Metuje : Etymology, Characteristic, Settlements, Bodies of water Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Metuje

River in Hradec Králové, Czech Republic

Metuje
The Metuje in Hronov
Location
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Hradec Králové
Physical characteristics

Source
• location	Jívka, Broumov Highlands
• elevation	628 m (2,060 ft)

Mouth
• location	Elbe
• coordinates	50°36′29″N 16°4′52″E / 50.60806°N 16.08111°E / 50.60806; 16.08111
• elevation	247 m (810 ft)
Length	78.2 km (48.6 mi)
Basin size	607.6 km² (234.6 sq mi)

Discharge
• average	6.08 m³/s (215 cu ft/s) near estuary

Basin features
Progression	Elbe→ North Sea

The Metuje (Czech pronunciation: [ˈmɛtujɛ]; German: Mettau) is a river in the Czech Republic, a left tributary of the Elbe River. It flows through the Hradec Králové Region. It is 78.2 km (48.6 mi) long.

Etymology

The river was originally named Medhuje. It was derived from the Illyrian word medh or met, meaning 'middle'. It meant the middle river, i.e. the river lying between the rivers Úpa and Orlice.^[1]^[2]

Characteristic

The Metuje originates in the territory of Jívka in the Broumov Highlands at the elevation of 628 m (2,060 ft) and flows to Jaroměř, where it enters the Elbe River at the elevation of 247 m (810 ft). It is 78.2 km (48.6 mi) long. Its drainage basin has an area of 607.6 km² (234.6 sq mi), of which 511.4 km² (197.5 sq mi) in the Czech Republic and rest in Poland.^[3]^[4]

In Nahořany-Dolsko the flow of the river divides. The secondary flow is called Stará řeka ("Old river") and was once the main bed of the Metuje. They join again in Šestajovice, but after a few hundred metres it splits again into a secondary stream, which is called Stará Metuje ("Old Metuje"). The streams then join a few hundred metres before the confluence of the Metuje with the Elbe.

The longest tributaries of the Metuje are:

Tributary	Length (km)	River km	Side
Dřevíč	21.8	46.4	right
Olešenka	20.4	27.4	left
Klikawa / Střela	15.1	38.2	left

Settlements

The most notable settlement on the river is the town of Náchod. The river flows through the municipal territories of Jívka, Adršpach, Teplice nad Metují, Česká Metuje, Velké Petrovice, Bezděkov nad Metují, Hronov, Velké Poříčí, Náchod, Přibyslav, Jestřebí, Nové Město nad Metují, Nahořany, Šestajovice, Rychnovek and Jaroměř.

Bodies of water

There are 404 bodies of water in the basin area. The largest of them is the Rozkoš Reservoir with an area of 1,001 ha (2,470 acres), built on the Rozkoš Stream.^[3]^[5] There are no reservoirs or fishponds built directly on the Metuje.

Protection of nature

In the area between the Metuje and Stará Metuje is the privately owned Josefov Meadows Bird Reserve. In the reserve, 30 species of fish have been documented in the river. In addition, the area is home to many species of protected birds, amphibians and insects, such as green snaketail, which is critically endangered in the Czech Republic.^[6] For its protection, the Stará Metuje Nature Monument with an area of 21.9 ha (54 acres) was also declared along the entire course of the Stará Metuje.^[7]

References

^ Šmilauer, Vladimír. "O původu názvů českých řek". Naše řeč (in Czech). Institute of the Czech Language. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
^ "Metuje – svižný průjezd Peklem" (in Czech). CzechTourism. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
^ ^a ^b "Základní charakteristiky toku Metuje a jeho povodí" (in Czech). T. G. Masaryk Water Research Institute. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
^ "Velké Poříčí – Povodňový plán městyse: Hydrologické údaje". Elektronický digitální povodňový portál (in Czech). Retrieved 2023-10-03.
^ "Vodní dílo Rozkoš" (PDF) (in Czech and English). Povodí Labe. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
^ "Josefovské louky: Fauna" (in Czech). Czech Society for Ornithology. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
^ "Stará Metuje" (in Czech). Nature Conservation Agency of the Czech Republic. Retrieved 2023-10-04.