Krka (Sava)

The Krka (pronounced [ˈkəɾka]; German: Gurk, German pronunciation: [ɡʊʁk] ^ⓘ; Latin: Corcoras) is a river in southeastern Slovenia (the traditional region of Lower Carniola), a right tributary of the Sava. With a length of 94.6 km (58.8 mi),^[2] it is the second-longest river flowing in its entirety in Slovenia, following the Savinja.^[1]

Krka
The Krka in its upper part near Žužemberk
Location
Country	Slovenia
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Gradiček
• coordinates	45°53′22″N 14°46′17″E
• elevation	275 m (902 ft) [1]
Mouth
• location	The Sava
• coordinates	45°53′37″N 15°36′1″E
• elevation	141 m (463 ft) [1]
Length	94.6 km (58.8 mi) [2]
Basin size	2,247 km2 (868 sq mi) [2]
Basin features
Progression	Sava→ Danube→ Black Sea

The Krka flowing through Novo Mesto

Name

The name Krka was first attested in written sources in 799 as Corca (and as Gurke in 1025, and in Gurka fluvio in 1249). The Slovene name is derived from Slavic *Kъrka, based on the Romance name *Corcra or *Corca, derived in turn from Corcora. Many rivers had this name, or similar names, in antiquity. The name is believed to be of pre-Romance origin and may be based on onomatopoeia.^[3]

Sources

The Krka sources in a karst spring, lying in a pocket valley below Krka Cave, north of the village of Krka, around 25 km (16 mi) southeast of Ljubljana, before flowing southeast. In heavy downpours, water bursts through the main entrance of Krka Cave and flows in a torrential waterfall over the steps in front of it.

Course

The river passes the town of Žužemberk, Dolenjske Toplice, the town of Novo Mesto, Otočec Castle, and Kostanjevica na Krki, to meet the Sava at Brežice near the Croatian border. Its largest tributary is the Prečna, the continuation of the Temenica River.^[4]

References

1. Rivers, longer than 25 km, and their catchment areas, Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia
2. "Sava River Basin Analysis Report" (PDF). International Sava River Basin Commission. September 2009. p. 13. Archived from the original (PDF, 9.98 MB) on 17 July 2010.
3. Snoj, Marko (2009). Etimološki slovar slovenskih zemljepisnih imen (in Slovenian). Ljubljana: Modrijan. pp. 214–215.
4. Ašič, Zala (2008). Geografska zasnova zavarovanja reke Krke kot naravnega spomenika v Mestni občini Novo mesto [Geographical Design of the Krka River Cover as a Natural Monument in the Municipality of Novo Mesto] (PDF) (in Slovenian and English). Department of Geography, Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana. p. 24. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 February 2014.

External links

• Krka (od izvira do sotočja) An Interactive map of the Krka from source to confluence. Burger.si. Accessed 18 April 2012.
• Condition of Krka - graphs, in the following order, of water level and temperature data for the past 30 days (taken in Podbočje by ARSO)