Vistula

This article describes the flow. For further meanings see Vistula (disambiguation) .

Vistula is a redirect to this article. For the asteroid see (16689) Vistula .

Vistula
Vistula with catchment area and tributaries
Data
location	Poland
River system	Vistula
source	Silesian Beskids near Wisła 49 ° 36 ′ 42 ″  N , 19 ° 0 ′ 38 ″  E
Source height	approx.  1100  m above sea level NN
muzzle	in the Baltic Sea near Danzig Coordinates: 54 ° 21 ′ 37 "  N , 18 ° 57 ′ 10"  E 54 ° 21 ′ 37 "  N , 18 ° 57 ′ 10"  E
Mouth height	0  m above sea level NN
Height difference	approx. 1100 m
Bottom slope	approx. 1 ‰
length	1048 km
Catchment area	194,424 km²
Drain	MQ	1080 m³ / s
Big cities	Krakow , Warsaw , Bydgoszcz , Toruń , Gdansk
Navigable	914 km, from Zabrzeg

Location of the Vistula in the Polish water network

Source river Czarna Wisełka

Jezioro Czerniańskie

Krakow Gate at Tyniec

From Wartenberg Castle

Norbertan convent in Krakow

Wawel in Krakow

Pauline Basilica in Kazimierz

Castle in Sandomierz

Vistula breakthrough near Janowiec

Vistula breakthrough at Kazimierz Dolny

Castle in Czersk

Warsaw old town

Warsaw New Town

Confluence of the Narew (left) and Vistula (right) near Modlin

Plock

Dobrzyń nad Wisłą

Toruń

Bydgoszcz

Chełmno

Grudziądz

From Mewe Castle in Gniew

Malbork in the Vistula Delta

Elbing in the Vistula Delta

Gdansk in the Vistula Delta

Estuary at Mikoszewo

Port in Gdansk

Estuary at Danzig

The Vistula ( Polish Wisła (  [ ˈvʲiswa ] ), Czech Visla , Latin Vistula ) is a 1048 kilometer long and by European standards largely unregulated and natural river and the longest river in Poland . The catchment area also includes parts of Slovakia , Belarus and Ukraine . The longest course of water in their river system is the 1213 kilometers from the source of the Western Bug to the Baltic Sea.

The spelling W (e) ixel or Wissel can also be found on old maps .

etymology

There is disagreement as to whether the name Vistula is of Indo-European or pre-Indo-European origin. The Polish name Wisła is derived from the Latin Vistla . The letter pair -tl- was simply replaced by the Polish -ł-. This is also the name of the first city through which the Vistula flows.

course

Upper course

Silesian Beskids and Silesian Foothills

The river has its source in the municipality of the town of the same name in the Silesian Beskids at an altitude of 1107 m above sea level. NN or 1080 m. ü. NN on the south-western slope of the Barania Góra from the streams Czarna Wisełka and Biała Wisełka , which flow into the Jezioro Czerniańskie reservoir after nine and seven kilometers, respectively . The outflowing mountain stream is called Wisełka and only becomes the Vistula when the Malinka flows into it. In Ustroń it leaves the Silesian Beskids and flows through the densely populated Silesian foothills around Skoczów , where it takes up the Brennica , which also rises in the Silesian Beskids .

Auschwitz Basin and Krakow Gate

After leaving the mountains, the Vistula flows into the Auschwitz basin and turns to the east, where it forms part of the historical border between Upper Silesia and Lesser Poland . Shortly after Strumień it flows into the Goczałkowice Reservoir . It is navigable below the dam. Behind Auschwitz and the inclusion of the Soła , the wide Auschwitz basin narrows to the Krakauer Tor between the Gross Salzer Mountains in the south and the Tenczyner Ridge , part of the Krakow-Czestochowa Jura , in the north. About 70 km after the reservoir, the Vistula flows through the old royal city of Krakow (Kraków).

Sandomir Basin

In Krakow , the Vistula leaves the narrow Krakow Basin and flows into the large tectonic depression of the Sandomir Basin , where it receives from the right the water of numerous Carpathian rivers that drain the Beskids , Pieninen and Tatras . In the Sandomir Basin, the Vistula flows eastward, on the southern edge of the Kraków-Czestochowa Jura and the Holy Cross Mountains . South of the basin joins the Subcarpathian Mountains and then the Roztocze to the east . From Niepołomice 25 km east of Kraków to a little below the mouth of the San , the Vistula was the border between the Habsburg Galicia and the Russian Empire from 1815 to 1916 . 70 km behind Niepołomice, the Dunajec , which has its origins in the High Tatras , flows into the Vistula. Soon after Sandomierz , the Bieszczady flows into the San, the easternmost Carpathian river, which drains into the Vistula. The upper course of the Vistula ends with the confluence of the two rivers south of Zawichost .

