Vistula

Template:River

Vistula (Polish Wisła, German Weichsel) is the longest river in Poland. It is 1,047 kilometers (678 miles) long and drains about 192,000 square kilometers (74,000 sq. miles), or almost two thirds of Poland's surface.

The Vistula has its source in the south of the country, at Barania Góra (1220m high) in the Beskidy Mountains where it starts with White Little Vistula (Biała Wisełka) and Black Little Vistula (Czarna Wisełka). It then continues to flow over the vast Polish plains, passing several large Polish cities along its way, including Cracow, Sandomierz, Warsaw, Płock, Włocławek, Toruń, Świecie, Tczew and Gdańsk. With a delta and several branches (Leniwka, Przekop, Śmiała Wisła, Martwa Wisła, Nogat and Szkarpawa) it empties into the Vistula Lagoon and Gdansk Bay of the Baltic Sea.

Contents

History

It is not known whether the name Vistula is Indo-European or pre-Indo-European. The name was first recorded by Tacitus in AD 98 in his Germania. During that time the Vistula River ran into the Mare Suebicum, which was later called Baltic Sea. According to him, near the delta lived the East Germanic tribes of the Suebi and Burgundians, on both banks the Goths (see also Gothiscandza and Wielbark culture) and east of them the Aesti, Galindi, Sudauer, Borusci, Veneti, and more. There he described people on the most eastern part of the Mare Suebicum, the Fenni.

 estuary into Vistula at
Enlarge
Bugo-Narew estuary into Vistula at Modlin

However, Tacitus' knowledge of the different peoples was second-hand at best; as such, it should be taken with a grain of salt. He also used the term "Germans" not for describing ethnicity, for example when describing Wenets (Veneds, Venets), Peucyns and Fenns he wrote, that he isn't sure if he should call them Germans, since they have settlements and they fight on foot, or rather Sarmats since they have some similar customs to them.

Ptolemy also recorded the Germanic(?) tribes at the Vistula River.

The Vistula river is only a short portage from the Dnieper River, and thence to the Black Sea. Boats could be rolled from one river to the next there. What later became the city of Kiev in Ukraine was earlier known by its Gothic name of Danapirstadir "City on the Dnieper". The Baltic Sea-Vistula-Dnieper-Black Sea water route was one of the most ancient trade-routes, the Amber Road, on which amber and other items were traded from Northern Europe to Greece, Asia, Egypt, and elsewhere.

Towns and tributaries

Missing image
Wisla-kolo-Torunia.jpg
Vistula valley south of Toruń


Vistula flooding south of , 2004
Enlarge
Vistula flooding south of Warsaw, 2004

Vistula

Town Tributaries Remarks
Wisła river source
Ustroń
Skoczów Brennica
Strumień Krajka
Goczałkowice-Zdrój
Czechowice-Dziedzice Biała
Brzeszcze
Oświęcim Soła
Zator Skawa
Skawina Skawinka
Kraków Sanka, Rudawka, Prądnik, Dłubnia, Wilga most are canalized streams
Niepołomice
Nowe Brzesko
Nowy Korczyn Nida
Szczucin
Polaniec Czarna
Baranów Sandomierski Babolówka
Tarnobrzeg
Sandomierz Koprzywianka, Trzesniówka
Zawichost
Annopol Sanna
Józefów nad Wisłą
Solec nad Wisłą
Kazimierz Dolny Bystra
Puławy Kurówka
Dęblin Wieprz
Magnuszew
Wilga Wilga
Góra Kalwaria Czarna
Karczew
Otwock, Józefów Świder
Konstancin-Jeziorna Jeziorka
Warsaw Żerań canal several other minor streams
Łomianki
Legionowo
Modlin Bugonarew Narew and Bug rivers combined
Zakroczym
Czerwińsk nad Wisłą
Wyszogród Bzura
Płock Słupianka, Brzeźnica
Dobrzyń nad Wisłą
Włocławek Zgłowiączka
Nieszawa Mień
Ciechocinek
Toruń Drwęca, Bacha
Solec Kujawski
Bydgoszcz Brda canalized
Chełmno
Świecie Wda
Grudziądz
Nowe
Gniew Wierzyca
Near Kwidzyń Vistula is divided onto two separate branches
that constitute the river delta
Nogat Leniwka
Town Tributaries Remarks Town Tributaries Remarks
Sztum Tczew
Malbork Gdańsk Motława, Radunia, Potok Oliwski in the city the river is divided onto several separate branches that reach the Baltic sea at different points, the main branch reaches the sea at Westerplatte
Elbląg Elbląg shortly before reaching the Vistula Bay



Right tributaries

List of right tributaries with a nearby city

Left tributaries

List of left tributaries with a nearby city

See also

de:Weichsel et:Wisła he:ויסלה ja:ヴィスワ川 lv:Visla nl:Wisla pl:Wisła pt:Vķstula ru:Висла (река)

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