The Koštěnický 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 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 Lužnice River. It flows through the

South Bohemian Region The South Bohemian Region () is an administrative unit (''Regions of the Czech Republic, kraj'') of the Czech Republic, located mostly in the southern part of its historical land of Bohemia, with a small part in southwestern Moravia. The western ...

, and a short section forms the Austrian-Czech state border. It is long.

Characteristic

The Koštěnický potok originates in the territory of Kunžak in the

Javořice Highlands The Javořice Highlands (, ) is a mountain range in the Czech Republic. The highlands, together with the Jevišovice Highlands threshold, form the Western-Moravian part of Moldanubian Zone - east south part of Bohemian Massif. Geography The Javo ...

at an elevation of and flows to Majdalena, where it enters the Lužnice 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 3.2 river km in Hamr is . The longest tributaries of the Koštěnický potok are:

Course

The stream flows through the municipal territories of Kunžak, Člunek, Kačlehy, Číměř,

Nová Bystřice Nová Bystřice (, ) is a town in Jindřichův Hradec District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,200 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)# ...

Stráž nad Nežárkou Stráž nad Nežárkou () is a town in Jindřichův Hradec District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 900 inhabitants. It lies on the Nežárka River. Administrative division Stráž nad Nežárkou consists of three ...

, Staňkov,

Chlum u Třeboně Chlum u Třeboně () is a market town in Jindřichův Hradec District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,800 inhabitants. Administrative division Chlum u Třeboně consists of four municipal parts (in brackets popul ...

, Hamr and Majdalena. A section of the stream between Stráž nad Nežárkou and Haugschlag with a length of about forms the Austrian-Czech state border. The confluence of the Koštěnický potok with Červený potok is the northernmost point of Austria.

Bodies of water

There are 224 bodies of water in the basin area. The basin area is rich in fishponds and many of them are built directly on the Koštěnický potok. The largest of them are Staňkovský rybník with an area of and Kačležský rybník with an area of , both of them being among the largest fishponds in the Czech Republic.

Protection of nature

The lower course of the stream flows through the Třeboňsko Protected Landscape Area. The middle course of the stream with its surroundings, located near the Austrian-Czech border, is protected a nature monument. The nature monument is also called Koštěnický potok and has an area of . The reason of protection is the preserved ecosystem of the stream and its floodplain with the occurrence of endangered species of plants and animals, especially the green snaketail.

References

External links

River flow at Kosky – Hamr 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 ...