Middle course

Lesser Poland Vistula Gorge

From Zawichost onwards, the Vistula Gorge begins to break through the Polish Plateau between the Lublin highlands in the east and the Kielc highlands in the west. Here it flows past old trading towns such as Kazimierz Dolny and Janowiec .

Mazovian Plain

Further north near Puławy the Vistula reaches the Polish Plain , specifically the Mazovian Plain . Its poorly regulated middle course is characterized by numerous meanders and sandbanks that make shipping difficult. On the northern edge of its central reaches, the Vistula flows through the Polish capital in the Warsaw Basin .

Lower course

Glacial valleys

The lower course begins at the confluence of the Narew in the Vistula. Shortly after Warsaw it reaches the area of ​​predominantly east-west oriented glacial valleys through which it flows from the east, shortly before united, the Bug and Narew. Here it turns strongly to the west in the Warsaw-Berlin glacial valley , to which the Thorn-Eberswalder glacial valley closes, and passes Płock , Dobrzyń nad Wisłą , Włocławek and Thorn . A large dam with a hydroelectric power station has existed near Włocławek since 1970 .

In Bydgoszcz , the city center is not on power, it leaves the great east-west glacial valley and breaks in the Unterer Vistula in Fordon breakthrough the Baltic country back . This includes the Pomeranian Lake District between the Vistula and the Oder , and the Masurian Lake District between the Vistula and Nyemen . In the last two decades of the 20th century, extensive regulatory measures were carried out on the middle reaches to improve navigability .

delta

→ Main article : Vistula Delta

The flow of the river into the Baltic Sea was naturally blocked by the dune ridge of the Danzig Inland Spit , the western part of the Fresh Spit (Mierzeja Wiślana). A delta has formed between the ridge and the dune ridge. Shortly after Gniew ( Gniew ) which branches off to the east Nogat from, which was only in 1371 by a flood of self-flow (again) for Weichselarm and in the area of Elblag lowland into the Vistula Lagoon (Polish Zalew Wiślany so Vistula ) opens. Shortly before the dunes killing time naturally the main stream of the Vistula in the branched Elbinger or Konigsberg Vistula ( Szkarpawa ) , which also empties into the Vistula Lagoon and until the early 19th century was the main stream, as well as in the Gdansk Vistula, which near the town of Gdansk to The dune ridge broke through and which flowed into the Gdańsk Bay (Polish: Zatoka Gdańska ). During a flood in 1840, a new Vistula breakthrough emerged halfway between the fork and Danzig, whereupon the lower western part of the old estuary silted up. In the years 1889 to 1895, the dune ridge was pierced at the fork in order to reduce the risk of flooding in the Vistula Delta. Since most of the Vistula water flows through this Vistula breakthrough , in Polish Przekop Wisły , into the Baltic Sea, the Gdańsk Vistula as a whole has silted up and has increasingly been called Dead Vistula, in Polish Martwa Wisła .

The eastern arm of the Vistula, Szkarpawa, has in turn formed a delta. Its northernmost arm is still called Wisła Królewiecka ( Königsberg Vistula) .

history

The first written mention of the Vistula is a little more than 2000 years old and comes from Roman-ancient authors. During antiquity, the amber route ran from the Roman Empire over the Moravian Gate and along the Vistula, at whose confluence with the Baltic Sea was the Turso amber trading center .

Pomponius Mela named in 44 AD in the third book of the Chorographia (3.27) the visula as the border between Germania and Sarmatia . Pliny explicitly mentioned two names in his natural history (4.52, 4.89) in AD 77 : " Visculus sive Vistla ". The Vistla River therefore flowed into the Mare Suebicum , which is now known as the Baltic Sea.

Pliny also referred to the Vistula as the border river between the Germanic and Sarmatic areas of influence. Pliny referred to the East Germans living in the Vistula region as Vandili (Vandals) and named the sub-tribes Burgodiones ( Burgundians ) , Varinnae , Charini and Gutones (Goths) . The Goths only settled in the lower and middle Vistula in the last century before the turn of the times, but began to migrate again as early as 200 AD and can no longer be detected there from the 5th century.

