This virtually unspoilt wild stream with a length of 33 km (21 mi) is known for the picturesque gorge in its middle reaches.

The name Pockau, which was recorded in similar form in 1292, probably comes from the Czech and means "opposed", i.e. a stream flowing from Bohemia towards the north.

The Black Pockau rises 890 metres above sea level (NHN) in a raised bog northeast of the Jelení hora in the Bohemian Ore Mountains.

Around 1985, a dam with a storage capacity of 3.5 million cubic metres (120×10^6 cu ft) was planned to be built in the southern section, which would have seen the loss of Kühnhaide.

In running through this ravine-like valley, the river passes historically important witnesses to the settlement of the Ore Mountains located on the left and right banks or in the nearby vicinity.

In the remote Pobershau scattered village of Hinterer Grund a hydropower station is fed by water from an artificial ditch or Kunstgraben.

Near Niederlauterstein, where the Lautenbach stream joins the river, the Black Pockau passes the ruins of Lauterstein Castle.