Vistula - Weichsel

The Vistula is the longest river with a length of 1047 km Poland and the longest river that runs into the Baltic Sea flows. Both today's and the former capital of Poland, four of the eight largest cities in the country and five World Heritage sites are located on this river, which is why the Vistula is of special importance for the Polish nation.

background

• The 49.61152819.010556Source of the Vistula1 Type is group designation The source of the Vistula is located at an altitude of 1106 m near the city Wisła (German Vistula) on the south-western slope of the Widderbergs in the Silesian Beskids. It consists of two source streams, the White Vistula (1080 m above sea level) and the Black Vistula (1107 m above sea level).

• The 54.36027818.952778Mouth of the Vistula2 Type is group designation Confluence with the Baltic Sea is at Danzig. About 50 km from the mouth in Biała Góra near Sztum, it divides into two arms: Lenivka (left) and Nogat (right), which together form a broad delta called Żuławy form. The main arm of the Vistula flows into the Gdańsk Bay, the Nogat, however, in the Fresh lagoon.

The river flows through eight of Poland's sixteen voivodeships:

• Silesia
• Lesser Poland
• Subcarpathian
• Holy Cross
• Mazovia
• Kuyavian Pomeranian
• Warmia-Masuria
• Pomerania.

Reservoirs

• 49.614718.92671 Czarne reservoir
• 49.93000833333318.8621527777782 Gottschalkowitz reservoir
• 52.617819.40783 Leslau reservoir

getting there

plane

The closest airports to the source of the Vistula are the larger ones 50.47416666666719.081 International Airport(IATA: KTW)Katowice (KTW; 145 km away) and the small airport Ostrava in the Czech Republic (OSR; 90 km). Getting to the 50.07777777777819.7847222222222 international airport(IATA: CRC)Krakow (KRK) possible. If you do without part of the upper reaches, you can only start the route in Krakow.

On the way there are three other international airports on the Vistula that you can fly to:

• 52.16583333333320.9672222222223 Warsaw Airport(IATA: WAW)
• 52.45111111111120.6516666666674 Modlin Airport(IATA: WMI)
• 53.09666666666717.9777777777785 Bydgoszcz Airport(IATA: BZG)

The is located at the confluence of the Vistula in the Gdańsk Bay 54.377518.4661111111116 Gdansk Airport(IATA: GDN).

train

The train station is about 14 km from the source of the Vistula Wisła Głębce, Terminus of a Regional train line the Koleje Śląskie out Katowice (six times a day; travel time approx. 2:20 hours). The nearest long-distance train stations are Zebrzydowice and Czechowice-Dziedzice as Oświęcim (Auschwitz), which are served by the Intercity Vienna – Cracow and Prague – Cracow.

Since the Vistula flows into a delta, there are several branches of the estuary and thus estuaries. Usually, however, you can see the mouth of the river in Gdansk Westerplatte as the actual mouth of the Vistula. The Gdańsk Central Station can be easily reached from all over Poland. From there it is best to take the bus or taxi to the Westerplatte.

bus

Buses run from Wisła and Istebna on the Kubalonka pass. From there the trail leads to the Widderberg, on the western and northern slopes of which the Vistula rises.

Buses from Gdańsk Central Station take a few minutes to the Westerplatte district. Directly at the main train station is the central bus station, which can be reached by long-distance buses from German-speaking countries.

road

The sources of the Vistula are about Voivodeship Street 942 of Bielsko-Biała or the Expressway S 52 and the Voivodeship Street 941 of Cieszyn reachable. But you can only get there by car Czarne reservoir. There you can see the car for example at Presidential Castle park and hike the remaining kilometers to the springs.

