Dyje–Svratka Valley

The Dyje–Svratka Valley (Dyjsko-svratecký úval) is a valley and a geomorphological mesoregion of the Czech Republic. It is located in the South Moravian Region. Its name is derived from the rivers Thaya (Dyje) and Svratka.

Geomorphology
The Dyje–Svratka Valley is a mesoregion of Outer Subcarpathia within the Western Carpathians. It is mainly a lowland area. Beyond the Czech-Austrian state border, it smoothly transforms into the Weinviertel area. The northern part of the Dyje–Svratka Valley is undulating and includes several isolated hills. The valley is further subdivided into the microregions of the Jaroslavice Uplands, Dnholec Uplands, Dyje–Svratka Floodplain, Dunajovice Hills, Rajhrad Uplands and Prace Upland.

The area is poor in peaks. The highest and most distinctive peak is Výhon at 355 m above sea level. A significant feature in the relief is the isolated hill of Pracký kopec at 325 m, also historically known as the centre of the Battle of Austerlitz.

Geography
The territory is elongated from the southwest to the northeast. It has an area of 1452 km2 and an average elevation of 210 m. The floodplains of several rivers is in the Dyje–Svratka Valley, including Svratka, Jihlava, Svitava, Thaya, Jevišovka and Litava. Drainage runs into the river Morava, from there into the Danube basin and finally into the Black Sea. The Nové Mlýny reservoirs, built on the confluence of the Thaya and Svratka, include the lowest point of the Dyje–Svratka Valley at 170 m above sea level.

The area is rich in settlements. The southeastern half of the city of Brno is located within the Dyje–Svratka Valley. Other towns in the territory are Šlapanice, Slavkov u Brna, Pohořelice, Rajhrad, Židlochovice, Hrušovany nad Jevišovkou and Újezd u Brna.

Transport
Highways that traverse the Dyje–Svratka Valley include D1 from Brno to Ostrava, D2 from Brno to Břeclav and Bratislava, and D52 from Brno to Vienna.

Land use
Forests cover only 11.7% of the area. The territory is mostly by riparian forest (oaks, populus and willows), with higher areas forested by black locust. The lowlands are intensively farmed, with significant numbers of orchards (peaches, walnuts, apricots and almonds), vineyards and small woods. Only a few small sections are still covered by natural vegetation. The southern part of the valley contains numerous vineyards that are part of the wine making sub-regions of Mikulovská and Znojemská.