Berezina River
This article is about Berezina, a tributary of Dnieper River. For Western Berezina, a tributary of the Neman River, see Western Berezina.
"Beresina" redirects here. For the 1999 Swiss film, see Beresina, or the Last Days of Switzerland.
| Berezina River Belarusian: Рака Бярэзіна | |
|---|---|
 Berezina River in Belarus | |
| Origin | Belarus |
| Mouth | Dnieper |
| Basin countries | Belarus |
| Length | 561 km (349 mi)[1] |
| Basin area | 24,500 km2 (9,500 sq mi)[1] |
The Berezina (Belarusian: Бярэ́зіна, Biarezina; [bʲaˈrɛzʲinɐ]) is a river in Belarus and a tributary of the Dnieper River.
The Berezina Preserve by the river is in the UNESCO list of Biosphere Preserves.
Cities and towns by Berezina
- Babruysk
- Barysau
- Svietlahorsk
Historical significance
- Napoleon Bonaparte's army suffered heavy losses (about 36,000) when crossing the Berezina in November 1812 during his retreat from Russia (see Battle of Berezina). Since then "Berezina" is used in French as a synonym of catastrophe. (See also Charles Joseph Minard for a visual graphic of the army's fate.)
- Charles XII of Sweden's army crossed the Berezina on June 25, 1708 during his campaign against Peter the Great of Russia in the Great Northern War. (see ISBN 0-306-80863-3 for details)
- See also Battle of Berezina (disambiguation).
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Main Geographic Characteristics of the Republic of Belarus. Main characteristics of the largest rivers of Belarus". Land of Ancestors. Data of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the Republic of Belarus. 2011. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Berezina. |
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Coordinates: 52°38′N 29°48′E / 52.633°N 29.800°E