The Dravinja River is the largest tributary of the Drava

Drava

Drava or Drave is a river in southern Central Europe, a tributary of the Danube. It sources in Toblach/Dobbiaco, Italy, and flows east through East Tirol and Carinthia in Austria, into Slovenia , and then southeast, passing through Croatia and forming most of the border between Croatia and...

 River in Slovenia

Slovenia

Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...

. It is 73 kilometres (45.4 mi) long. Its source is on the Pohorje

Pohorje

Pohorje is a mountain range in northern Slovenia, near the towns of Dravograd and Maribor. Made of metamorphic rock, it is geologically part of the Central Eastern Alps, though due to its location south of the Drava River it is commonly regarded as a Southern Limestone Alps range.-Peaks:The most...

 Massif southwest of Mount Rogla

Rogla

Rogla is a mountain, a settlement and resort in Zreško Pohorje in the Zreče municipality in northeastern Slovenia. The area was traditionally part of Lower Styria. It is now included into the Savinja statistical region....

 about 1,150 m above sea level. The river passes Zreče

Zrece

Zreče is a town and a municipality in northeast Slovenia. It lies on the slopes of Pohorje in the upper valley of the river Dravinja. Traditionally the area was part of the Lower Styria region. The municipality is now included in the Savinja statistical region. In 2002 it had a population of 6245,...

, the town of Slovenske Konjice

Slovenske Konjice

Slovenske Konjice is a town and a municipality in northeastern Slovenia. The area was part of the traditional region of Lower Styria.- Slovenske Konjice municipality :...

, the ruins of the fort at Zbelovo

Zbelovo

Zbelovo is a village in the Slovenske Konjice municipality in eastern Slovenia. It lies on the left bank of the river Dravinja. The area is part of the traditional region of Lower Styria. The municipality is now included in the Savinja statistical region....

, Poljčane

Poljcane

Poljčane is a small town and a municipality in northeastern Slovenia. It lies 35 km south of Maribor and 35 km northeast of Celje. Traditionally the area was part of the Lower Styria region. It belonged to the Slovenska Bistrica municipality until 2006 when it became an independent...

, Makole

Makole

Makole is a settlement and a municipality in northeastern Slovenia. It lies in the valley of the river Dravinja. Traditionally the area was part of the Lower Styria region. It belonged to the Slovenska Bistrica municipality until 2006 when it became an independent municipality. The municipality is...

, Štatenberg

Štatenberg

Štatenberg is a settlement in the Makole municipality in northeastern Slovenia. It lies in the hills above the left bank of the river Dravinja. The area is part of the traditional region of Lower Styria...

 Castle, Majšperk

Majšperk

Majšperk is a settlement and a municipality in northeastern Slovenia. Traditionally the area was part of the Lower Styria region. The municipality is now included in the Drava statistical region. It was first mentioned in written documents dating to 1261 in relation to the 13th-century Majšperk...

, and Videm

Videm

Videm is a settlement and a municipality in Slovenia. It includes part of the flatlands to the south of Ptuj and extends beyond the river Dravinja into the Haloze hills to the south. The area traditionally belonged to the region of Styria...

, where it merges with the Drava

Drava

Drava or Drave is a river in southern Central Europe, a tributary of the Danube. It sources in Toblach/Dobbiaco, Italy, and flows east through East Tirol and Carinthia in Austria, into Slovenia , and then southeast, passing through Croatia and forming most of the border between Croatia and...

. Its main tributary is the Polskava River

Polskava River

Polskava is a river in Lower Styria, Slovenia. The river is 40 km in length. Its source is on Pohorje Massif, near Sveti Areh of Mariborsko Pohorje Ski Resort. It passes Šmartno na Pohorju, Zgornja Polskava, Spodnja Polskava, Pragersko, Lovrenc na Dravskem polju, and merges with river Dravinja...

.

The Dravinja is the best preserved lowland river in Slovenia and has been protected as part of the European Natura 2000

Natura 2000

Natura 2000 is an ecological network of protected areas in the territory of the European Union.-Origins:In May 1992, the governments of the European Communities adopted legislation designed to protect the most seriously threatened habitats and species across Europe. This legislation is called the...

network. In addition, the river is distinguished by the Pečnik Mill, which has been proclaimed an ethnological monument.