Peć Bistrica

The name Bistrica means "clearwater" in Serbian. The adjective Pećka, "of Peć", is added to distinguish it from other Bistrica rivers in the Metohija region: Dečanska Bistrica ("of Dečani"), Prizrenska Bistrica ("of Prizren"), Kožnjarska Bistrica ("of Kožnjar"), Loćanska Bistrica ("of Loćan"), etc.

The Peć Bistrica originates from the eastern slopes of the Mokra mountain, on the border of Kosovo and Montenegro, at the elevation of 1,900 m (6,200 ft), 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 the Micinat mountain it turns east into the Rugovo gorge.

The short but powerful Peć Bistrica carved the impressive Rugova Canyon, between the mountains of Žljeb mountain 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 (3,300 ft) deep. The power of the water cut its way not only 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).

As it comes out of the gorge, the Peć 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 White Drin 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 White Drin south of the town of Klina.

The Peć 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 Canyon, is a route for the road connecting Kosovo with Montenegro, over the Čakor pass.

Through the White Drin, the Peć Bistrica belongs to the Adriatic Sea drainage basin. The river drains an area of 505 km² (195 sq mi) itself and it is not navigable.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Peć Bistrica.

• 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