Tichá Orlice


The Tichá Orlice is a river in the Czech Republic, the secondary source river of the Orlice River. It flows through the Hradec Králové and Pardubice regions. It is long, making it the 21st longest river in the Czech Republic.

Etymology

The name Orlice is derived from the Slavic word orel, i.e. '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 attribute tichá means 'silent' and refers to its character.

Characteristic

The Tichá Orlice originates in the territory of Červená Voda in the Hanušovice Highlands at an elevation of and flows to Žďár nad Orlicí, where it merges with the Divoká Orlice at an elevation of and together they form the Orlice. It is long, making it the 21st longest river in the Czech Republic. Its drainage basin has an area of.
The longest tributaries of the Tichá Orlice are:
TributaryLength River kmSide
Třebovka41.248.2left
Čermná13.771.3left
Lipkovský potok13.393.6right
Husí krk12.744.7left
Libchavský potok10.851.3right
Bystřec10.776.1left
Lukavický potok10.065.2right

Course

The largest town on the river is Ústí nad Orlicí. The river flows through the municipal territories of Červená Voda, Králíky, Lichkov, Mladkov, Těchonín, Sobkovice, Jamné nad Orlicí, Jablonné nad Orlicí, Mistrovice, Verměřovice, Letohrad, Dolní Dobrouč, Ústí nad Orlicí, Hrádek, Orlické Podhůří, Sudislav nad Orlicí, Brandýs nad Orlicí, Zářecká Lhota, Choceň, Újezd u Chocně, Čermná nad Orlicí, Borohrádek and Žďár nad Orlicí.

Bodies of water

There are 557 bodies of water in the basin area. The largest of them is the Hvězda fishpond with an area of, built on the Třebovka.

Fauna

The entire course of the river is protected as a Special Area of Conservation for the abundant occurrence of the European river lamprey.

Tourism

The Tichá Orlice is suitable for river tourism, but the upper course is suitable only for experienced paddlers. The lower course is popular because of its year-round navigability.