Apart from the migratory movements, the names also changed: In his Germania, Tacitus called the Aesti or Aisti (probably synonymous with today's name Balten ) living east of the mouth of the Vistula as Germanic, but indicated that they were a language similar to British (Celtic) speak and distinguish them from the Suebi .

From the 5th / 6th Century AD. Slavic settlements on the Vistula are proven. Between the Germanic and Slavic settlement periods, there was a considerable loss of emigration in these areas. In the Germanic written tradition of the Vistula forests ( Widsith , verse 121) - "the people who live on the Vistula" (in the area of ​​the Przeworsk culture ) - the homeland of the Saxons and other Teutons are:

Wulfhere sohte ic ond Wyrmhere; ful oft þær wig ne alæg, þonne Hræda here heardum sweordum ymb Wistlawudu wergan sceoldon ealdne eþelstol ætlan leodum.

When Jordanes wrote a chronicle of the Goths, Getica , in the 6th century , he named the river Vistula. He also described two other rivers with the name Viscla. This name refers to the Wisłoka tributary and the San , Wisłok tributary .

Around 850 AD, the Prussians , who mostly live east of the mouth of the Vistula, were mentioned by the Bavarian geographer as "Bruz".

One of the first Polish chroniclers, Wincenty Kadłubek, described the Vistula as the hometown of the Vandals , from whom he derived the Polish legend of Wanda .

In the High Middle Ages, the Vistula gained an important role as a trade route from Krakow to Gdansk . However, the Vistula trade was affected by the occupation of Danzig by the Teutonic Order in 1308. After the Second Peace of Thorn in 1466, the Vistula was again completely on Polish territory. The more than 300 years between the Peace of Thorne and the First Partition of Poland in 1772 are considered to be the heyday of the Vistula trade and Gdańsk as a trading center that connected Poland-Lithuania with the Western European trading nations of the English and Dutch. Polish grain was exported to Western Europe via the Vistula and Danzig, when Poland-Lithuania was the breadbasket of the continent, and colonial goods were imported from Western Europe.

At the end of the 18th century, after the third partition of Poland , the Vistula and Warta found their way into the Polish national anthem Mazurek Dąbrowskiego as symbols of freedom .

High and low tide

Since the Vistula is only partially regulated, there are often high and low water levels. Floods usually occur on the upper reaches in early summer when the Carpathian rivers bring a lot of rainwater from the mountains into the valley. Floods in the middle and lower reaches usually occur after the snowmelt in spring. Three reservoirs were built on the Vistula for flood protection:

Reservoir	German name	location	image
Jezioro Czerniańskie	Czerna reservoir	Silesian Beskids
Jezioro Goczałkowickie	Goczałkowice Reservoir	Auschwitz basin
Jezioro Włocławskie	Włocławek Reservoir	Lower Vistula Valley

A fourth barrage is planned in Siarzewo . In addition, there are numerous reservoirs on the tributaries of the Vistula in the Beskids and Pienines , which are supposed to protect against flooding after heavy rain or snowmelt in the mountains:

Reservoir	German name	flow	Drained mountains	image
Jezioro Wielka Łąka	Large meadow reservoir	Wapienica	Silesian Beskids
Jezioro Żywiec	Żywiec reservoir	Soła	Saybuscher Basin , Silesian , Saybuscher , Little Beskids
Jezioro Międzybrodzkie	Międzybrodzie reservoir	Soła	Little Beskids
Jezioro Czanieckie	Czaniec reservoir	Soła	Little Beskids
Zbiornik Świnna Poręba	Świnna Poręba reservoir	Skawa	Little Beskids , Makov Beskids
Jezioro Dobczyckie	Dobczyce reservoir	Raba	Makov Beskids
Jezioro Czorsztyńskie	Czorsztyn reservoir	Dunajec , Białka	Tatras , Pienines , Gorce , Saybuscher Beskids
Jezioro Sromowskie	Sromowce reservoir	Dunajec	Middle pienins
Jezioro Rożnowskie	Rożnów Reservoir	Dunajec	Sandets Beskids
Jezioro Czchowskie	Czchów Reservoir	Dunajec	Island Beskids
Jezioro Klimkowskie	Klimkówka Reservoir	Ropa	Lower Beskids
Jezioro Sieniawskie	Sieniawa Reservoir	Wisłok	Jasło-Krosno basin
Jezioro Solińskie	Solina reservoir	San	Forest Carpathians , Bieszczady
Jezioro Myczkowskie	Myczkowce reservoir	San	Forest Carpathians , Bieszczady