The approach to the mouth of the Vistula is via the Autostrada A1 that you leave in Gdansk and drive to the Westerplatte district. You can get the A1 from Germany via the Autostrada A4 in the south or the Autostrada A2 in the center of Poland. Alternatively, you can also take the coastal road Expressway S6 drive.

ship

Ferry connections from Scandinavia and cruise ships usually stop in Gdynia at. From there you can quickly reach Gdansk by train or bus.

cycle path

A cycle path along the Vistula (Wiślana Trasa Rowerowa, WTR) is currently being expanded, but is not yet fully available. In any case, the section that runs through the voivodeship has been completed - even on both sides of the river Kuyavian Pomeranian - through Włocławek, Toruń, Bydgoszcz, Chełmno and Grudziądz - leads.

River course

The following cities are well worth seeing on their banks or in their vicinity:

Silesia

• 49.66666666666718.8666666666671 Wisła - Winter sports center in the Silesian Beskids
• 49.71666666666718.8166666666672 Ustroń - Spa and winter sports center in the Silesian Beskids
• 49.81666666666718.83 Skoczów - baroque town in the Silesian foothills
• 49.91666666666718.7666666666674 Strumień - at the Gottschalkowitz reservoir
• 49.933333333333195 Czechowice-Dziedzice - at the Gottschalkowitz reservoir
• 50.08972219.0927786 Bieruń - on the southern edge of the Upper Silesian metropolitan region, from here the Vistula to Krakow is navigable

Lesser Poland

• 5019.157 Brzeszcze - here the water of the Vistula is used for carp ponds
• 50.03333333333319.2333333333338 Oświęcim lies just before the confluence of the Soła with the Vistula; world-famous for the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp, the place name is symbolic of the Holocaust; UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• 50.06666666666719.5166666666679 Alwernia - lies on the southern edge of the Krakow-Czestochowa Jura
• 49.9958333319.4377777810 Zator - here the water of the Vistula is used for carp ponds
• 49.9752777819.827511 Skawina - here begins the breakthrough of the Vistula through the Cracow-Czestochowa Jura in Cracow Gate
• 50.06138888888919.93722222222212 Krakow - the former capital of the Kingdom of Poland (until the 16th century); very worth seeing medieval old town, Wawel with castle and cathedral, Jewish quarter of Kazimierz, diverse cultural offerings; UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• 49.98944444444420.06611111111113 Wieliczka - a few kilometers south of the Vistula with its salt mine and Salzgrafenschloss; UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• 50.03388888888920.21722222222214 Niepołomice - Here the Polish and Polish-Lithuanian kings went hunting, for which a hunting lodge was built
• 50.13722222222220.38472222222215 Nowe Brzesko
• 50.1666720.5666716 Koszyce
• 50.30888888888921.07472222222217 Szczucin

Subcarpathian

• 50.521.53333333333318 Baranów Sandomierski - there is a magnificent castle in the Lublin Renaissance style.
• 50.58333333333321.68333333333319 Tarnobrzeg - historical city with Gothic and Baroque churches and palaces.

Holy Cross

• 50.2520.6166720 Bejsce
• 50.2333320.7166721 Opatowiec
• 50.29916666666720.80888888888922 Nowy Korczyn
• 50.43333333333321.28333333333323 Połaniec
• 50.52166666666721.44305555555624 Osiek
• 50.68333333333321.7525 Sandomierz
• 50.59055555555621.58361111111126 Koprzywnica
• 50.80666666666721.85638888888927 Zavichost

Lublin

• 50.88333333333321.86666666666728 Annopol
• 51.04083333333321.82916666666729 Józefów nad Wisłą
• 51.3166721.8666730 Janowiec
• 51.32222222222221.947531 Kazimierz Dolny
• 51.4165521.9693932 Puławy
• 51.56666666666721.86138888888933 Dęblin
• 51.58055621.77027834 Stężyca

