The Svratka (; ) is a river in the Czech Republic, a left tributary of the Thaya River. It flows through the VysoÃÂina and South Moravian regions, including the city of Brno. It is long, making it the 9th longest river in the Czech Republic.
According to one theory, the name originates from the Proto-Slavic verb vort (vrátit in modern Czech), which meant "to return". It denoted "a returning river" (which meant meandering river). Another theory is that the name was derived from the Germanic Swarta, which meant "black water". Sometimes the river was colloquially referred to as à  varcava or à  vorcava.
The Svratka originates in the territory of Cikháj in the Upper Svratka Highlands at an elevation of and flows to the Nové Mlýny reservoirs, where it enters the Thaya River in DolnàVÃÂstonice at an elevation of . It is long, making it the 9th longest river in the Czech Republic. Its drainage basin has an area of .
The longest tributaries of the Svratka are:
The most notable settlement on the Svratka is the city of Brno, where the Svitava flows into the river. The river flows past the following municipalities: Cikháj, Herálec, Svratka, Kà Âià ¾Ã¡nky, Bà Âeziny, Krásné, SpÃÂlkov, TelecÃÂ, Borovnice, Jimramov, Strachujov, UnÃÂÃÂn, DaleÃÂÃÂn, Chlum-Korouhvice, VÃÂr, Korouà ¾né, à  tÃÂpánov nad Svratkou, UjÃÂov, NedvÃÂdice, ÃÂernvÃÂr, DoubravnÃÂk, BoraÃÂ, à  tÃÂpánovice, Tià ¡nov, Veverská BÃÂtÃ½à ¡ka, Brno, Modà Âice, Rajhrad, à ½idlochovice, Nosislav, Velké NÃÂmÃÂice, Vranovice, Pouzdà Âany, Ivaà  and DolnàVÃÂstonice.
In the section from Bà Âeziny to Borovnice, the river forms the border between the VysoÃÂina and Pardubice regions. In the section from Herálec to Jimramov, the river also forms the border between the historical lands of Bohemia and Moravia.
The reservoirs Brno (), VÃÂr I () and VÃÂr II () are built on the Svratka. The largest body of water in the basin area is the Daleà ¡ice Reservoir with an area of , which is built on the Jihlava River. There are 4,942 bodies of water in the basin area.
The Svratka is among the popular rivers for river tourism. Two of its sections are navigable; however, the upper section is navigable only during the spring thaw and after heavy rains, and the lower section depends on the discharge of the VÃÂr I and VÃÂr II reservoirs. A short slalom channel is built between VÃÂr I and VÃÂr II.