Other reservoirs for flood protection in the Vistula river system are:

Reservoir	German name	flow	image
Jezioro Chechelskie	Chechło Reservoir	Chechło
Jezioro Brodzkie	Brody Reservoir	Kamienna
Jezioro Chańcza	Chańcza Reservoir	Czarna Staszowska
Jezioro Nielisz	Nielisz reservoir	Wieprz
Jezioro Zemborzyckie	Zemborzycki reservoir	Bystrzyca
Jezioro Domaniowskie	Domaniów Reservoir	Radomka
Jezioro Sulejowski	Sulejów reservoir	Pilica
Jezioro Niewiadoma	Niewiadoma reservoir	Cetynia
Jezioro Siczki	Siczki reservoir	Gzówka
Jezioro Zygmunta Augusta	Sigismund August reservoir	Nereśl
Jezioro Siemianówka	Siemianówka Reservoir	Narew
Jezioro Zegrzyńskie	Zegrze reservoir	Narew
Jezioro Koronowskie	Polish Crown Reservoir	Brda
Jezioro Smukalskie	Smukała reservoir	Brda
Jezioro Żurskie	Żur reservoir	Wda

Between Oświęcim and Nowa Huta in Krakow , the Vistula is regulated to keep the water level stable for shipping and to protect Krakow from floods.

The years 1813, 1844, 1888, 1934, 1960, 1997, 2001, 2010 were particularly severe in the Vistula. In May 2010 there were major floods in Poland (and in other Central European countries) .

In September 2012 the water level in the Vistula was historically low and was 58 cm. During this time, centuries-old artifacts were found on the river floor . In August 2015, a new all-time low of only 41 cm was measured.

Administrative units

Voivodships

Eight voivodeships are part of the Vistula, which makes up half of all 16 Polish voivodships.

Downstream sequence:

coat of arms	Voivodeship	German name
	Województwo śląskie	Silesian Voivodeship
	Województwo małopolskie	Lesser Poland Voivodeship
	Województwo świętokrzyskie	Holy Cross Voivodeship
	Województwo podkarpackie	Subcarpathian Voivodeship
	Województwo lubelskie	Lublin Voivodeship
	Województwo mazowieckie	Masovian Voivodeship
	Województwo kujawsko-pomorskie	Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship
	Województwo pomorskie	Pomeranian Voivodeship

cities and communes

Downriver sequence, major cities in bold, population figures of cities as of December 31, 2016, municipalities that are not cities, in italics:

local community	German name	circle	Residents	image
Wisła	Vistula	Powiat Cieszyński	11,048
Ustroń	Ustron	Powiat Cieszyński	16,065
Harbutowice	Harbutowitz	Powiat Cieszyński	883
Górki Wielkie	Great Gurek	Powiat Cieszyński	3950
Skoczów	Skotschau	Powiat Cieszyński	14,502
Strumień	Black water	Powiat Cieszyński	3643
Zabrzeg		Powiat Bielski	3107
Goczałkowice-Zdrój	Bad Gottschalkowitz	Powiat Pszczyński	6689
Czechowice-Dziedzice	Czechowitz-Dzieditz	Powiat Bielski	35,725
Brzeszcze		Powiat Oświęcimski	11,430
Oświęcim	Auschwitz	Powiat Oświęcimski	38,972
Skawina	Konradshof	Powiat Krakowski	24,317
Kraków	Krakow		765.320
Niepołomice	Niepolomitz	Powiat Wielicki	12 507
Szczucin		Powiat Dąbrowski	4170
Baranów Sandomierski		Powiat Tarnobrzeski	1478
Tarnobrzeg			47,595
Sandomierz	Sandomir	Powiat Sandomierski	23,993
Zavichost		Powiat Sandomierski	1,817
Annopol		Powiat Kraśnicki	2606
Józefów nad Wisłą		Powiat Opolski	921
Janowiec		Powiat Puławski	1000
Kazimierz Dolny		Powiat Puławski	2,594
Puławy		Powiat Puławski	48,408
Dęblin	Demblin	Powiat Rycki	16,526
Góra Kalwaria	Calvary	Powiat Piaseczyński	11,868
Otwock		Powiat Otwocki	44 873
Warszawa	Warsaw		1,753,977
Czerwińsk nad Wisłą		Powiat Płoński	1089
Plock	Plotzk		121,295
Dobrzyń nad Wisłą	Dobrin	Powiat Lipnowski	2,221
Włocławek	Leslau		112,483
Nieszawa	Nessau	Powiat Aleksandrowski	1,950
Ciechocinek	Hermannsbad	Powiat Aleksandrowski	10,526
Toruń	Thorn		202,521
Solec Kujawski	Schulitz	Powiat Bydgoski	15,660
Bydgoszcz	Bromberg		353.938
Chełmno	Kulm	Powiat Chełmiński	19,991
Świecie	Schwetz	Powiat Świecki	25,974
Grudziądz	Graudenz		95,964
Nowe	Neuchâtel	Powiat Świecki	5,994
Gniew	Mewe	Powiat Tczewski	6,840
Malbork	Marienburg	Powiat Malborski	38,848
Tczew	Dirschau	Powiat Tczewski	60,276
Gdańsk	Danzig		463.754
Mikoszewo	Nickelswalde	Powiat Nowodworski	710

