Vistula is the longest river not only in Poland, but also in the B altic Sea basin. In terms of water content, it is second only to the Neva. The origins of the Vistula are located at the Baranya Mountain at an altitude of more than 1 thousand meters above sea level in the Western Carpathians (Moravian-Silesian Beskids). Its main sources are Chernaya Wiselka and Belaya Wiselka. The total length of the river is 1047 kilometers, and the area of its basin is 198.5 thousand square kilometers. The Vistula flows into the B altic Sea near the city of Gdansk. The depth of the Vistula in some places reaches 7 meters. The most important tributaries of the river are the San, the Western Bug, the Narew and the Pilica. The maximum width of the channel is 1,000 meters. The Vistula receives its main water supply from tributaries flowing from the Carpathians. The flood of the river depends on melt water. There are floods both in winter and in summer. High and rapid rises in water, as well as ice jams, can lead to flooding. Vistula on the map of Europe is in the middle.
Formation of the Vistula River
The Vistula river appeared on planet Earth in the Quaternary geological period. Maptoday does not convey either the size or the direction of the flow of that waterway. Since then, glaciation has attacked the territory of Poland 8 times, and each time it has displaced the river valley. The Vistula took its current parameters approximately 14 thousand years ago, when the last Scandinavian ice left the mainland. But even today the river continues to form, this is evidenced by the accumulation of precipitation along the entire length of the channel and significant erosion of the banks. The main peculiarity of the Vistula among European rivers is its asymmetry. This is a consequence of the "work" of glaciers. The left side of the basin accounts for only 27%, while the right side accounts for 73%. Three types of terrain are observed along the Vistula: the zone of the Carpathian highlands, the Western European upland and the Eastern European plain.
History of the river and surrounding areas
For the first time the Vistula river is mentioned in the historical chronicles of Pliny the Elder. In the 2nd century AD, the scientist of Ancient Greece Ptolemy wrote that it was the natural border of the territories between the lands of the Sarmatians and the Germans. In ancient Rome, the Vistula River basin was considered the lands of the Germanic tribes. The Slavs settled these territories in the 6th-8th centuries. The Vistleans created a state with three capitals: Krakow, Straduve and Sandomierz. In the 10th century, the country was conquered by another tribe of Slavs - the glades, who created modern Poland. Krakow remained the capital. Polish kings were crowned here until 1610, when Warsaw became the center of the state. The Vistula has always been the most important waterway from the interior of Europe to the B alticsea.
Economic importance of the Vistula
Vistula (Poland) is the country's largest waterway. It contains up to 60% of all water reserves, and its basin covers half of the territory of the state. The Vistula River plays a significant role in the national economy of Poland. It has developed cargo and passenger navigation for ships with a displacement of up to 500 tons. There are several hydroelectric power plants on the Vistula, the largest of which is the Wloclawek hydroelectric power station. Its capacity is more than 160 MW. In addition to supplying housing stock in Poland, the river provides water to industrial enterprises such as the New Huta metallurgical plant and the metallurgy giant Kotowice, petrochemical enterprises in Płock, workshops of the FAS (Warsaw Car Plant), nitrogen fertilizer plants in Wloclawik and many others.
Sights, recreation and tourism
Vistula is a river that is attractive for a variety of recreation. These are hiking and water tourism, as well as river cruises. There are two wonderful landscape parks on it: at the mouth and "Vepsh". The river flows through such large Polish cities as Warsaw, Krakow, Gdansk, Wloclawek, Plock, Tarnobrzeg, Torun and others. An interesting peninsula in the Westerplatte Bay of Gdansk, where the first battles of World War II took place. Traveling along the Vistula, you can see amazing monuments of architecture and history: the Cathedral of St. Stanislaus and Wenceslas in Krakow, the Old Town in Tarnobrzeg, the Royal Castle, Lazensk and presidential palaces - in Warsaw, the Solidarity Bridge in Plock,the town hall and the royal chapel in Gdansk, the home of the famous astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus in Torun, the Czartoryski palace and park ensemble in Puława. Tourist routes along the Vistula have been very popular among Russians in recent years.
