Doubrava (river)
The Doubrava is a river in the Czech Republic, a left tributary of the Elbe River. It flows through the Vysočina, Pardubice and Central Bohemian regions. It is long.
Etymology
The Czech word doubrava means 'oak forest'. However, the name did not express the character of the entire stream, but this type of name was most often created according to the groups of trees that grew at its mouth.Characteristic
The Doubrava originates in the territory of Radostín on the border between the Křižanov Highlands and Upper Sázava Hills, at an elevation of. The river has three marked springs, lying close to each other. Due to human activity, the yield of the springs has changed over time, and it is not clear which spring is the main one.The Doubrava flows to Záboří nad Labem, where it enters the Elbe River at an elevation of. It is long. Its drainage basin has an area of.
The longest tributaries of the Doubrava are:
| Tributary | Length | River km | Side |
| Brslenka | 31.4 | 8.3 | left |
| Hostačovka | 23.7 | 25.2 | left |
| Čertovka | 14.6 | 4.9 | right |
| Starkočský potok | 12.8 | 12.8 | right |
| Zlatý potok | 10.0 | 34.3 | right |
Course
The most populated settlement at the river is the town of Chotěboř. The river flows through the municipal territories of Radostín, Krucemburk, Ždírec nad Doubravou, Sobíňov, Chotěboř, Dolní Sokolovec, Libice nad Doubravou, Bezděkov, Maleč, Nová Ves u Chotěboře, Víska, Čečkovice, Jeřišno, Borek, Běstvina, Kraborovice, Heřmanice, Ronov nad Doubravou, Žleby, Vrdy, Vinaře, Vlačice, Bílé Podolí, Žehušice, Horka I, Rohozec, Svatý Mikuláš, Kobylnice and Záboří nad Labem.Bodies of water
There are 673 bodies of water in the basin area. The largest of them is the fishpond Řeka with an area of, built directly on the Doubrava. On the middle course of the river is built the Pařížov Reservoir with an area of.Protection of nature
The Doubrava originates in the Žďárské vrchy Protected Landscape Area and leaves the protected area after about. Řeka pond is located within the protected area. The mouth of the river to the pond is specially protected as the Řeka Nature Reserve with an area of. The subject of protection are wet peat meadows with abundant occurrence of protected and endangered species of plants and animals.Near Chotěboř, the river crosses the Železné hory Protected Landscape Area. The valley of the Doubrava inside this protected area is specially protected as the Údolí Doubravy Nature Reserve with an area of. The river created there a canyon-like valley with many geomorphologically significant shapes. The valley is also valuable for occurrence of protected and rare species of plants and animals.