Tag Archives: Rivers

River Notec

The River Noteć (Netze) in Drezdenko (Driesen), c.1914.

The River Noteć

The Noteć (Netze) is a river in north-west-central Poland. It has a length of 388 km and is the seventh longest river in Poland. The final section of the Notec before it joins the Warta is often paddled by canoeists and kayakers and the whole river popular with anglers.

Boats in the river port area of Nakło nad Notecią (Nakel an der Netze), c.1920.

The Notec river flows from the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, through the provinces of Wielkopolskie (Greater Poland) and Lubuskie (Lebus), to Santok near Gorzów Wielkopolski where it joins the River Warta.

Some of the towns and villages the Notec passes through include: Inowrocław, Nakło nad Notecią, Czarnków, Wieleń, Krzyż Wielkopolski, Drezdenko, and Santok.

Nearby Polish rivers:

- The River Warta
- The River Obra
- The River Odra

The river port on the Notec in Krzyz Wielkopolski, c.1939.

Related content on Polish Poland:
- Images of the village of Santok (where the River Notec meets the River Warta).

River Odra / Oder

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The Odra River

The Odra / Oder river is the second longest river in Poland and flows for a total of 742 kilometres (461 miles) through the country.

The Odra (Oder) river in Glogau / Głogów on an old picture postcard mailed in 1899.

The Odra rises in the Czech Republic and flows through western Poland to just north of Szczecin where it divides into three branches (the Dziwna, Świna and Peene), which empty into the Gulf of Pomerania on the Baltic Sea. A total of 854 kilometres (531 miles). Almost all of which is navigable by boat.

Rowing boats on the Odra river in Krosno Odrzańskie, / Crossen an der Oder, c.1914.

The River Odra (Oder) passes through the following towns and cities in Poland:
Opole – Brzeg – Oława – Jelcz-Laskowice – Wrocław – Brzeg Dolny – Ścinawa – Szlichtyngowa – Głogów – Bytom Odrzański – Nowa Sól – Krosno Odrzańskie – Frankfurt (Oder) / Słubice – Kostrzyn – Cedynia – Gryfino – Szczecin – Police

The River Odra (Oder) in Frankfurt an der Oder, looking across to what is now the town of Słubice, c.1937

Interesting facts connected with the River Odra / Oder

- The Oder–Spree Canal connects with the river Odra / Oder near Eisenhüttenstadt, which in turn connects to the river Spree in Berlin.
- At the 1943 Tehran Conference the allies decided that the new Eastern border of Germany would run along the river Odra / Oder. However, at the end of the war, this was amended to the Oder and the Lusatian Neisse rivers, and these two rivers became the new (Oder-Neisse) border between Poland and Germany.

Related content on Polish Poland:

Information and images of the River Warta.

Obra River

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The Obra River

The bridge over the River Obra in Trzciel (Tirschtiegel) in 1912.

The Obra is a river which flows through the provinces of Wielkopolskie and Lubuskie in the west of Poland. Over the course of the Obra’s 164 kilometres it passes through the towns and villages of Babimost, Kościan, Kargowa, Zbaszyn, Trzciel, Miedzyrzecz and Bledzew until meeting the larger River Warta in Skwierzyna. Along its route the Obra also flows through several picturesque lakes filled with fish. During the summer months the river is frequented by canoe and kayak enthusiasts and an established canoe trail exists.

A rowing boat on the River Obra near Zbąszyń (Bentschen). c.1912.

Interesting things about the Obra River:

- A wide variety of mammals inhabit the countryside along the banks of the Obra. These species include beaver, otter, deer, badgers, hare, and wild boar. Turtles and water snakes are commonly seen in the Obra itself.
- Some of the fish to be found in Obra include catfish, trout, grayling, perch, pike, powan, barbel, and catfish.
- Local legend tells of a giant catfish that dwells in one of the lakes close to the end of the river in Skwierzyna. Local fisherman speak of ducks being eaten and small dogs disappearing!

People swimming in the River Obra in Miedzyrzecz (Meseritz) in the mid 1930s.

Related content on Polish Poland: Information on and images of the Warta river.

River Warta

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A paddle steamer boat on the River Warta in Gorzów Wlkp (Landsberg an der Warthe), c.1918

The River Warta

The River Warta (Warthe) is a river in west-central Poland. It is a tributary of the mighty Oder / Oder river. With a length of approximately 800 kilometres (500 miles) the Warta is Poland’s third longest river. It is navigable by boat for more than half of its length from where it meets the River Oder / Odra in Kostrzyn on the Polish / German border right through to Konin. The Warta river is connected to the River Vistula by the River Noteć and the Bydgoszcz Canal near Bydgoszcz.

The bridge over the Warta (Warthe) river in Skwierzyna (Schwerin an der Warthe), c.1937.

Interesting Warta related facts

- The Warta flows though many fascinating towns and cities. These include: Częstochowa, Warta, Koło, Śrem, Poznań, Wronki, Sieraków, Międzychód, Skwierzyna, Santok, Gorzów, and Kostrzyn nad Odrą.
- The Warta river is mentioned in the second stanza of the Polish national anthem.
- The Warta is popular with anglers and fish such as catfish, river trout, grayling, perch, pike, and barbel are frequently caught.
- The section of the Warta between Skwierzyna and Gorzow is often paddled by more adventurous canoe and kayak enthusiasts.

A scan of a water colour painting of the River Warta near Santok, Lubuskie, Poland.

Related content on Polish Poland: Information on and photographs of the nearby River Obra.