The Střela 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 left
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
Berounka
The Berounka () is a river in the Czech Republic, a left tributary of the Vltava River. It flows through the Plzeň Region, Plzeň and Central Bohemian Region, Central Bohemian regions to Prague. It is formed by the confluence of the Mže and Radbu ...
River. It flows through the
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 ...
and
Central Bohemian regions. It is long, making it the
22nd longest river in the Czech Republic.
Etymology
The name means 'missile' in Czech and refers to its fast stream. The river was also once called Lososnice (derived from , i.e. '
salmon
Salmon (; : salmon) are any of several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the genera ''Salmo'' and ''Oncorhynchus'' of the family (biology), family Salmonidae, native ...
').
Characteristic
The Střela originates in the territory of
Toužim
Toužim (; ) is a town in Karlovy Vary District in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,500 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as urban monument zone.
Administrative division
...
in the
Teplá Highlands at an elevation of and flows to
LiblÃn, where it enters the Berounka River at an elevation of . It is long, making it the
22nd longest river in the Czech Republic. 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 tributaries of the Střela do not include any significant rivers, only smaller streams. The longest tributaries of the Střela are:
Settlements
There are no significant settlements on the Střela. The most populated settlement is the town of
Toužim
Toužim (; ) is a town in Karlovy Vary District in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,500 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as urban monument zone.
Administrative division
...
, where the river originates. The river further flows through the municipal territories of
Útvina,
Bochov,
Štědrá,
Žlutice,
Chyše,
ManÄ›tÃn,
Å tichovice,
Mladotice,
Pláně
Pláně is a municipality and village in Plzeň-North District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 300 inhabitants.
Pláně lies approximately north of Plzeň and west of Prague
Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List ...
,
Plasy,
Obora,
Koryta,
Dolnà Hradiště,
Kozojedy and
LiblÃn.
Bodies of water
There are 96 bodies of water larger than 1 ha in the basin area. The largest body of water is the Žlutice Reservoir with an area of , built directly on the Střela. On the upper course of the river is a system of fishponds.
[
]
Fauna
Species of animals that are endangered within the Czech Republic and live in or near the river include the brook lamprey, European crayfish and 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 ...
.
Tourism
The Střela is suitable for river tourism only after heavy rains, melting snow or when water is released from the Žlutice Reservoir.
References
External links
River flow at Plasy station
– Flood Warning and Forecasting Service of the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute
{{DEFAULTSORT:Strela
Rivers of the Karlovy Vary Region
Rivers of the Central Bohemian Region
Rivers of the Czech Republic