mi) long.

Etymology

The name referred to the clear water of the river and was derived from svítat, which meant "[be] clear" in Old Czech. Svitavka/Svitávka is a diminutive form of Svitava (a village, which is today part of Cvikov).[1] The river was called Svitávka until the 1990s, when it was oficially renamed Svitavka, but it is still often called Svitávka.

Characteristic

The Svitavka originates in the territory of Jonsdorf in the Lusatian Mountains at an elevation of 586 m (1,923 ft) and flows to Česká Lípa-Vlčí Důl, where it merges with the Ploučnice River at an elevation of 254 m (833 ft). It is 37.1 km (23.1 mi) long, of which 36.3 km (22.6 mi) is in the Czech Republic.[2] Its drainage basin has an area of 132.5 km^2 (51.2 sq mi).

The longest tributaries of the Svitavka are:[2]

Tributary	Length (km)	Side
Boberský potok	11.9	right
Hamerský potok	9.2	right

Course

The Svitavka originates in Jonsdorf in Germany and then continues in the Czech Republic through the territories of Mařenice, Krompach, Kunratice u Cvikova, Cvikov, Velenice, Zákupy and Česká Lípa.

Nature

The upper course of the Svitavka is located in the protected landscape area of Lužické hory. The mouth of the river is located in the protected landscape area of Kokořínsko – Máchův kraj.

According to a 2016 study, nine species of aquatic of water molluscs (four species of gastropods and five species of bivalves) occur in the river. Notable is the population of Pisidium amnicum and Pisidium tenuilineatum, which are endangered species within the Czech Republic. Their presence is an indicator of clean water.[3]

See also

• List of rivers of the Czech Republic
• List of rivers of Saxony

References

1. Hosák, Ladislav; Šrámek, Rudolf (1980). Místní jména na Moravě a ve Slezsku II: M–Ž (in Czech). Prague: Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences. p. 533.
2. "Vodní toky". Evidence hlásných profilů (in Czech). Czech Hydrometeorological Institute. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
3. Beran, Luboš (2018-03-11). "Vodní měkkýši Svitávky v severních Čechách [Aquatic molluscs of the Svitávka River in Northern Bohemia]". Malacologica Bohemoslovaca (in Czech). 17: 13–16. ISSN 1336-6939. Retrieved 2024-11-04.

External links

• River flow at Zákupy station – Flood Warning and Forecasting Service of the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute