The Smutná 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 Lužnice River. It flows through 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 Smutná (literally 'sad' in Czech) refers to the calm character of the river flow.

Characteristic

The Smutná originates in the territory of

Jistebnice Jistebnice () is a town in Tábor District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,100 inhabitants. Administrative division Jistebnice consists of 27 municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): ...

in the

Vlašim Uplands Vlašim (; ) is a town in Benešov District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 11,000 inhabitants. Vlašim is known for the Vlašim Castle and its English park. Administrative division Vlašim consists of seven muni ...

at an elevation of and flows to

Bechyně Bechyně (; ) is a town in Tábor District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 4,800 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument zones, ur ...

, where it enters the Lužnice 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 . The longest tributaries of the Smutná are:

Course

The river flows through the municipal territories of

Nadějkov Nadějkov is a municipality and village in Tábor District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 700 inhabitants. Nadějkov lies approximately north-west of Tábor, north of České Budějovice, and south of Prague ...

, Vlksice, Božetice, Sepekov,

Opařany Opařany () is a municipality and village in Tábor District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,400 inhabitants. Administrative division Opařany consists of seven municipal parts (in brackets population according t ...

, Zběšičky, Bernartice,

Stádlec Stádlec is a market town in Tábor District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 600 inhabitants. Administrative division Stádlec consists of five municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): ...

, Rataje, Haškovcova Lhota, Radětice and

Bodies of water

There are 507 bodies of water in the basin area. A system of fishponds in built on the upper course of the river. The largest of them and the largest body of water in the entire basin area is Velká Kaplice with an area of . The fishpond Chobot with an area of is built on the middle course of the river.

Tourism

The Smutná is suitable for river tourism. About of the river is navigable. The river is navigable mostly in spring or after rains, but thanks to the system of fishponds, the water level in it drops only slowly after the rains.

References

External links

River flow at Rataje 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:Smutna Rivers of the South Bohemian Region Rivers of the Czech Republic