The Želivka (on the upper course called Hejlovka) 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 Sázava River. It flows through the Vysočina and South Bohemian regions. It is long, making it the 20th longest river in the Czech Republic.

Etymology

The river is named after the monastery and the settlement of Želiv.

Characteristic

The Želivka originates in the territory of Mezná in the

Křemešník Highlands The Křemešník Highlands () are highlands and a geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. It is located mainly in the Vysočina Region, but it also extends into the South Bohemian and Central Bohemian regions. With an area of , it i ...

at an elevation of and flows to Soutice, where it enters the Sázava River at an elevation of . Above the Sedlice Reservoir it bears the name Hejlovka. It is long, which makes it the 20th 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 longest tributaries of the Želivka are:

Settlements

Despite its length, there are no large settlements on the Želivka. The most notable settlement on the river is Želiv, therefore its name. The river also flows along the border of

Pelhřimov Pelhřimov () is a town in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 16,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument reservations, urban monument reser ...

. The river flows past the following municipalities (including the shore of the Švihov Reservoir): Mezná, Božejov, Ústrašín, Ondřejov,

Dubovice Dubovice is a municipality and village in Pelhřimov District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 80 inhabitants. Dubovice lies approximately west of Pelhřimov, west of Jihlava, and south-east of Prague. Demographics ...

, Pelhřimov,

Malý Beranov Malý Beranov () is a municipality and village in Jihlava District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 600 inhabitants. Malý Beranov lies on the Jihlava River, approximately east of Jihlava and south-east of Prague ...

, Krasíkovice, Kojčice, Svépravice, Sedlice, Želiv, Koberovice, Vojslavice, Píšť, Ježov, Kožlí,

Hněvkovice Hněvkovice is a municipality and village in Havlíčkův Brod District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 700 inhabitants. Hněvkovice lies approximately west of Havlíčkův Brod, north-west of Jihlava, and south-east ...

, Bernartice,

Hulice Hulice is a municipality and village in Benešov District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 300 inhabitants. Administrative division Hulice consists of two municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2 ...

Zruč nad Sázavou Zruč nad Sázavou () is a town in Kutná Hora District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 4,800 inhabitants. Administrative division Zruč nad Sázavou consists of five municipal parts (in brackets population accor ...

and Soutice.

Bodies of water

There are 136 bodies of water larger than 1 ha in the basin area. The largest of them is the

Švihov Reservoir Švihov Reservoir (), also known as Želivka Reservoir, is a reservoir in the Vysočina Region, Vysočina and Central Bohemian Region, Central Bohemian regions of the Czech Republic. With an area of , it is the List of dams and reservoirs in the Cz ...

with an area of . Other reservoirs built on the river are Sedlice and Vřesník.

Economy

The Švihov Reservoir provides drinking water supply for most of the

Central Bohemian Region The Central Bohemian Region ( ; ) is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the central part of its historical region of Bohemia. Its administrative centre is in the Czech capital Prague, which lies in the centre of the regio ...

and the city of

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

. The Sedlice Reservoir, as well as the Trnávka and Němčice reservoirs on the tributaries of the Želivka, were built to capture alluvium and sediments before these watercourses reach the Švihov Reservoir.

References

External links

River flow at Nesměřice 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:Zelivka Rivers of the Vysočina Region Rivers of the Central Bohemian Region Rivers of the Czech Republic