The Vistula is the most important and longest river in Poland. It is also the longest and second most watery (after the Neva) tributary of the Baltic Sea. Flows through the centre of the country from south to north, extending (or at least forming a border) into the territory of eight voivodeships (Silesian, Lesser Poland, Swatokrzyskie, Podkarpackie, Lublin, Mazovia, Kuyavian-Pomeranian, Pomeranian). It is 1047 km long. The catchment area is 194 424 km² (of which approximately 150 000 km² in Poland).
The course of the flow
It rises at an altitude of 1106 m, on the western slope of the Beraní Mountain in the Silesian Beskydy Mountains in Těšín as the Bílá and Černá Viselka. The flow of the Vistula is divided into three parts. Upper stream starts at the springs and ends at the town of Sandoměř. The first 60 km in the Beskydy have the character of a mountain torrent. Below Kraków, thanks to many tributaries from the Carpathian Mountains, it becomes more watery. The width of the channel below the mouth of the Dunajec River already reaches 200 m and below the mouth of the San River 600 to 1000 m. At these points, the middle course begins, leading up to the confluence with the Narwia.
The lower reaches down to the mouth of the Baltic Sea. In the middle and lower reaches, the Vistula is a typical flat river that flows in a wide and sometimes terraced valley. The channel is rugged and in places divides into arms and channels. The shape of the channel is unstable and there are many shallows and rapids. Below the Torun, the channel is fully regulated and the banks above are at least reinforced where they are most at risk of undermining. At a distance of 50 km the delta begins. The highest point of the basin lies at an altitude of 2663 m (Gerlachovský štít in the Tatras). The asymmetry of the basin (right bank to left bank) is 73:27 %.
Tributaries of the Vistula
from left – Kamienna, Przemsza, Nida, Pilica, Nidzica, Bzura, Brda, Wda, Wierzyca, Motława
from right – Bělá, Soła, Skawa, Raba, Dunajec, Wisłoka, San, Kurówka, Wieprz, Narew with Bug, Drwęca.
Water regime
The water regime of the Vistula is largely influenced by the tributaries flowing from the Carpathian Mountains. In spring, the water level rises due to melting snow. Flooding occurs in summer and winter. Rapid and high (up to 10 m) rises in water level sometimes cause catastrophic damage. In winter, the river can also rise due to ice blocking the riverbed. Between floods, the river is shallow, making shipping difficult. The average long-term flow is 84 m³/s in Kraków, 590 m³/s in Warsaw and 1054 m³/s at Tczew near the mouth. The ice cover is mainly unstable in the upper reaches.
