The Dračice (, ''Kastenitzer Bach'') 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 ...

and

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

, 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

Lower Austria Lower Austria ( , , abbreviated LA or NÖ) is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Major cities are Amstetten, Lower Austria, Amstetten, Krems an der Donau, Wiener Neustadt and Sankt Pölten, which ...

and 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 ...

. It is long.

Etymology

The name Dračice means 'female dragon' in Czech. It refers to the wild character of the river.

Characteristic

The Dračice originates in the territory of Kunžak in the Javořice Highlands at an elevation of and flows to Suchdol nad Lužnicí, where it enters the Lužnice River at an elevation of . It is long, of which is 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 , of which is in the Czech Republic. The average discharge at its mouth is . The Dračice collects many small tributaries, but lacks significant tributaries. The longest tributaries of the Dračice are:

Course

The river flows through the territories of Kunžak,

Staré Město pod Landštejnem Staré Město pod Landštejnem () is a market town in Jindřichův Hradec District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 500 inhabitants. Administrative division Staré Město pod Landštejnem consists of eight municipal ...

and Nová Bystřice in the Czech Republic, then through Haugschlag, Reingers, Litschau and Brand-Nagelberg in Austria, and then through Rapšach and Suchdol nad Lužnicí in the Czech Republic.

Bodies of water

Several fishponds are built on the upper and middle course of the river. The largest of them is Osika with an area of about . A notable fishpond is Herrensee, located inside the built-up area of Litschau. It has an area of .

Nature

The animals that live in the river include European bullhead, stone loach and brook lamprey. Nineteen species of dragonflies live near the water, including the European-wide endangered species green snaketail and golden-ringed dragonfly. The river is a hunting ground for the

Eurasian otter The Eurasian otter (''Lutra lutra''), also known as the European otter, Eurasian river otter, European river otter, common otter, and Old World otter, is a semiaquatic mammal native to Eurasia and the Maghreb. The most widely distributed member o ...

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 grey wagtail. The lower course of the Dračice flows through the Třeboňsko Protected Landscape Area. In addition, a long section of the river in this area with its immediate surroundings is protected as a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

. The nature reserve has an area of . The river here forms a typically meandering river valley of a canyon-like character. Endangered and specially protected plant and animal species are bound to the river's aquatic ecosystem. The last hundreds of metres of the Dračice before its mouth flow through the Na Ivance Nature Reserve, which is primarily focused on the meandering flow of the Lužnice River and the forests in its surroundings. The area of the Osika fishpond is protected as the Osika Nature Monument. The reason for the protection is the occurrence of the critically endangered species of aquatic flowering plant '' Littorella uniflora''. The area of the fishpond Mnišský rybník is protected as the Mnišský rybník Nature Monument. The reason for the protection is the occurrence of the endangered species of grass '' Coleanthus subtilis''.

Tourism

The lower course of the Dračice is suitable for river tourism, but only in spring or after heavy rains.

References

External links

River flow at Klikov station
– Flood Warning and Forecasting Service of the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute {{DEFAULTSORT:Dracice Rivers of the South Bohemian Region Rivers of the Czech Republic Rivers of Lower Austria International rivers of Europe Rivers of Austria