Vistula

Vistula river basin

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

History

The name Vistula is probably "Old-European" ("Venedian" ?) and was 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.

File:Modlin spichlerz.png

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.

Cities

List of cities with nearby tributaries:

Wisła
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:

Leniwka
Town	Tributary	Notes
Tczew
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

Nogat
Town	Tributary	Notes
Sztum
Malbork
Elbląg	Elbląg	shortly before reaching the Vistula Bay

Right tributaries

List of right tributaries with a nearby city

• Brennica - Skoczow
• Iłownica
• Biała - Czechowice-Dziedzice
• Soła
• Skawa - Zator
• Skawinka - Skawina
• Wilga - Krakow
• Drwinka
• Raba
• Gróbka
• Uszwica
• Kisielina
• Dunajec
• Breń
• Brnik
• Wisłoka
• Babulówka - Baranow Sandomierski
• Trzesniówka - Sandomierz
• Łęg - Sandomierz
• San
• Sanna - Annopol
• Wyżnica - Józefów
• Chodelka
• Bystra - Kazimierz Dolny
• Kurówka - Puławy
• Wieprz - Deblin
• Okrzejka
• Promnik
• Wilga - Wilga
• Świder - Otwock, Jozefow
• Kanał Żerański - Warsaw
• Narew with Western Bug and Wkra - Nowy Dwor Mazowiecki
• Mołtawa
• Słupianka - Plock
• Brzeźnica - Plock
• Skrwa - Plock
• Mień - Nieszawa
• Drwęca - Torun
• Bacha - Torun
• Struga
• Osa - Grudziadz
• Liwa

Left tributaries

List of left tributaries with a nearby city

• Krajka - Strumien
• Pszczynka
• Gostynia
• Przemsza - Chelmek
• Chech
• Rudno
• Sanka - Krakow
• Rudawa - Krakow
• Prądnik - Krakow
• Dłubnia - Krakow
• Roporek - Nowe Brzesko
• Szreniawa
• Nidzica
• Nida - Nowy Korczyn
• Strumień
• Czarna - Polaniec
• Koprzywianka - Sandomierz
• Opatówka
• Kamienna
• Krępianka - Solec nad Wisla
• Iłżanka
• Zwoleńka
• Plewka - Janowiec
• Zagożdzonka - Kozienice
• Radomka
• Pilica - Warka
• Czarna - Gora Kalwaria
• Jeziorka - Konstancin-Jeziorna
• Bzura - Wyszogrod
• Skrwa - Plock
• Zgłowiączka - Wloclawek
• Tążyna
• Zielona
• Brda - Bydgoszcz
• Wda - Swiecie
• Wierzyca - Gniew
• Motława - Gdańsk
• Radunia - Gdańsk

See also

• Rivers of Poland
• Geography of Poland
• Vistulan Country