Neman is a river originating in the south of the Minsk Upland. It flows through Lithuania, Belarus and the Kaliningrad region. Its total length is 937 kilometers, and the territory of the drainage basin is 98 thousand square kilometers. In the lower part of the Neman is a natural natural border between the Russian Federation and Lithuania. The river is considered the cleanest water flow in Belarus. The reason for this is the low population density and the absence of industrial enterprises along the coast and in the basin. The Neman is the largest river in Lithuania, the 3rd largest in Belarus and the 14th largest in Europe. The water stream flows into the Curonian Lagoon of the B altic Sea. This is a lagoon between the mainland and the spit. On its bank stands the Lithuanian city of Klaipeda.
Hydrology and hydrography of the Neman
Neman is a river with mixed water supply. But in the upper reaches it is mostly snowy, in the lower reaches it is rainy. The basin of the water flow has a high index of lakes - 2.5%. Water consumption per year (average) - 678 m3/s. springthe flood lasts for a long time - from mid-March, April and May. Floods are typical for autumn and winter. In summer - low water. Freeze up - in late November - early December, but in warm winters, temporary openings of the river and ice drift are possible. The source is located on the Belarusian Ridge, at an altitude of 176 meters. These are 2 small rivers: Losha and Nemanets. To the borders with Lithuania from these places 459 kilometers.
But the Neman is fickle. The river in its upper reaches has a flat character. And at the intersection of the moraine ridges, the valley of the water stream narrows sharply to one and a half kilometers and cuts to a depth of up to 40 meters. Here the bottom of the channel is rapids and rocky. In the lacustrine-glacial lowlands, the Neman valley expands up to 20 kilometers. The bottom becomes sandy, islands appear in the river, and in the floodplain of the old woman. The banks of the Neman are always asymmetrical. The width of the river in the upper reaches is no more than 40 meters, in the middle - no more than 150 meters, in the lower reaches - up to 400 meters.
History of the Neman
Scientists believe that the river existed in these places more than 1 million years ago. The constant convergence of the Scandinavian glaciers did not interfere with the life of the water stream, as soon as they receded, it reappeared. People first appeared on the banks of the Neman about 12 thousand years ago. In the 10th century, the Slavs settled in the upper reaches, and the ancestors of the Lithuanians settled in the lower reaches. The name of the river has B altic roots and is translated as "home", "our", "ours". The Neman was first mentioned in the Ipatiev Chronicle in connection with the construction of a monastery on the river in the 13th century. But the water stream was included by Ptolemy in the “Map of European Sarmatia” back in the 2nd centuryAD.
Interesting events and facts related to the Neman
Artistic description of the Neman River can be found in the works of such writers and poets as Adam Mickiewicz, Yanka Luchina, Vladislav Syrokomlya and Yakub Kolas. Many songs are dedicated to her, including the most famous folk work "Neman - a marvelous river". During the Great Patriotic War, the river became a symbol of the military brotherhood of Russian and French pilots, which was expressed in the name of the famous Normandie-Niemen squadron. The Polish pianist Czesław Niemen took his stage name after the stream he grew up on.
Took part in the filming of the film "Three in a boat, not counting the dog" Neman. The river became the English Thames. At the Russian fortress of Kovno, standing on the border, the attack of Napoleon's army on the Russian state in 1812 began along 4 bridges. The Neman River gave life to such large cities as Kaunas, Sovetsk and Grodno.
Shipping
Neman is a navigable river. Regular communication has been established on the segment between the Belarusian city of Grodno and the Lithuanian Druskininkai. The lower course of the river is cut off by the Kaunas hydroelectric power station (1959), which is not equipped with a lock. During the "high water" vessels with building materials, timber and other cargo can rise above the confluence of the Berezina tributary into the Neman. Shipping is possible from April to October. You can also go from the Neman to the Vistula and the Dnieper along the canals. In the summer they walk along the riverpleasure boats and river cruises.
Tributaries and canals of the Neman
The river is united with the Dnieper by the Oginsky Canal, built at the end of the 18th century. This waterway was built so that small ships could get from the B altic Sea to the Black Sea. The Neman and the Vistula are connected by the Augustow Canal, built in the first half of the 19th century. It is an architectural monument and is under the protection of UNESCO. The tributaries of the Neman River are numerous - about 180. The largest of them are the Merkys with a length of 206 km; Viliya (its length is 510 km); Shchara (325 km); Shushupe (298 km); Zelvyanka (170 km); Gavia (100 km). Almost all rivers flow from swamps. In the 20th century, in the lower reaches of the swamps, they began to drain for the extraction of peat. The channels of the tributaries began to deepen and level, which significantly disrupted the hydrological regime of both the tributaries and the Neman itself.
Nature of the Neman River
On the banks of the Neman, mixed forest mainly grows, in which there is a predominance of coniferous trees. The main arrays are located on the Berezina River. These are Grodno Forest, Nalibokskaya Forest. Neman is very attractive for fishermen. Bream, pike, crucian carp, perch, bleak, zander and roach are found here. Fishermen never complain about biting on the Neman. After the end of spawning in early June, lovers of active tourism, mainly kayakers, descend on the water. There are ready-made routes from local travel agencies, but you can go on your own. The length of the path from Lida (this is where routes usually begin) can be up to 150 kilometers. The Neman is attractive for all types of tourism: water, cycling, horse riding or hiking. The banks of the river are rich in natural, architectural, historical and archaeological sites.
