The Orlice (, ) is a river in the Czech Republic, with a brief stretch in Poland. It is a left tributary of the Elbe River. It flows through the Hradec Králové Region. It is formed by the confluence of the Divoká Orlice and Tichá Orlice rivers. Together with the Divoká Orlice, which is its main source, the Orlice is long, of which is in the Czech Republic, making it the 14th longest river in the country. Without the Divoká Orlice, it is long.
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').
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 à ½ÃÂár nad OrlicÃÂ, and is long.
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 and flows to Hradec Králové, where it enters the Elbe River at an elevation of . It is long, of which is in Poland and the next forms the Czech-Polish border. Including the border, is in the Czech Republic, making it the 14th longest river in the country.
The Tichá Orlice is the secondary source of the Orlice. It originates in the territory of ÃÂervená Voda in the Hanuà ¡ovice 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 .
The drainage basin of the Orlice has an area of , of which is in the Czech Republic.
The sources and longest tributaries of the Orlice are:
The river flows through the municipal territories of Albrechtice nad OrlicÃÂ, Týnià ¡tànad OrlicÃÂ, Petrovice, Tà Âebechovice pod Orebem, BÃÂleànad OrlicÃÂ, Bleà ¡no and Hradec Králové.
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 HvÃÂzda with an area of . The second largest is Pastviny I Reservoir with an area of , 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.