Mazovia

• 51.1363321.7656335 Solec nad Wisłą
• 51.58333333333321.56666666666736 Kozienice
• 51.7521.3833337 Magnuszew
• 51.95861111111121.23027777777838 Czersk
• 51.97333333333321.21444444444439 Góra Kalwaria
• 52.08333333333321.11666666666740 Konstancin-Jeziorna
• 52.0765521.2496241 Karczew
• 52.11666666666721.26666666666742 Otwock
• 52.13555555555621.23694444444443 Józefów
• 52.21666666666721.03333333333344 Warsaw - capital of modern Poland; economic, political and cultural center; the old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• 52.33333333333320.88333333333345 Łomianki
• 52.3666720.946 Jabłonna
• 52.38333333333320.88333333333347 Legionowo
• 52.43333333333320.68333333333348 Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki
• 52.43333333333320.61666666666749 Zakroczym
• 52.3944444420.3094444450 Czerwińsk nad Wisłą
• 52.39166666666720.251 Wyszogród
• 52.5519.752 Plock

Kuyavian Pomeranian

• 52.63777777777819.32138888888953 Dobrzyń nad Wisłą - medieval old town
• 52.6519.0554 Włocławek - Brick Gothic cathedral, bishop's seat
• 52.83666666666718.90138888888955 Nieszawa
• 52.87518.756 Aleksandrów Kujawski
• 53.01666666666718.61666666666757 Toruń - Medieval old town with well-preserved Gothic brick buildings; UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• 53.08333333333318.23333333333358 Solec Kujawski
• 53.1166666666671859 Bydgoszcz - the city center is on the Brda, but the port on the Vistula
• 53.3491718.4260560 Chełmno - Medieval old town with brick Gothic churches and Renaissance town hall
• 53.41666666666718.43333333333361 Świecie - Medieval old town with brick Gothic churches and Ordensburg
• 53.492518.77611111111162 Grudziądz - Medieval old town with brick Gothic warehouses, churches and city walls
• 53.64944444444418.72555555555663 Nowe - Medieval old town with brick Gothic churches and Ordensburg

Pomerania

• 53.73583333333318.93083333333364 Kwidzyn with the Ordensburg and Cathedral Church is only a few kilometers east of the Vistula
• 53.83333333333318.83333333333365 Gniew - Medieval old town with brick Gothic churches and Ordensburg
• 53.92611111111118.70111111111166 Pelplin - Brick-Gothic monastery church, a few km west of the Vistula Delta

At the Lenivka (left muzzle arm):

• 54.09111111111118.78638888888967 TczewTczew - Medieval old town with brick Gothic churches
• 54.36666666666718.63333333333368 Danzig - The most important Polish port city on the Baltic Sea

At the Nogat (right muzzle arm)

• 54.0284619.0443569 Malbork - Brick-Gothic Teutonic Order Castle; UNESCO World Heritage Site and largest medieval castle in the world.

in the Vistula Delta

• 54.1360919.0090970 Nowy Staw - Place with beautiful half-timbered and brick Gothic architecture
• 54.21666666666719.11666666666771 Nowy Dwór Gdański - Place with beautiful half-timbered and brick Gothic architecture
• 54.3338918.9527872 Mikoszewo - Bathing resort on the Gdańsk Bay with the main estuary of the river
• 54.3358319.0330673 Jantar - Seaside resort on the Gdańsk Bay
• 54.3263888919.1122222274 Stegna - Seaside resort on the Gdańsk Bay with a beautiful half-timbered church
• 54.32583333333319.17888888888975 Sztutowo - Bathing resort on the Gdańsk Bay and memorial for the Stutthof concentration camp
• 54.3333319.2166776 Kąty Rybackie - Seaside resort on the Gdańsk Bay

Warmia-Masuria

• 54.16666666666719.477 Elbląg - Medieval old town with churches and city wall gate in the style of the Backseingotik, a few kilometers east of the Nogat on the river of the same name

security

For the most part, the Vistula is still a wild and natural river with numerous eddies and currents.

activities

Water sports (houseboat, kayak / canoe), excursion boats, cycling, hiking. Through canals the Vistula is with the Or (Bydgoszcz Canal) in the west and the Memel (Augustów Canal) connected in the east, which creates a large area for water hiking.

Go on

The Vistula flows into the Gdańsk Bay the Polish Baltic coast.

See also

• Or

literature

See article too Poland.

Web links