The Dědina (also called Zlatý potok) 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

Orlice The Orlice (, ) is a river in the Czech Republic, with a brief stretch in Poland. It is a left tributary of the Elbe River. It flows through the Hradec Králové Region. It is formed by the confluence of the Divoká Orlice and Tichá Orlice rivers ...

River. It flows through the

Hradec Králové Region Hradec Králové Region (, ) is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic located in the north-eastern part of the historical region of Bohemia. It is named after its capital Hradec Králové. The region neighbours the Pardubice Region in t ...

. It is long.

Etymology

The Czech word ''dědina'' denoted 'inherited property' and regionally also 'village'. Until 1984, the upper and middle course of the river was called "Zlatý potok" (meaning 'golden stream'). However, for the sake of simplification, the official name of the river was unified and the name Zlatý potok is used only for the artificial branch of the Dědina and for a small tributary in the upper course of the Dědina. An effort to re-name the river to its historical name was unsuccessful due to the cost it would entail.

Characteristic

The Dědina originates in the territory of Sedloňov in the

Orlické Mountains The Orlické Mountains (, , ) or Eagle Mountains are a mountain range located mainly in northeastern Bohemia in the Czech Republic. It is a mesoregion of the Central Sudetes. They follow the border with Kłodzko Land in Poland Poland, of ...

at an elevation of and flows to

Třebechovice pod Orebem Třebechovice pod Orebem () is a town in Hradec Králové District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,900 inhabitants. Třebechovice pod Orebem is best known for the Museum of Nativity Scenes. Administrative divi ...

, where it enters the Orlice 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 . In

Dobruška Dobruška (; ) is a town in Rychnov nad Kněžnou District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 6,500 inhabitants. The town is known as the birthplace of Czech patriotic writer František Ladislav Hek, whose career was ...

-Chábory the flow of the river divides. The southern branch is the secondary flow, artificially created for irrigation and for supplying fishponds. The two branches join again in

České Meziříčí České Meziříčí () is a municipality and village in Rychnov nad Kněžnou District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,000 inhabitants. Administrative division České Meziříčí consists of three municipal ...

. Dědina has many tributaries, but none of them is significant. In addition to natural tributaries, the river also receives water from the Alba canal, which connects the Dědina with the

Bělá Bělá may refer to: Places in the Czech Republic *Bělá (Havlíčkův Brod District), a municipality and village in the Vysočina Region * Bělá (Opava District), a municipality and village in the Moravian-Silesian Region * Bělá (Pelhřimov Di ...

River. The canal was gradually built from the end of the 14th century until 1550. It used to feed a system of fishponds, which no longer exist today. It is a historically important example of landscape modifications in the Middle Ages, which is protected as a cultural monument. The longest tributaries of the Dědina are:

Course

The most populated settlement on the river is the town of

. The river flows through the municipal territories of Sedloňov, Sněžné,

Dobřany Dobřany (; ) is a town in Plzeň-South District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 6,500 inhabitants. It is known for a large psychiatric hospital. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban mon ...

, Bystré, Kounov, Bačetín, Dobré,

Bílý Újezd Bílý Újezd is a municipality and village in Rychnov nad Kněžnou District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Cent ...

Podbřezí Podbřezí is a municipality and village in Rychnov nad Kněžnou District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central ...

, Dobruška, Bohuslavice, Pohoří,

, Mokré, Očelice, Ledce and

. The Zlatý potok branch flows through Dobruška,

Semechnice Semechnice is a municipality and village in Rychnov nad Kněžnou District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central ...

Opočno Opočno (; ) is a town in Rychnov nad Kněžnou District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,100 inhabitants. Opočno is known for the Opočno Castle, one of the most magnificent examples of Czech Renaissance archi ...

, Pohoří and České Meziříčí.

Bodies of water

There are 351 bodies of water in the basin area. The largest of them is the fishpond Broumar with an area of , supplied by the Zlatý potok branch.

Nature

The Dědina originates in the territory of the Orlické hory Protected Landscape Area. The river bed in its middle course is protected as the Dědina u Dobrušky Nature Monument. It has an area of . The reason is the protection of the habitat and communities of the

brook lamprey The brook lamprey (''Lampetra planeri''), also known as the European brook lamprey and the western brook lamprey is a small European lamprey species that exclusively inhabits freshwater environments. The species is related to, but distinct from, ...

and the

European bullhead The European bullhead (''Cottus gobio'') is a freshwater fish that is widely distributed in Europe, mainly in rivers. It is a member of the family Cottidae, a type of sculpin. It is also known as the miller's thumb, freshwater sculpin, common bu ...

. In Bohuslavice, the Dědina flows through the Zbytka Nature Reserve with an area of . The subject of protection are floodplain forests, wet meadows and the meandering course of the river, where many protected species of plants and animals can be found.

References

External links

River flow at Mitrov 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:Dedina Rivers of the Hradec Králové Region Rivers of the Czech Republic