Tributaries

Sequence downstream with length information (from 300 km bold), runoff and size of the catchment area; indented tributaries of the tributaries near the mouth

main power

flow	German name	direction	length	Catchment area	Headwaters	image
Biała Wisełka	Little White Vistula	right	7 km		Silesian Beskids
Malinka		right	8 kilometers		Silesian Beskids
Gościejów		right	4.3 km		Silesian Beskids
Kopydło		Left	7.6 km		Silesian Beskids
Dziechcinka		Left	5.3 km		Silesian Beskids
Jawornik		Left	4.8 km		Silesian Beskids
Dobka		right	5.7 km		Silesian Beskids
Gościeradowiec		right	2.8 km		Silesian Beskids
Brennica	Brennitz	right	16.8 km		Silesian Beskids
Bładnica		Left	12.5 km	42.1 km²	Silesian promontory
Knajka		Left	19 km	68.8 km²	Silesian promontory
Iłownica		right	27.88 km	201.1 km²	Silesian promontory
Biała	Bialka	right	28.6 km	139 km²	Silesian Beskids
Pszczynka		Left	45.26 km		Silesian plateau
Gostynia		Left	32.1 km	349 km²	Silesian plateau
Przemsza	Perzemsa	Left	28 km	2121 km²	Silesian plateau
Soła	Sola	right	80 km	1400 km²	Saybuscher Beskids
Chechło		Left	26 km	116 km²	Krakow-Czestochowa Jura
Skawa	Look	right	78 km	1160 km²	Saybuscher Beskids
Skawinka		right	34 km	365 km²	Makov Beskids
Sanka		Left	18.3 km	94 km²	Krakow-Czestochowa Jura
Rudawa		Left	35.8 km	318.3 km²	Krakow-Czestochowa Jura
Wilga		right	26.7 km	101.1 km²	Pogórze Wielickie
Prądnik		Left	34.5 km	195.8 km²	Krakow-Czestochowa Jura
Dłubnia		Left	50.76 km	272 km²	Krakow-Czestochowa Jura
Raba		right	132 km	1537 km²	Gorce
Szreniawa		Left	80 km	706 km²	Krakow-Czestochowa Jura
Uszwica		right	61.2 km	323 km²	Island Beskids
Nidzica		Left	66 km	708 km²	Krakow-Czestochowa Jura
Dunajec	Dohnst	right	247 km	6804 km²	High Tatras , Western Tatras
Nida		Left	151 km	3865 km²	Heiligkreuzgebirge
Breń		right	52 km		Tarnow plateau
Czarna Staszowska		Left	61 km	1358 km²	Heiligkreuzgebirge
Wisłoka	Wittewater	right	164 km	4110 km²	Lower Beskids
Babulówka		right	32 km		Sandomir Basin
Koprzywianka		Left	66 km	707 km²	Heiligkreuzgebirge
Trześniówka		right	57 km	570 km²	Sandomir Basin
Łęg		right	81 km	960 km²	Sandomir Basin
San	Saan	right	433 km	16,861 km²	Bieszczady
Opatówka		Left	51 km	282 km²	Heiligkreuzgebirge
Sanna		right	51 km	606 km²	Lublin highlands
Wyżnica		right	42.5 km	508 km²	Lublin highlands
Kamienna		Left	138 km	2008 km²	Kielc highlands
Iłżanka		Left	77 km	1127 km²	Kielc highlands
Zwoleńka		Left	37 km	230.2 km²	Central Mazovian Plain
Chodelka		right	49.3 km	566 km²	Lublin highlands
Plewka		Left	27.88 km		Central Mazovian Plain
Kurówka		right	50 km	395.4 km²	Lublin highlands
Wieprz		right	303 km	10,400 km²	Roztocze
Zagożdżonka		Left	46.21 km	568.5 km²	Central Mazovian Plain
Radomka		Left	100 km	2000 km²	South Mazovian hill country
Wilga		right	67 km	569 km²	Żelechów ridge
Pilica	Pilitza	Left	319 km	9245 km²	Krakow-Czestochowa Jura
Świder		right	85 km		Żelechów ridge
Jeziorka		Left	66.3 km	975.3 km²	Central Mazovian Plain
Narew	Nare	right	484 km	75,200 km²	Białowieża Primeval Forest
Bzura		Left	166 km	7660 km²	Central Mazovian Plain
Skrwa Lewa	Left Skrwa	Left	51.7 km		Central Mazovian Plain
Skrwa Prawa	Right Skrwa	right	114 km	1704 km²	Kulm-Dobrzyner Lake District
Zgłowiączka		Left	79 km	1496 km²	Kuyavian Lake District
Mień	Meinbach	right	53.5 km		Kulmsee-Dobrzyner Seenplatte
Tążyna	Tonzyna	right	49.8 km		Greater Poland Lake District
Drwęca	Drewenz	right	253 km		Masurian Lake District
Zielona Struga	Green flow	Left	34.3 km		Greater Poland Lake District
Struga Toruńska	Bostoltz	right	51.5 km	371 km	Kulmsee Lake District
Brda	Brahe	Left	238 km	4634 km²	Bytower Lake District
Struga Niewieścińska		Left	11 km		South Pomeranian Lake District
Fryba	Fribbe	right	39.6 km		Kulmsee Lake District
Wda	Black water	Left	210 km	2345 km²	Bytower Lake District
Osa	Ossa	right	96 km	1600 km²	Eylauer Seenplatte
Wierzyca	heel	Left	112 km	1600 km²	Kashubian Lake District

