The Kosový potok (also called Kosí potok) is a

stream A stream is a continuous body of water, body of surface water Current (stream), flowing within the stream bed, bed and bank (geography), banks of a channel (geography), channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a strea ...

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 left tributary of the

Mže The Mže (; ) is a river in the Czech Republic and shortly in Germany. It flows through Bavaria in Germany and through the Plzeň and Central Bohemian regions. It is the upper course of the Berounka, but usually is considered a separate river. U ...

. It flows through the

Plzeň Plzeň (), also known in English and German as Pilsen (), is a city in the Czech Republic. It is the Statutory city (Czech Republic), fourth most populous city in the Czech Republic with about 188,000 inhabitants. It is located about west of P ...

and

Karlovy Vary Karlovy Vary (; , formerly also spelled ''Carlsbad'' in English) is a spa town, spa city in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 49,000 inhabitants. It is located at the confluence of the Ohře and Teplá (river), Teplá ri ...

regions. It is long.

Name

The name literally means ' blackbird stream' in Czech.

Characteristic

The Kosový potok originates in the territory of Stará Voda in the

Upper Palatine Forest The Upper Palatine Forest ( or ''Böhmischer Wald''; , ) is a mountain range in Central Europe that is divided between the Czech Republic and Germany. It is a part of the larger Bohemian Massif and the German Central Uplands. Geography The ...

on the slope of

Dyleň Dyleň () is a mountain in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. At above sea level, its summit is the second-highest peak in the Upper Palatinate Forest. The summit is located in the Stará Voda municipality. It lies about east of ...

Mountain at an elevation of and flows to Planá, where it enters the Mže 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 the 4.8 river km is . The longest tributaries of the Kosový potok are:

Course

The stream flows through the municipal territories of Stará Voda,

Tři Sekery Tři Sekery () is a municipality and village in Cheb District in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The coun ...

, Valy,

Velká Hleďsebe Velká Hleďsebe () is a municipality and village in Cheb District in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,400 inhabitants. Administrative division Velká Hleďsebe consists of three municipal parts (in brackets population ...

Mariánské Lázně Mariánské Lázně (; ) is a spa town in Cheb District in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 14,000 inhabitants. Most of the town's buildings come from its Golden Era in the second half of the 19th century, when many c ...

Chodová Planá Chodová Planá () is a market town in Tachov District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,000 inhabitants. Administrative division Chodová Planá consists of eight municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2 ...

, Lestkov, Olbramov,

Černošín Černošín (; ) is a town in Tachov District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,200 inhabitants. Administrative division Černošín consists of nine municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): ...

and Planá.

Bodies of water

There are 265 bodies of water in the basin area. The largest of them is the fishpond Regent with an area of , built on the Senný potok. There are no fishponds or reservoirs built directly on the Kosový potok.

Use

There used to be many water mills on the stream. The existence of 35 mills is documented. Today, only ruins remain of most.

Nature

The middle course of the stream flows through the protected landscape area of

Slavkov Forest The Slavkov Forest (formerly also Emperor's Forest; , ) is a highland and geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. It is located in the Karlovy Vary Region. Slavkov Forest is also the name of a protected landscape area, partially locat ...

. Species of animals that are endangered within the Czech Republic and live in or near the stream include the

brook lamprey The brook lamprey (''Lampetra planeri''), also known as the European brook lamprey and the western brook lamprey is a small European lamprey species that exclusively inhabits freshwater environments. The species is related to, but distinct from, ...

, European crayfish,

Eurasian beaver The Eurasian beaver (''Castor fiber'') or European beaver is a species of beaver widespread across Eurasia, with a rapidly increasing population of at least 1.5 million in 2020. The Eurasian beaver was hunted to near-extinction for both its fur ...

common kingfisher The common kingfisher (''Alcedo atthis''), also known as the Eurasian kingfisher and river kingfisher, is a small kingfisher with seven subspecies recognized within its wide distribution across Eurasia and North Africa. It is resident in much of ...

and

white-throated dipper The white-throated dipper (''Cinclus cinclus''), also known as the European dipper or just dipper, is an aquatic passerine bird found in Europe, Middle East, Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent. The species is divided into several subspecies ...

Bridges

In Dolní Kramolín (part of Chodová Planá), the stream is bridged by a valuable stone bridge, protected as a cultural monument. Originally built in the Baroque style in the first half of the 18th century, it was rebuilt into its present form in the 19th century.

Tourism

The lower course of the stream flows through a valley with meanders, without human intervention. An long educational trail leads through the valley. The Kosový potok is suitable for river tourism, but it is navigable only in spring and after heavy rains.

References

External links

River flow at Třebel 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:Kosovy potok Rivers of the Plzeň Region Rivers of the Czech Republic Rivers of the Upper Palatine Forest