The Malše () 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

Vltava The Vltava ( , ; ) is the longest river in the Czech Republic, a left tributary of the Elbe River. It runs southeast along the Bohemian Forest and then north across Bohemia, through Český Krumlov, České Budějovice, and Prague. It is com ...

River. It flows through

Upper Austria Upper Austria ( ; ; ) is one of the nine States of Austria, states of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, and Salzburg (state), Salzbur ...

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 is derived from the personal name Malch. The land through which the river flows once belonged to someone of that name.

Characteristic

The Malše originates in the territory of Sandl in the

Gratzen Mountains The Gratzen Mountains ( or, more rarely, ''Gratzener Gebirge''; ) are part of the Bohemian Massif and run along either side of the border between the Czech Republic and the Austrian states of Upper and Lower Austria. Geography The low mountain ...

at an elevation of , on the slope of the Viehberg mountain, and flows to

České Budějovice České Budějovice (; ) is a city in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 97,000 inhabitants. The city is located in the valley of the Vltava River, at its confluence with the Malše. České Budějovice is the largest ...

, where it enters the Vltava River at an elevation of . The river is long, of which is in the Czech Republic (including the stretch that forms the Austrian-Czech border). 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 longest tributaries of the Malše are:

Settlements

The most notable settlement on the river is the city of

. In Austria, the river flows past the territories of Sandl, Windhaag bei Freistadt and Leopoldschlag, then turns north into the hinterland of the Czech Republic. The river then flows through the municipal territories of

Dolní Dvořiště Dolní Dvořiště () is a municipality and village in Český Krumlov District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,400 inhabitants. Administrative division Dolní Dvořiště consists of eight municipal parts (in b ...

Bujanov Bujanov () is a municipality and village in Český Krumlov District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 600 inhabitants. Bujanov lies approximately south-east of Český Krumlov, south of České Budějovice, and s ...

Kaplice Kaplice (; ) is a town in Český Krumlov District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 7,500 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone. Administrative division ...

, Soběnov,

Svatý Jan nad Malší Svatý Jan nad Malší () is a municipality and village in České Budějovice District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 600 inhabitants. Svatý Jan nad Malší lies on the Malše river, approximately south of Čes ...

Velešín Velešín (; ) is a town in Český Krumlov District the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,900 inhabitants. Administrative division Velešín consists of five municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 ...

, Římov,

Doudleby Doudleby () is a municipality and village in České Budějovice District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 500 inhabitants. Administrative division Doudleby consists of two municipal parts (in brackets population a ...

, Plav,

Vidov Vidov () is a municipality and village in České Budějovice District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 600 inhabitants. Vidov lies approximately south of České Budějovice and south of Prague Prague ( ; ...

, Roudné and České Budějovice.

Bodies of water

The largest body of water on the Malše and in its whole basin area is the

Římov Reservoir Římov Reservoir () is a reservoir in České Budějovice District České Budějovice District () is a Okres, district in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the city of České Budějovice. Administrative division � ...

with an area of . It serves as a drinking water reservoir for České Budějovice and the surrounding area. There are 179 bodies of water larger than 1 ha in the basin area.

References

External links

River flow at Roudné 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 ...