delta

Lenivka

flow	German name	direction	length	Catchment area	Headwaters	image
Canal Młyński	Mills digging	Left	8.2 km		Vistula Delta
Przekop Wisły	Vistula puncture	muzzle	7.1 km		Vistula Delta

Nogat

flow	German name	direction	length	Catchment area	Headwaters	image
Liwa	love	right	111.4 km	990.8 km²	Eylauer Seenplatte
Młynówka Malborska		right	29.3 km		Eylauer Seenplatte
Canal Jagielloński	Jagiellonian Canal	right	5.7 km		Vistula Delta

Szkarpawa

flow	German name	direction	length	Catchment area	Headwaters	image
Szkarpawa		muzzle	25.4 km	780 km²	Vistula Delta
Wisla Królewiecka	Konigsberg Vistula	muzzle	11.5 km		Vistula Delta

Wisła Śmiała

flow	German name	direction	length	Catchment area	Headwaters	image
Wisła Śmiała		muzzle	2.5 km		Vistula Delta

Martwa Wisła

flow	German name	direction	length	Catchment area	Headwaters	image
Czarna Łacha		Left	7 km		Danzig Werder
Opływ Motławy		Left	7 km		Danzig Werder
Motława	Motlawa	Left	65 km	1511.3 km²	Starogard Lake District
Strzyża	Strießbach	Left	9.4 km	22 km²	Kashubian Lake District

Channel connections

channel	German name	connection	image
Kanał Augustowski	Augustów Canal	Narew - Biebrza - Kanał Augustowski - Czarna Hańcza - Nyemen
Canal Dniepr-Bug	Dnieper Bug Canal	Narew - Western Bug - Dnieper Bug Canal - Dnieper
Channel Bachorze	Bachorze Canal	Zgłowiączka - Bachorze Canal - Jezioro Gopło
Canal Bydgoski	Bromberger Canal	Brda - Kanał Bydgoski - Noteć - Warta - Oder
Kanał Notecki	Networks channel	Brda - Bydgoski - Kanał Notecki - Gopło - Kanał Ślesiński - Warta
Ślesiński Canal	Ślesiński Canal	Brda - Bydgoski - Kanał Notecki - Gopło - Ślesiński Channel - Warta
Canal Jagielloński	Kraffohlkanal	Nogat - Jagielloński Canal - Elbląg - Ostródzko-Elbląski Canal - Ostróda
Canal Ostródzko-Elbląski	Oberland Canal	Nogat - Jagielloński Canal - Elbląg - Ostródzko-Elbląski Canal - Ostróda

traffic

shipping

The Vistula is navigable from just before Oświęcim to Gdansk , although in the upper reaches only the section Oświęcim to Nowa Huta in Krakow is developed as the Upper Vistula waterway with locks and canals. Below Krakow, the river meanders back to its original state, which makes more intensive navigation outside of tourist use by small pleasure boats and kayaks impossible. From Warsaw to Gdansk, the Vistula is navigable again for larger ships. It is part of the international waterways E40 from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea and E70 from Antwerp to Klaipėda .

railroad

Already in its headwaters in the Silesian Beskids , the upper reaches of the Vistula is accompanied by the Goleszów – Wisła Głębce railway line . All major cities on the Vistula are connected to the Polish railway network.

