The Jizera is a river

River

A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...

 that begins on the border between Poland

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

 and the Czech Republic

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....

 (in Silesia

Silesia

Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...

) and ends in Central Bohemia

Central Bohemian Region

Central Bohemian Region is an administrative unit of the Czech Republic, located in the central part of its historical region of Bohemia. Its administrative center is placed in the Czech capital Prague , which lies in the center of the region...

. Like some other names in Bohemia

Bohemia

Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...

, the name Jizera is of Celtic origin, as the Celts lived in the area during Roman

Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....

 times (see also the Isar

Isar

The Isar is a river in Tyrol, Austria and Bavaria, Germany. Its source is in the Karwendel range of the Alps in Tyrol; it enters Germany near Mittenwald, and flows through Bad Tölz, Munich, and Landshut before reaching the Danube near Deggendorf. At 295 km in length, it is the fourth largest river...

 in Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 and the Isère

Isère River

The Isère is a 286 km long river in southeastern France, in the Rhône-Alpes région. Its source is in the Alps on the border with Italy, near the ski resort Val d'Isère. It flows into the Rhône River in Pont-de-l'Isère, a few km north of Valence...

 in France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

).

Geography

It develops from the confluence

Confluence (geography)

In geography, a confluence is the meeting of two or more bodies of water. It usually refers to the point where two streams flow together, merging into a single stream...

 of the Great Jizera (Velká Jizera) in the Jizera Mountains

Jizera Mountains

Jizera Mountains , or Izera Mountains, are part of the Western Sudetes on the border between the Czech Republic and Poland. The major part is formed from granite, with some areas formed from basalt. The mountains got their name from the Jizera River, which rises at the southern base of Smrk...

 (Jizerské hory) and the Little Jizera (Malá Jizera) in the Giant Mountains (Krkonoše), and flows for 164 km into the Labe (Elbe

Elbe

The Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Krkonoše Mountains of the northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...

) at the village of Káraný

Káraný

Káraný is a village in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has around 450 inhabitants.The village was founded in 1777. Since 1914 Káraný has supplied Prague with drinking water.-External links:*...

 near Brandýs nad Labem-Stará Boleslav

Brandýs nad Labem-Stará Boleslav

Brandýs nad Labem-Stará Boleslav is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic on the banks of the Elbe River, in the heart of an agricultural region about 25 km northeast of Prague. The town is part of the Prague metropolitan area. Brandýs nad Labem dates its origin to the...

. On its way, the river intersects the Ještěd-Kozákov Ridge

Ješted-Kozákov Ridge

Ještěd-Kozákov Ridge is part of the Western Sudetes mountain range in the Czech Republic.The ridge is almost 60 km long, the width does not exceed 15 km. In the north-west it starts in a saddle between hills Pískový vrch in the Lusatian Mountains and Ostrý vrch already in the...

. For the first 15 kilometers the river constitute border between Poland and Czech Republic.

Towns along the Jizera

• Benátky nad Jizerou
  Benátky nad Jizerou
  Benátky nad Jizerou is a town on the Jizera river in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic, between the cities Stará Boleslav and Mladá Boleslav.The city was the site of a castle and observatory built by astronomer Tycho Brahe.-External links:...
  
  
• Mnichovo Hradiště
  Mnichovo Hradište
  Mnichovo Hradiště is a town in the Central Bohemian Region in the Czech Republic. Its population is 8,500.The town was first mentioned in 1279 and contains a Renaissance castle which used to belong to the Wallenstein family...
  
  
• Mladá Boleslav
  Mladá Boleslav
  Mladá Boleslav is a city in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic, on the left bank of the Jizera river about 50 km northeast of Prague.Founded in the second half of the 10th century by King Boleslav II as a royal castle...
  
  
• Semily
  Semily
  Semily is a town in the Semily District, Liberec Region, of northern Bohemia in the Czech Republic. It has about 9,000 inhabitants. One important landmark is the St Peter and Paul Church, from the beginning of the previous century. The town has two notable museums: the Museum and Regional Gallery...
  
  
• Stará Boleslav
• Turnov
  Turnov
  Turnov is a town on the Jizera river in the northern Czech Republic. It has about 14,500 inhabitants and lies in the southern part of Liberec Region. It is a traditional center for gemstone polishing, glass craftmanship and arts....
  
  
• Železný Brod
  Železný Brod
  Železný Brod is a town in Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. Located in Jablonec nad Nisou District on the Jizera River, the town is on a railway line connecting Pardubice and Liberec.-History:...
  
  

Water resource

Jizera river is also one of two (the second one is Želivka river

Želivka

The Želivka is a river in the Czech Republic, the left tributary of the Sázava River. It originates at the northern slope of the Troják mountain at the elevation of 677 m and flows for 103.89 km. It enters the Sázava River near Zruč nad Sázavou....

) biggest resources of potable water for the city of Prague

Prague

Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...

, capital of the Czech Republic, but also other neighboring villages and towns. From Benátky nad Jizerou

Benátky nad Jizerou

Benátky nad Jizerou is a town on the Jizera river in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic, between the cities Stará Boleslav and Mladá Boleslav.The city was the site of a castle and observatory built by astronomer Tycho Brahe.-External links:...

 to its on-flow, it is surrounded by bank infiltration system, and in the district of Sojovice

Sojovice

Sojovice is a village and municipality in Mladá Boleslav District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. Sojovice can be found on the river bank of Jizera river. Its waters are being used in the process of water purification for neighboring municipalities and Prague...

, the water is being pumped for artificial infiltration.

External links

• Junction of the Jizera with its tributary Mumlava River (Mummel)