Orlice

The name is derived from the Slavic word orel, i.e. 'eagle' (literally "female eagle"). The river probably got its name from the abundance of eagles, but it could also have just been the accidental catch of an eagle. The names of its sources, Divoká and Tichá, refer to their character: tichá means 'quiet' and divoká means 'wild'. The Divoká Orlice was also called Dravá Orlice (i.e. 'ferocious', 'fierce').{{cite web |last=Loucká|first=Pavla|title=Řeky si pojmenovali nejdřív|url=https://vesmir.cz/cz/casopis/archiv-casopisu/1997/cislo-9/reky-si-pojmenovali-nejdriv.html|publisher=Vesmír|language=cs|date=1997-09-05|access-date=2023-10-05}}{{cite web |title=Řeka Orlice – dvě řeky v jednu spojené|url=https://www.kudyznudy.cz/aktivity/reka-orlice-dve-reky-v-jednu-spojene|publisher=CzechTourism|language=cs|access-date=2023-10-05}}

File:Hradec Králové od soutoku.JPG

The Orlice is one of the least disturbed watercourses in the Czech Republic and has only three weirs. From a water management point of view, the Orlice, Divoká Orlice and Tichá Orlice are three different rivers with separate numbering of river kilometres. The Orlice itself is formed by the confluence of the Divoká Orlice (which is larger by volume and therefore the main source) and Tichá Orlice (which is longer) in the territory of Žďár nad Orlicí, and is {{convert|32.9|km|abbr=on}} long.{{cite web |title=Základní charakteristiky toku Orlice a jeho povodí|url=http://www.dibavod.cz/download.php?id_souboru=2204|publisher=T. G. Masaryk Water Research Institute|language=cs|access-date=2025-06-02}}{{efn|including the 400 metres that were added after connecting the Jordán oxbow lake back to the river in 2021{{cite web |last=Bendová|first=Hana|title=Revitalizace říčního ramene Jordán u Týniště nad Orlicí|url=https://www.pla.cz/planet/webportal/internet/cs/dokumenty/revitalizace-ricniho-ramene-jordan-u-tyniste-nad-orlici_13905.html|publisher=Povodí Labe|language=cs|date=2022-02-15|access-date=2023-10-05}}}}

In a broader point of view, the Orlice (as Divoká Orlice) originates in the territory of Szczytna in the Bystrzyckie Mountains, on the slope of the Biesiec mountain at an elevation of {{cvt|802|m}} and flows to Hradec Králové, where it enters the Elbe River at an elevation of {{cvt|228|m}}. It is {{convert|132.2|km|abbr=on}} long, of which {{convert|3.2|km|abbr=on}} is in Poland and the next {{convert|29.5|km|abbr=on}}{{cite web |title=Čestice – Povodňový plán obce: Hydrologické údaje|url=https://www.edpp.cz/ces_hydrologicke-udaje/|work=Elektronický digitální povodňový portál|language=cs|access-date=2023-10-04}} forms the Czech-Polish border. Including the border, {{convert|129.0|km|abbr=on}} is in the Czech Republic, making it the 14th longest river in the country.{{cite web |title=Základní charakteristiky toku Divoká Orlice a jeho povodí|url=http://www.dibavod.cz/download.php?id_souboru=2196|publisher=T. G. Masaryk Water Research Institute|language=cs|access-date=2025-06-02}}

The Tichá Orlice is the secondary source of the Orlice. It originates in the territory of Červená Voda in the Hanušovice Highlands and is located exclusively in the Czech Republic. It has less volume than Divoká Orlice but it is the longer source. Taking into account the Tichá Orlice, the total length of the Orlice would be {{convert|134.7|km|abbr=on}}.{{cite web |title=Základní charakteristiky toku Tichá Orlice a jeho povodí|url=http://www.dibavod.cz/download.php?id_souboru=2200|publisher=T. G. Masaryk Water Research Institute|language=cs|access-date=2025-06-02}}

The drainage basin of the Orlice has an area of {{convert|2036.9|km2|abbr=on}},{{cite book|title=Labe a jeho povodí|url=https://www.ikse-mkol.org/fileadmin/media/user_upload/CZ/06_Publikace/07_Ruzne/2005_MKOL-Labe-a-jeho-povodi.pdf|publisher=International Commission for the Protection of the Elbe|page=6|language=cs|date=2005|access-date=2023-10-04}} of which {{convert|1964.5|km2|abbr=on}} is in the Czech Republic.

The sources and longest tributaries of the Orlice are:{{cite web |title=Vodní toky|url=https://mapy.chmi.cz/ords/chmi_app/r/fewshlprf/stream-list?|work=Evidence hlásných profilů|publisher=Czech Hydrometeorological Institute|language=cs|access-date=2024-10-16}}

The river flows through the municipal territories of Albrechtice nad Orlicí, Týniště nad Orlicí, Petrovice, Třebechovice pod Orebem, Běleč nad Orlicí, Blešno and Hradec Králové.

File:Černé jezero (Orlice) 01.jpg

There are no reservoirs and fishponds built on the Orlice. There are 1,534 bodies of water in the basin area. The largest of them is the fishpond Hvězda with an area of {{cvt|75|ha}}. The second largest is Pastviny I Reservoir with an area of {{cvt|63|ha}}, built on the Divoká Orlice. The area around the river is rich in oxbow lakes.

The Orlice is suitable for river tourism and belongs to the rivers suitable for less experienced paddlers. The river has enough water throughout the year.

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• [https://hydro.chmi.cz/hppsoldv/hpps_prfdyn.php?seq=307189 River flow at Týniště nad Orlicí station] – Flood Warning and Forecasting Service of the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute

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Category:Rivers of the Hradec Králové Region

Category:Rivers of the Czech Republic