Gurk River

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Gurk
River Gurk near Truttendorf in the community of Grafenstein
River Gurk near Truttendorf in the community of Grafenstein
Origin the Gurksee and the Torersee in the Gurktaler Alps
Mouth the River Drava
Basin countries Austria
Length 120 km
Source elevation 1970 m (Gurksee)
2010 m (Torersee)
Basin area 2581.63 km²

The Gurk (Slovene: Krka) is a river in Carinthia, Austria. It is the second longest river in that state after the Drava.

A northern tributary of the river Drava, the 120 km long Gurk flows from under Nock Mountains, near the border of Austrian provinces of Styria and Carinthia. Its sources are two small lakes, the Gurksee and the Torersee, are located in two small cirques. The Gurksee has an elevation 1970 m, has an area of 0.4 ha, and is 1.5 m deep; the Torersee lies 2010 m above sea level, has an area of 0.35 ha, and is 1.2 m deep. Since both lake are completely frozen in the Winter, they contain no fish.

It flows eastward through the Gurktal valley. Near Straßburg it turns southwards and flows into the Drava between Klagenfurt and Völkermarkt. Its tributaries include the Görtschitz, the Metnitz, and the Glan.

[edit] References

  • The information in this article is based on a translation of its German equivalent.
  • W. Honsig-Erlenburg, G. Wieser: Die Gurk und ihre Seitengewässer. Verlag des Naturwissenschaftlichen Vereins für Kärnten, Klagenfurt 1997, ISBN 3-85328-009-9
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