Pećka Bistrica
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The Pećka Bistrica (Albanian: Bistrica e Pejës; Serbian Cyrillic: Пећка Бистрица) is a river in southern Serbia, a 62 km-long right tributary to the Beli Drim, it flows entirely within the Metohijan part of Kosovo and Metohija.
Upper Course
The Pećka Bistrica originates from the eastern slopes of the Mokra Planina mountain, on the border of Serbia and Montenegro, at the altitude of 1,900 m, in the Rugovo region of Metohija. It flows to the south and initially receives many small streams coming down from the neighboring mountains of Hajla, Micinat and Bogićevica. Passing next to the villages of Boge, Hadžovići and Kućište, on the northern tip of Micinat mountain it turns east into the Rugovo gorge.
Rugovo Gorge
The short but powerful Pećka Bistrica carved an impressive Rugovo Gorge, between the mountains of Žljeb on the north, and Koprivnik, the northern extension of the Prokletije mountains, on the south.
The gorge is 23 km long and up to 1,000 m deep. Power of the water was to such extent that not only cut its way through the limestone and slate, but also through the terrain made of marble and serpentine. The upper part of the gorge is the glacial trough of the ancient, 25 km-long, Rugovo glacier.
The gorge is sparsely inhabited (the village of Mali Štupelj).
Lower Course
As it comes out of the gorge, the Pećka Bistrica reaches the town of Peć and enters the bottom of the Metohija depression through which it flows for the rest of its course. It runs parallel to the flows of the Beli Drim to the north and the Dečanska Bistrica to the south, next to the villages of Goraždevac, Lješane, Jablanica, Drenovce and Zaimovo, before it empties into the Beli Drim south of the town of Klina.
Characteristics
The Pećka Bistrica has a large potential for production of hydroelectricity, but this resource is not used. Also, the river is known for its abundance in fish, most notably, the trout.
The river valley, including the Rugovo Gorge, is a route for the road connecting Kosovo and Metohija and Montenegro, over the Čakor pass.
Through the Beli Drim, The Pećka Bistrica belongs to the Adriatic Sea drainage basin. The river drains an area of 505 m² itself and it is not navigable.
The name of the river, initially Bistrica, in Serbian means clearwater. Adjective Pećka, of Peć, is added to distinguish it from other Bistrica rivers in Metohija: Dečanska Bistrica, Prizrenska Bistrica, Kožnjarska Bistrica, Loćanska Bistrica, etc.
References
- Mala Prosvetina Enciklopedija, Third edition (1985); Prosveta; ISBN 86-07-00001-2
- Jovan Đ. Marković (1990): Enciklopedijski geografski leksikon Jugoslavije; Svjetlost-Sarajevo; ISBN 86-01-02651-6
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