The Rokytná is a

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

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

Jihlava Jihlava (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 55,000 inhabitants. Jihlava is the capital of the Vysočina Region, situated on the Jihlava (river), Jihlava River on the historical border between Moravia and Bohemia. Historically, Jihla ...

River. It flows through the Vysočina and South Moravian regions. It is long.

Etymology

The name is derived from the old Czech word ''rakyta'', i.e. '

willow Willows, also called sallows and osiers, of the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 350 species (plus numerous hybrids) of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions. Most species are known ...

Characteristic

The Rokytná originates in the territory of Chlístov in the

Jevišovice Uplands Jevišovice () is a town in Znojmo District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,200 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument zones, urb ...

at an elevation of and flows to

Ivančice Ivančice (; ) is a town in Brno-Country District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 9,900 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument zone ...

, where it enters the Jihlava 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 longest tributaries of the Rokytná are:

Course

The most notable settlements on the river are the towns of

and

Moravský Krumlov Moravský Krumlov (; ) is a town in Znojmo District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,700 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone. Administrative divisi ...

. The river flows through the municipal territories of Chlístov, Rokytnice nad Rokytnou, Kojetice, Horní Újezd, Šebkovice, Lesůňky,

Jaroměřice nad Rokytnou Jaroměřice nad Rokytnou () is a town in Třebíč District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 4,100 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monumen ...

, Příštpo, Radkovice u Hrotovic, Biskupice-Pulkov, Újezd,

Litovany Litovany is a municipality and village in Třebíč District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 100 inhabitants. Litovany lies approximately south-east of Třebíč, south-east of Jihlava, and south-east of Prague ...

, Přešovice, Tavíkovice,

Rouchovany Rouchovany is a municipality and village in Třebíč District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,200 inhabitants. Administrative division Rouchovany consists of two municipal parts (in brackets population according to t ...

, Horní Kounice, Rešice, Čermákovice, Tulešice, Vémyslice, Rybníky, Moravský Krumlov and Ivančice.

Bodies of water

There are 278 bodies of water in the basin area. The largest of them is the fishpond Nový u háje with an area of , built directly on the Rokytka. There are also five other fishponds built on the river, including a system of four small ponds near the source of the river.

Nature

The middle course of the river is protected within the Rokytná Nature Park with an area of . The object of protection is a well-preserved landscape with a meandering river and dense forest on the banks. Among the protected animals found here are the European crayfish,

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 ...

. In the western edge of the nature park, there is a specially designated nature reserve called Jedlový les a údolí Rokytné, which is also a

Special Area of Conservation A special area of conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and ap ...

. It has an area of . The object of protection is the river valley with the forests and the animal species bound to them. On the lower course of the Rokytná is the Krumlovsko-rokytenské slepence National Nature Reserve. It has an area of . It is geomorphologically and microclimatically the most valuable part of the valley of the Rokytná, located in the Permian conglomerates. There are species-rich plant and animal communities here, bound to rocks,

forest steppe A forest steppe is a temperate-climate ecotone and habitat type composed of grassland interspersed with areas of woodland or forest. Locations Forest steppe primarily occurs in a belt of forest steppes across northern Eurasia from the easter ...

s, forests and river, including rare and endangered species of plants and animals.

References

External links

River flow at Moravský Krumlov 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:Rokytna Rivers of the Vysočina Region Rivers of the South Moravian Region Rivers of the Czech Republic