Rychnov nad Kněžnou District borders Poland in the east. The terrain is very varied, in the east it is mountainous and towards the west it becomes foothills and then flat. The territory extends into four geomorphological mesoregions: Orlice Table (west), Orlické Foothills (centre), Orlické Mountains (east) and Svitavy Uplands (small part in the southwest). The highest point of the district is the mountain Velká Deštná in Deštné v Orlických horách with an elevation of 1,116 m (3,661 ft), the lowest point is the river bed of the Orlice in Týniště nad Orlicí at 240 m (790 ft).
From the total district area of 982.1 km2 (379.2 sq mi), agricultural land occupies 520.1 km2 (200.8 sq mi), forests occupy 373.1 km2 (144.1 sq mi), and water area occupies 13.4 km2 (5.2 sq mi). Forests cover 38.0% of the district's area.[1]
The most significant river is the Divoká Orlice, which forms the Czech-Polish border and then crosses the district in the south. It then connects with the Tichá Orlice within the district to form the Orlice River. Other notable rivers are the Dědina, Bělá and Zdobnice. The largest body of water is the fishpond Broumar with an area of 67 ha (170 acres).[3]
