The
Meža is a 43 kilometres (26.7 mi) long
riverA river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
in
CarinthiaSlovenian Carinthia or Slovene Carinthia, most commonly simply Carinthia is a traditional region in the north of Slovenia. It has no official status as an administrative unit within Slovenia, although the association with an informal province is still quite common.The region is referred to as...
,
SloveniaSlovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
. It has its source on the
AustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n side of the state border near Mount Olševa, becomes subterranean a kilometer from its source, and reappears on the surface in
KoprivnaKoprivna may refer to one the following villages:* Koprivna, Črna na Koroškem, in Slovenia* Koprivna , in Serbia* Koprivna, Modriča, in Bosnia and Herzegovina* Koprivna, Sanski Most, in Bosnia and Herzegovina...
near
Črna na KoroškemČrna na Koroškem is a town and a municipality in northern Slovenia. It lies at the confluence of the Meža River with its tributary Javorski potok in the traditional Slovenian province of Carinthia. The German name Schwarzenbach means 'black creek'....
, Slovenia. It is the central river of the Mežica Valley. It flows through Črna na Koroškem,
MežicaMežica is a town and a municipality in northern Slovenia. It lies on the Meža River in the traditional Slovenian province of Carinthia) near the Austrian border. The town developed close to a lead and zinc mine under Mount Peca. Mining began in 1665 and ended in 1994...
,
PrevaljePrevalje is a settlement and a municipality in northern Slovenia. It lies in the traditional Slovenian province of Carinthia. On 1 January 1999 Prevalje became an independent municipality. Prevalje lies in a valley where the Meža River emerges from a narrow gorge, full of fluvioglacial sediments...
, and
Ravne na KoroškemRavne na Koroškem is a town and a municipality in northern Slovenia. Until 1918, the town was part of the Duchy of Carinthia. It is the largest town in the traditional Slovenian province of Carinthia and its capital. Its Slovene name means 'Ravne in Carinthia', in order to distinguish it from...
, and into the
DravaDrava or Drave is a river in southern Central Europe, a tributary of the Danube. It sources in Toblach/Dobbiaco, Italy, and flows east through East Tirol and Carinthia in Austria, into Slovenia , and then southeast, passing through Croatia and forming most of the border between Croatia and...
River at
DravogradDravograd is a small town and a municipality in northern Slovenia, close to the border with Austria. It lies on the Drava River at the confluence with the Meža and the Mislinja. It is part of the traditional Slovenian province of Carinthia)....
. In its first part the Meža falls rapidly and is a typical alpine river with its tributaries from the
Kamnik AlpsThe Kamnik–Savinja Alps are a mountain range, part of the Southern Limestone Alps in north Slovenia and at the border with Austria. Its western part, the Kamnik Alps, is in the basin of the Kamniška Bistrica and is named after the town Kamnik. Its eastern part is in the basin of Savinja and is...
and the Karavanke Mountains. After Črna na Koroškem it becomes a slow meandering lowland river. Its main tributary is the
MislinjaMislinja is a river in the northern part of Slovenia. It is long. It flows through Mislinja and Slovenj Gradec and empties into the Meža River near Dravograd just before the Meža joins the Drava River.-External links:*, interactive map at...
River, which joins the Meža River a couple of hundred meters before it joins the Drava.
The Meža is noted for being the most polluted river in Slovenia. In 1982 the singer-songwriter Marijan Smode wrote a song about it titled
(The Dead River). This song has even been published in primary-school textbooks. The main polluter has been the Ravne Steelworks conglomerate.
External links