The PlouÃÂnice () is a river in the Czech Republic, a right tributary of the Elbe River. It flows through the Liberec and ÃÂstÃÂ nad Labem regions. It is long, making it the 23rd longest river in the Czech Republic.
The name of the river is derived from the Czech word plà ¾ (meaning 'mollusc'). The river was probably originally called plà ¾ÃÂnice (meaning "a stream full of molluscs").
The PlouÃÂnice originates in the territory of OseÃÂná in the Ralsko Uplands at an elevation of . The spring area is considered to be one of the most abundant in Central Europe, which is why this spring is the main one. The secondary spring of the PlouÃÂnice is located in the territory of SvÃÂtlá pod Jeà ¡tÃÂdem, on the slopes of Jeà ¡tÃÂd Mountain in the Jeà ¡tÃÂdâÂÂKozákov Ridge at an elevation of . The river flows to DÃÂÃÂÃÂn, where it enters the Elbe River at an elevation of . It is long, making it the 23rd longest river in the Czech Republic. Its drainage basin has an area of .
The longest tributaries of the PlouÃÂnice are:
The most notable settlements on the river are the town of ÃÂeská LÃÂpa and the city of DÃÂÃÂÃÂn. The river flows through the municipal territories of OseÃÂná, Hamr na Jezeà Âe, StrÃ¡à ¾ pod Ralskem, Noviny pod Ralskem, Mimoà Â, Ralsko, Zákupy, ÃÂeská LÃÂpa, Struà ¾nice, HornàPolice, à ½andov, Starý à  achov, Frantià ¡kov nad PlouÃÂnicÃÂ, Beneà ¡ov nad PlouÃÂnicàand DÃÂÃÂÃÂn.
There are 99 bodies of water larger than 1 ha in the basin area. The largest of them is Lake Mácha with an area of . The largest bodies of water built directly on the PlouÃÂnice are the StrÃ¡à ¾ pod Ralskem Reservoir and the fishpond Hamerské jezero. There is also the fishpond Jenià ¡ovský rybnÃÂk built just beyond the main spring of the river.
In 2007âÂÂ2011, 66 species of molluscs (27% of the species living in the Czech Republic) was founded in and around the river. Among the most endangered species are Clausilia bidentata, Daudebardia brevipes, Ruthenica filograna, Vertigo angustior and Vertigo antivertigo.
Near Mimoà Â, the river meanders and this area is protected as Meandry PlouÃÂnice u MimonàNature Monument. It has an area of . The river and the surrounding wetlands are home to green snaketail, scarce large blue, large copper, Atlantic salmon and Eurasian otter.
The PlouÃÂnice is suitable for river tourism. Due to the high volume of water, the river is navigable all year round up to Beneà ¡ov nad PlouÃÂnicÃÂ. The river meanders a lot throughout its course and flows through an intact landscape (including the Ralsko Military Training Area), which makes it one of the most attractive rivers in the Czech Republic for paddlers.
A popular tourist section of the river is the PlouÃÂnice Gap, located in Noviny pod Ralskem. It is an artificially created tunnel through the rock, which served the operation of a hammer mill. It is several centuries old and is protected as a cultural monument.