Narew
| Narew | |
| Нараў | |
| River | |
 Braided channels of the Narew at Strękowa Góra | |
| Countries | Poland, Belarus |
|---|---|
| Voivodeships / Voblasts | Hrodna, Podlaskie, Mazovian |
| Source | |
| - location | north-eastern part of the Bialowieza Forest near Dzikie Bagno, Belarus |
| - elevation | 159 m (522 ft) |
| - coordinates | 52°52′24.68″N 24°13′8.87″E / 52.8735222°N 24.2191306°E |
| Mouth | |
| - location | Modlin (Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki), Poland |
| - elevation | 70.7 m (232 ft) |
| - coordinates | 52°26′N 20°41′E / 52.433°N 20.683°E |
| Length | 484 km (301 mi) |
| Basin | 28,000 km2 (10,811 sq mi) |
| Discharge | for Modlin (Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki) |
| - average | 328 m3/s (11,583 cu ft/s) |
| Discharge elsewhere (average) | |
| - entering Pułtusk | 146 m3/s (5,156 cu ft/s) |
 Narew River as part of the Vistula watershed
| |
The Narew River [ˈnarɛf] (Belarusian: Нараў), in western Belarus and north-eastern Poland, is a right tributary of the Vistula river. The Narew is one of Europe's few braided rivers, the term relating to the twisted channels resembling braided hair.
Etymology
The name of the river comes from a Proto-Indo-European root *nr primarily associated with water (compare Narva, Neretva, Neris, Ner and Nur).[1]
Alternative names
The portion of the river between Zegrze Reservoir and the Vistula is sometimes called Bugonarew, Narwio-Bug, Narwo-Bug, Bugo-Narew, Narwiobug or Narwobug. At the confluence near Zegrze the Bug is longer than Narew, however, the Narew's discharge is much higher. Because of that the river was variously referred to as either Narew, Bug, Bugo-Narew, Bugonarew, Narwiobug or Narwobug.
Until after World War II rivers were commonly classified by their length. As at the confluence near Zegrze Bug is longer than Narew, the Bugonarew was often considered part of Bug river and Narew was thought of as its tributary. However, at the same time Narew's discharge is much higher at their meeting point.
On December 27, 1962 the Prime Minister of Poland's act abolished the name Bugonarew soon after the Zegrze Reservoir had been constructed.[2] Since then the river is considered to be part of Narew, while Bug is currently considered a left tributary. The name however is continued to be used, especially by the inhabitants of towns located along the banks of the stretch of river, such as Pułtusk.
Geography
The Narew flows through the geographical region of Europe known as the Wysoczyzny Podlasko – Bialoruskie (English: Podlasie and Belarus Plateau) located within the Podlaskie Voivodeship and Masovian Voivodeship of Poland and the Hrodna Voblast of Belarus.
| Country | Length | Basin Area |
|---|---|---|
| Belarus | 36 kilometres (22 mi) | 21,302 square kilometres (8,225 sq mi) |
| Poland | 448 kilometres (278 mi) | 53,873 square kilometres (20,800 sq mi) |
| Total | 484 kilometres (301 mi) | 75,175 square kilometres (29,025 sq mi) |
The Narew is the fifth longest Polish river.
Cities and towns
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Narew. |
Tributaries
| Left Bank | Right Bank | Municipality | Characteristics | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Czoło | Bialowieza Forest | Belarus | ||
| Bierieżanka | Bialowieza Forest Siemianówka Marshland | Poland | ||
| Siemianówka | Siemianówka Marshland | |||
| Bondary | ||||
| Narewka | ||||
| Olszanka | ||||
| Ruda | Narew | |||
| Małynka | ||||
| Rudnia | ||||
| Czarna | Kaniuki | |||
| Łoknica | ||||
| Orlanka | Czerewki | |||
| Strabelka | Strabla | |||
| Liza | Suraż | Narew National Park | ||
| Awissa | Łapy | |||
| Turośnianka | ||||
| Niewodnica | Topilec | |||
| Waniewo | ||||
| Kurowo | ||||
| Horodnianka | Choroszcz | |||
| Supraśl | Złotoria | |||
| Jaskranka | Góra | |||
| Nareśl | Tykocin | |||
| Ślina | Targonie Wielkie | |||
| Zajki | ||||
| Góra Strękowa | ||||
| Biebrza | Biebrza National Park | |||
| Wizna | ||||
| Łojewek | Bronowo | Łomżyński Valley national Park | ||
| Gać | ||||
| Narwica | Łomża Piątnica | |||
| Łomżyczka | ||||
| Lepacka Struga | ||||
| Pisa | Nowogród | |||
| Ruż | Gontarze | |||
| Szkwa | Nowosiedliny | |||
| Rozoga | ||||
| Czeczotka | Ostrołęka | |||
| Omulew | Olszewo-Borki | |||
| Róż | Chełsty | |||
| Różan | ||||
| Orz | Brzóze Duże | |||
| Wymakracz | Ostrykół Dworski | |||
| Orzyc | Zambski Kościelne | |||
| Pełta | Pułtusk | |||
| Bug | Serock | Zegrze Reservoir | ||
| Rządza | ||||
| Nieporęt | ||||
| Topolina | ||||
| Wkra | Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki | mouth of the river at the Vistula |
History
On August 23, 1939, the Soviet Union and Germany signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, agreeing to divide Poland along the Narew, Vistula (Wisła), and San rivers.
On September 6, 1939, Polish military forces attempted to use the Narew as a defense line against German attack during the German Invasion of Poland. This was abandoned the next day in favor of the Bug as German forces had already penetrated the defenses.
The Battle of Wizna was fought along the banks of the river between September 7 and September 10, 1939, between the forces of Poland and Germany during the initial stages of Invasion of Poland. Because it consisted of a small force holding a piece of fortified territory against a vastly larger invasion for three days at great cost before being annihilated with no known survivors, Wizna is sometimes referred to as a Polish Thermopylae in Polish culture.
On September 17, 1939, the Soviet Union invaded Poland. By 28 September, the Soviet Army had reached the line of the rivers Narew, Bug River, Vistula and San - completing the division of Poland as negotiated in advance.
See also
- Narew National Park
- Narew Landscape Park
- Rivers of Poland
- Geography of Poland
References
- ↑ (Polish) Witold Mańczak (1999). Wieża Babel. Wrocław: Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich. ISBN 83-04-04463-3.
- ↑ (Polish) "Monitor Polski" 1963, nr 3, poz. 6
External links
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