Street

Voivodeship road 941 runs below the Vistula springs . Voivodeship roads accompany the Vistula on its course, only in its lower reaches it is accompanied by the A1 motorway from Włocławek to Toruń and from Grudziądz to Gdańsk .

bicycle

The 1200 km long Vistula long-distance cycle path along the river from Wisła to Gdansk has been completed in sections and will be expanded further. The sections from the springs to Szczucin in the Silesian and Lesser Poland Voivodeships and from Dobrzyń nad Wisłą to Kwidzyn in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship are currently finished, which together makes up about half of the route.

natural reserve

The Vistula flows through numerous forests, for example through the Sandomir Primeval Forest , as well as through numerous nature reserves (or there are nature reserves in the Vistula Valley, for example the Zbocza Płutowskie nature reserve and nature protection areas 2000, such as the Wiśliska ).

Nature reserves directly on the Vistula:

Bird sanctuary

Bird sanctuary	German name	Identifier	image
Dolina Górnej Wisły	Upper Vistula Valley	PLB240001
Stawy w Brzeszczach	Brzeszczy ponds	PLB120009
Dolina Dolnej Skawy	Lower Skawatal	PLB120005
Małopolski Przełom Wisły	Lesser Poland Vistula Gorge	PLB140006
Dolina Środkowej Wisły	Middle Vistula Valley	PLB140004
Dolina Dolnej Wisły	Lower Vistula Valley	PLB040003
Ujście Wisły	Vistula estuary	PLB220004

Habitat reserves

Habitat reserves	German name	Identifier	image
Beskid Śląski	Silesian Beskids	PLH240005
Jezioro Goczałkowickie	Goczałkowice Reservoir	PLH240039
Tarnobrzeska Dolina Wisły	Tarnobrzeg Vistula Valley	PLH180049
Dolina Dolnego Sanu	Lower Santal	PLH180020
Przełom Wisły w Małopolsce	Lesser Poland Vistula Gorge	PLH060045
Kampinoska Dolina Wisły	Kampinos Vistula Valley	PLH140029
Włocławska Dolina Wisły	Włocławek Vistula Valley	PLH040039
Nieszawska Dolina Wisły	Nessauer Weichseltal	PLH040012
Dybowska Dolina Wisły	Dybower Weichseltal	PLH040011
Solecka Dolina Wisły	Solec Vistula Valley	PLH040003
Dolna Wisla	Lower Vistula	PLH220033
Ostoja w Ujściu Wisły	Vistula estuary	PLH220044
Twierdza Wisłoujście	Weichselmünde fortress	PLH220030

Nature reserves

Nature reserves	German name	image
Rezerwat przyrody Barania Góra	Barania Góra Nature Reserve
Rezerwat przyrody Wisła	Vistula nature reserve
Rezerwat przyrody Wisła pod Zawichostem	Vistula nature reserve near Zawichost
Rezerwat przyrody Krowia Wyspa	Krowia Wyspa nature reserve
Rezerwat przyrody Łachy Brzeskie	Łachy Brzeskie nature reserve
Rezerwat przyrody Wyspy Świderskie	Wyspy Świderskie nature reserve
Rezerwat przyrody Ławice Kiełpińskie	Ławice Kiełpińskie Nature Reserve
Rezerwat przyrody Kępy Kazuńskie	Kępy Kazuńskie Nature Reserve
Rezerwat przyrody Zakole Zakroczymskie	Zakole Zakroczymskie Nature Reserve
Rezerwat przyrody Wikliny Wiślane	Wikliny Wiślane nature reserve
Rezerwat przyrody Kępa Rakowska	Kępa Rakowska Nature Reserve
Rezerwat przyrody Kępa Antonińska	Kępa Antonińska Nature Reserve
Rezerwat przyrody Wyspy Zakrzewskie	Wyspy Zakrzewskie Nature Reserve
Rezerwat przyrody Wyspy Białobrzeskie	Wyspy Białobrzeskie Nature Reserve
Rezerwat przyrody Kępa Wykowska	Kępa Wykowska Nature Reserve
Rezerwat przyrody Ławice Troszyńskie	Ławice Troszyńskie Nature Reserve

