The Jizera ( pl, Izera; german: Iser) is a

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...

that begins on the border between

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

and the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

(in the

Liberec Region Liberec Region ( cs, Liberecký kraj, german: Reichenberger Region, pl, Kraj liberecki) is an administrative unit ( Czech: ''kraj'') of the Czech Republic, located in the northernmost part of its historical region of Bohemia. It is named after ...

in northern Bohemia) and ends in

Central Bohemian Region The Central Bohemian Region ( cz, Středočeský kraj, german: Mittelböhmische Region) is an administrative unit ( cz, kraj) of the Czech Republic, located in the central part of its historical region of Bohemia. Its administrative centre is in ...

. It is 167.0 km long, and its basin area is about 2,200 km², of which 2,145 km² in the Czech Republic.

Etymology

Like some other names in

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

, the name Jizera is of

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...

origin, as the

Boii The Boii (Latin plural, singular ''Boius''; grc, Βόιοι) were a Celtic tribe of the later Iron Age, attested at various times in Cisalpine Gaul (Northern Italy), Pannonia (Hungary), parts of Bavaria, in and around Bohemia (after whom the ...

(hence the Germanic word ''Bohemia'', home of the Boii) lived in the area before the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

times (see also the

Isar The Isar is a river in Tyrol, Austria, and Bavaria, Germany, which is not navigable for watercraft above raft size. Its source is in the Karwendel range of the Alps in Tyrol; it enters Germany near Mittenwald and flows through Bad Tölz, Munic ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, the IJzer in

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...

and the

Isère Isère ( , ; frp, Isera; oc, Isèra, ) is a landlocked department in the southeastern French region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Named after the river Isère, it had a population of 1,271,166 in 2019.France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

) before assimilation by the

Marcomanni The Marcomanni were a Germanic people * * * that established a powerful kingdom north of the Danube, somewhere near modern Bohemia, during the peak of power of the nearby Roman Empire. According to Tacitus and Strabo, they were Suebian. Origin ...

and later Germanic and West Slavic peoples.

Geography

The river develops from the

confluence In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main stem); o ...

of the Velká Jizera (''Great Jizera'') in the

Jizera Mountains Jizera Mountains ( cz, Jizerské hory), or Izera Mountains ( pl, Góry Izerskie; german: Isergebirge), are part of the Western Sudetes on the border between the Czech Republic and Poland. The range got its name from the Jizera River, which rises a ...

and the Malá Jizera (''Little Jizera'') in the

Giant Mountains The Giant Mountains, Krkonoše or Karkonosze (Czech: , Polish: , german: Riesengebirge) are a mountain range located in the north of the Czech Republic and the south-west of Poland, part of the Sudetes mountain system (part of the Bohemian Massif ...

, and flows for 164 km into the

Elbe The Elbe (; cs, Labe ; nds, Ilv or ''Elv''; Upper and dsb, Łobjo) 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 Repu ...

in the municipality of

Káraný Káraný is a municipality and village in Prague-East District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 800 inhabitants. Geography Káraný lies at the confluence of the Elbe and Jizera rivers. The municipality is loca ...

near

Brandýs nad Labem-Stará Boleslav Brandýs nad Labem-Stará Boleslav (; german: Brandeis-Altbunzlau) is an administratively united pair of towns in Prague-East District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 19,000 inhabitants and it is the second larges ...

. On its way, it intersects the Ještěd-Kozákov Ridge. For the first 15 kilometres, the river constitutes the border between Poland and the Czech Republic.

Cities and towns along the Jizera

Benátky nad Jizerou Benátky nad Jizerou (; german: Benatek) is a town in Mladá Boleslav District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 7,400 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban mon ...

Mnichovo Hradiště Mnichovo Hradiště (; german: Münchengrätz) is a town in Mladá Boleslav District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 8,700 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monum ...

Mladá Boleslav Mladá Boleslav (; german: Jungbunzlau) is a city in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 42,000 inhabitants. Mladá Boleslav is the second most populated city in the region and a major centre of the Czech automotive ind ...

Semily Semily (; german: Semil) is a town in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 8,100 inhabitants. Administrative parts Town parts of Bítouchov and Podmoklice and the village of Spálov are administrative parts of Semily. Geogra ...

* Stará Boleslav *

Turnov Turnov (; german: Turnau) is a town in Semily District in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 14,000 inhabitants. It is a traditional centre for gemstone polishing, glass craftsmanship and arts. The town centre is well preserv ...

Železný Brod Železný Brod (; german: Eisenbrod) is a town in Jablonec nad Nisou District in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 6,000 inhabitants. It is located on the Jizera (river), Jizera River. Administrative parts Villages of Bzí, C ...

Water resource

Jizera is also one of two biggest resources of

potable water Drinking water is water that is used in drink or food preparation; potable water is water that is safe to be used as drinking water. The amount of drinking water required to maintain good health varies, and depends on physical activity level, ag ...

for the city of

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

and other neighboring villages and towns (the second one is Želivka). From

to its on-flow, it is surrounded by bank infiltration system, and in the municipality of Sojovice the water is being pumped for artificial infiltration.Křivánek, Oldřich a Kněžek, Miroslav (2001). ''Zdroje pitné vody v Káraném. Principy získávání vody v oblasti káranské vodárny''. Pražské vodovody a kanalizace a.s.

Gallery

Studně přirozené infiltrace v Káraném.jpg, Bank or natural infiltration in process of

water purification Water purification is the process of removing undesirable chemicals, biological contaminants, suspended solids, and gases from water. The goal is to produce water that is fit for specific purposes. Most water is purified and disinfected for hu ...

Odběrné místo pro umělou infiltraci z řeky Jizery.jpg, Pumping water site for artificial infiltration in Sojovice Železný Brod, de Jizera IMG 7079 2018-08-07 14.21.jpg, Jizera in Železný Brod

References

External links

Junction of the Jizera with its tributary Mumlava (''Mummel'')
* Horáčková J., Ložek V. & Juřičková L. (2013). "Malakofauna v nivě Jizery (Severní Čechy). he mollusc fauna of the Jizera floodplain (North Bohemia). ''

Malacologica Bohemoslovaca ''Malacologica Bohemoslovaca'' is a peer-reviewed open access scientific journal covering all aspects of malacology. It was published by the Slovak Academy of Sciences since 2005. It is published by the Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of ...

'' 12: 48–59
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Rivers of the Central Bohemian Region Rivers of the Liberec Region Mladá Boleslav District Semily District International rivers of Europe Czech Republic–Poland border Border rivers {{Poland-river-stub