Why come here
The start of a river you know from lower down
A thin trickle in the middle of a beech wood – the first metres of the water that 38 kilometres on is the river Bečva. You can put your hand in it right at the spout.
River source • Vsetínské vrchy • Horní Bečva • about 950 m a.s.l.
The source of the Bečva
A thin trickle runs out of a wooden spout under a little roof. Thirty-eight kilometres on it is the river that gave its name to the region and to three villages.
A Bečva that is not called the Bečva yet
In a steep beech wood below Vysoká, water runs out of a wooden spout under a roof carved with the words Pramen Bečvy, the source of the Bečva.
The water flowing from here is, however, not called the Bečva yet: for the first 38 kilometres it is the Rožnovská Bečva. It takes the name Bečva only at Valašské Meziříčí, where it meets its sister – the Vsetínská Bečva, which rises a few kilometres away near Bumbálka.
When to come
Better outside a dry summer
The spring weakens in dry spells: in August 2013, according to the register of springs, it was not running at all, and a year later it ran despite the drought. After rain and in spring is the safe bet.
What not to miss
The last few steps to the outflow
Do not skip the drop right down to the spout itself, where the water falls into the trough – the last few metres are steep and slippery when wet, and wooden and rope railings help.
The story of the source of the Bečva
The water comes to the surface here – and sets out on a journey of 38 kilometres.
Two rivers, one mountain
The Bečva is born twice. Each time on a different side of Vysoká
Vysoká (1,024 m a.s.l.) is the highest summit of the Vsetínské vrchy and a watershed as well: water runs off its slopes to both sides. The neighbouring summit of Trojačka stands close by – and according to the ethnographer Richard Jeřábek both arms of the Bečva rise on the flanks of these two hills: the Rožnovská Bečva on the northern side, the Vsetínská on the southern. From there each goes its own way.
The Rožnovská heads north-west, through Horní, Prostřední and Dolní Bečva to Rožnov, then on to Zubří and Zašová. The Vsetínská rounds the ridge the other way, through Velké Karlovice and Vsetín. They meet only at Valašské Meziříčí – the Rožnovská after 38 kilometres, the Vsetínská after 59 – and the town's name comes from that land between the rivers. Only there does the river called the Bečva come into being.
The name Bečva itself is older and louder than you might expect: it is derived from the Old Czech words bek and beč (a cry, a bleating), so it means “the noisy river”.
The river Bečva – the whole story and the course to the Morava
The course in outline
What stands here today
A spout, a roof and a mug on a carved head
The outflow is covered today by a wooden shelter with a pitched roof on four posts. Water runs from it away down the slope in a wooden trough. The words “Pramen Bečvy” are carved into the beam, and beside them a carved wooden head holds a hanging porcelain mug.
Two patrons look after the spring: Lesy ČR and Klub českých turistů Valašsko – Chřiby. The water is no certainty, though. The register of springs recorded in August 2013 that the spring was giving no water at all; in the dry summer that followed it ran again.
The last steps down to it go along a steep hillside. Wooden and rope railings help – the descent is slippery when wet.
Na závěr
Doplňující info a test znalostí
Rychlá rekapitulace
Where does the Rožnovská Bečva rise?
On the northern flank of Vysoká, at about 950 m above sea level.
Is the source the same as the river Bečva?
No, what flows from here is the Rožnovská Bečva. The river Bečva comes into being only at Valašské Meziříčí, where the Rožnovská Bečva (38 km) meets the longer Vsetínská Bečva (59 km).
How many kilometres does the Rožnovská Bečva run through the Rožnov area?
About 38 kilometres, before it joins the Vsetínská Bečva at Valašské Meziříčí and the two make the river Bečva.
How do I get to the source of the Bečva?
By public transport to the “Horní Bečva, Hlavatá, rozcestí” stop, then on the yellow waymarks to Třeštík and on the red route to the turning down to the source – the walk takes around two hours. Check both your arrival and your return service in IDOS.
Where does the Bečva go from there?
From the confluence at Valašské Meziříčí it carries on all the way to the Morava.
Závěrečný kvíz
Otázka 1 z 3
Where does the Rožnovská Bečva become the Bečva?
Rysík→There is a quiz a little further up. Shall we try it?
A few quizzes and I get glasses, and I will feel properly educated.
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