Rozkoš Reservoir () is a

reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

in 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 ...

of 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 ...

. With an area of , it is the eighth largest reservoir in the country.

Location

Rozkoš is located in the

and is the largest body of water in the region. It is nicknamed "East Bohemian Sea". The town of

Česká Skalice Česká Skalice (; ) is a town in Náchod District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,000 inhabitants. It lies on the shore of Rozkoš Reservoir. The town is known for the Ratibořice Castle and Grandmother's Vall ...

is situated on its shore. Apart from Česká Skalice, the reservoir also extends into the municipal territories of Velká Jesenice, Provodov-Šonov and Nahořany. From the geomorphological point of view, Rozkoš lies in the Orlice Table.

Characteristic

The reservoir is fed by the streams Rovenský and Rozkoš, and by a long canal from the

Úpa The Úpa () is a river in the Czech Republic, a left tributary of the Elbe River. It flows through the Hradec Králové Region. It is long. Etymology The name is of the Illyrian language, Illyrian or Celtic languages, Celtic origin, from the wor ...

River. It has an area of the water surface of and total capacity of .

History

The construction of the reservoir near Česká Skalice was considered as early as 1923. In 1939, a general project was drawn up, according to which preparations took place in the years 1946–1950. The building of the reservoir

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...

began in 1951, however after one year of construction, further works were halted. The construction of the dam was resumed in 1965 and completed in 1972. Permission for permanent operation was granted by the Ministry of Forestry and Water Management on 1 January 1976.

Purpose

Rozkoš serves as flood protection of the lower course of the Úpa and

Metuje The Metuje (; ) is a river in the Czech Republic, a left tributary of the Elbe River. It flows through the Hradec Králové Region. It is long. Etymology The river was originally named Medhuje. It was derived from the Illyrian language, Illyrian ...

rivers and as a

retention basin A retention basin, sometimes called a retention pond, wet detention basin, or storm water management pond (SWMP), is an artificial pond with vegetation around the perimeter and a permanent pool of water in its design. It is used to manage ...

, and is also used for summer recreation, water sports and breeding of fish. A small hydroelectric power plant with installed capacity 675 kW is located on the main dam. The reservoir is also an important

ornithological Ornithology, from Ancient Greek ὄρνις (''órnis''), meaning "bird", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study", is a branch of zoology dedicated to the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related discip ...

site with more than 270 species of birds, of which more than 120 species nest here. Near Česká Skalice is located Campsite Rozkoš.

References

External links

Rozkoš official profile
on the website of its administrator Povodí Labe {{DEFAULTSORT:Rozkos Reservoir Reservoirs in the Czech Republic Geography of the Hradec Králové Region