Landscape protection parks

Landscape protection park	German name	Homepage	image
Park Krajobrazowy Beskidu Śląskiego	Silesian Beskids Landscape Protection Park	Homepage
Bielańsko-Tyniecki Park Krajobrazowy	Bielany-Tyniec landscape protection park	Homepage
Kazimierski Park Krajobrazowy	Kazimierz Landscape Protection Park	Homepage
Nadwiślański Park Krajobrazowy	Vistula Landscape Park	Homepage
Nadwiślański Park Krajobrazowy	Chełmino Landscape Protection Park	Homepage

Nature parks

Nature parks	German name
Obszar Chronionego Krajobrazu Doliny Wisły	Vistula Valley Nature Park
Obszar Chronionego Krajobrazu Solec nad Wisłą	Solec nad Wisłą Nature Park
Chodelsky Obszar Chronionego Krajobrazu	Chodelsky Nature Park
Nadwiślański Obszar Chronionego Krajobrazu	Vistula Natural Park
Obszar Chronionego Krajobrazu rzeki Pilicy i Drzewiczki	Pilica and Drzewiczk Valleys Natural Park
Warszawski Obszar Chronionego Krajobrazu	Warsaw Nature Park
Obszar Chronionego Krajobrazu Niziny Ciechocińskiej	Ciechocinek plain
Obszar Chronionego Krajobrazu Doliny Kwidzyńskiej	Kwidzyn Valley
Obszar Chronionego Krajobrazu Białej Góry	Biała Góra Natural Park
Obszar Chronionego Krajobrazu Rzeki Nogat	Nogat Nature Park
Środkowożuławski Obszar Chronionego Krajobrazu	Mittlere Werder Nature Park
Obszar Chronionego Krajobrazu Żuław Gdańskich	Danziger Werder Nature Park
Obszar Chronionego Krajobrazu Wyspy Sobieszewskiej	Sobieszewska Island Nature Park

National park

The Kampinos National Park in Mazovia extends from the south to the Vistula.

See also

• Vistula basin
• Vistula Museum (Tczew)
• Bromberger Weichselknie
• List of rivers in Poland
• Weichselwerder

literature

• Ernst Bahr: Vistula . In: Handbook of historical sites , East and West Prussia . Alfred Kröner Verlag, Stuttgart 1981, ISBN 3-520-31701-X , pp. 238-239.
• Franz Brandstäter: The Vistula. Historic, topographical, picturesque. Marienwerder 1855 ( online ).
• Heinrich Girard: The north German plain, especially between the Elbe and the Vistula, is shown geologically . Berlin 1855, pp. 251-262 ( online ).
• Andrzej Piskozub (editor / editor): Wisła. Monografia rzeki. Warsaw, 1982 (Polish standard work in Poland)
• Jürgen Udolph : Vistula. Namely. In: Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde , Volume 33, De Gruyter, Berlin-New York 2006, pp. 356–358.
• Szymon Brzeski: Wisła. Królowa polskich rzek. Warszawa 2017, Przedsiębiorstwo Handlowo-Wydawnicze "Arystoteles" (publisher), ISBN 978-83-8038-141-4

Web links

Commons : Vistula  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Wikivoyage: Vistula  - travel guide

• Wody w Polsce - Waters of Poland (Polish)
• bpb.de, history in flux. Rivers in Europe - focus on the Vistula
• The Vistula Boulevard in Warsaw - history and meaning of the Vistula in Warsaw (German)

Footnotes

1. ^ Szymon Brzeski: Wisła. Królowa polskich rzek . 1st edition. Przedsiębiorstwo Handlowo-Wydawnicze "Arystoteles", Warszawa 2017, ISBN 978-83-8038-141-4 , p. 5 .
2. ↑ Gdansk inland spit and Vistula puncture
3. ↑ MAPSTER: Topographical Map 1679 Nickelswalde ( Memento from January 30, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) (1940)
4. ^ Szymon Brzeski: Wisła. Królowa polskich rzek . 1st edition. Przedsiębiorstwo Handlowo-Wydawnicze "Arystoteles", Warszawa 2017, ISBN 978-83-8038-141-4 , p. 9 .