Jez Pilař, Weir in Hamr, Czech Republic

Jez Pilař is a 3.0-metre-high weir with a vertical drop on the Lužnice, at river kilometre 116.8 in the Hamr cadastral area near Majdalena. It raises the water level to feed the artificial Zlatá stoka canal. Its fixed metal structure dates from 1930, replacing an earlier wooden weir.

The weir was originally built of wood; in 1930 it was rebuilt as a fixed metal structure. It raises the water level on the Lužnice to feed the artificial Zlatá stoka canal, part of the Třeboň fishpond water system. It stands at river kilometre 116.8 in the Hamr cadastral area, near Majdalena.

The weir raises the Lužnice's level to feed the Zlatá stoka, an artificial canal built for the Třeboň fishponds. Paddlers portage it on the left bank, and the spot is known among Czech boaters as one of the country's most dangerous weirs.

Boaters usually portage the weir along the left bank. A concrete wall 60 cm high rises from the riverbed across the full width below the drop to slow the current, and it can cause serious injuries if a boat capsizes. Above the weir the current pulls strongly at high water.

The Lužnice River is considered one of the least altered rivers in Central Europe, with long stretches of bank that have changed very little over time. The weir sits within this largely untouched river corridor, which makes it a rare example of a working structure in a natural setting.