Oder River – Beloved Planet

The Oder River is one of the largest rivers in Central Europe. It is an important waterway and water supply source for many cities and regions, and is of great significance to transportation, agriculture, industry and recreation in the surrounding areas.

geography

The Oder River flows through the Czech Republic, Poland, and Germany. From its second largest tributary, the Neisse, to the Polish town of Gryfino, the Oder forms the border between Poland and Germany. The Oder is the second longest river in Poland, after the Vistula.

The Oder River rises in the Sudeten Mountains and flows down from the mountains across the Central European Plain through wide (2-3 km to 10-20 km) terraced valleys formed by ancient glaciers.

After passing the mouth of the Lusatia Nissa River, the Oder River widens significantly (up to 250 meters wide) and has a fast current, forming many islands. The high banks of the river protect the cultivated land in the floodplain from flooding during floods. At 84 kilometers from the mouth of the river, the Oder River splits into two branches (the western branch is navigable) and flows into the Bay of Szczecin. Baltic SeaThe Bay of Szczecin is also known as the Lagoon. Here, at the mouth of the Oder River, is another section of the border between Poland and Germany.

In spring, summer and autumn, the river overflows its entire length, causing flash floods when the water level is low, flash floods when the water level is high in winter, and freezing in the most severe winters. The river has experienced severe floods many times, bringing disastrous consequences to settlements and farmlands.

etymology

Each people living along the banks of this great European river gave it its own name: Oder in Germany, Oder in Czech and Poland, Vodra in Lusatia, Vedra in Kashubia. In medieval European texts, both the Oder and the Viadrus were given Latin names. All these names derive from the Proto-Indo-European word “adro” (water flow).

history

The history of this river is also the history of Europe as a whole. For the ancient Romans, the Oder was part of the Amber Road, which brought amber from the Baltic to Mediterranean.

Long before the Western Slavs settled on the banks of the Oder, the Oder was an important trade route for the Germanic tribes along its banks. Elbe River and Vistula River river.

In the Middle Ages, the importance of the river grew. From the 13th century onwards, the first dams were built on the river to protect arable land. In 1605, the Finow Canal connected the Oder and the Hafel rivers. Canal construction continued, and the Oder became an important link in the chain of waterways connecting rivers throughout Europe. The largest project on the Oder was the Oder-Spree Canal, built in 1887-1891, which is nearly 100 kilometers long.

After World War I, navigation on the Oder River and the borders of the countries were regulated by the Treaty of Versailles in 1919.

During World War II from 1939 to 1945, the Oder River was of great strategic importance as the base of the Oder River. The Oder River became a strategically important and heavily defended frontier for the German army. In the Vistula-Oder Operation of 1945, Soviet troops forcibly occupied bridgeheads on the western bank of the middle reaches of the Oder River. The Berlin Operation of 1945 was launched from these bridgeheads, which ultimately led to Germany’s defeat in World War II.

But even before that, during the Tehran Conference in 1943, the anti-Hitler coalition had defined the outlines of postwar European states and drawn the Polish-German border along the Oder River. The inviolability of this border was subsequently confirmed by the 1990 Polish-German Treaty.

In the Middle Ages, many towns along the Oder River were members of the Hanseatic League and were also trading towns, fortresses, and feudal centers.

As the Oder River became Europe’s most important waterway, cities began to be built on its banks.

The Oder River is navigable almost all the way from the confluence with the Opava River in the Czech Republic. There is a reservoir in the upper reaches of the river. The navigable distance is 765 kilometers from the river mouth, and the navigable time is 220-230 days a year.

The first big city on the Oder River was Ostrava in the Czech Republic, located at the confluence of the Ostravice, Oder and Opava rivers. In the Middle Ages, the historic Amber Road passed through Ostrava. The city was for a long time the center of coal mining and metallurgy in the Czech Republic. Today, it is one of the tourist centers of Moravia. People come here to visit the Cathedral of St. Wenceslas, built in the 13th century, the Silesian-Ostrava Fortress and the New Town Hall with the highest tower in the Czech Republic.

Downstream, many sections of the river have locks, and there are canals connecting the Oder with the Elbe, Havel, Spree, Vistula, and Klodnica rivers. The largest number of hydraulic structures was built in the Polish region of Wrocław, the largest city on the Oder and the center of the Lower Silesia Voivodeship.

Wroclaw is one of the most beautiful cities in Poland, located on 12 islands. The Oder River flows through the city territory, forming many tributaries and canals, with more than a hundred bridges and bridges over it. The oldest part of the city is Tumski Island, the Central Square is one of the largest in Europe, and the Town Hall is a masterpiece of Silesian Gothic architecture. The main attraction of Wroclaw is the Market Square, which was built in the 13th century. Here you can find the 13th century Gothic Town Hall, which is considered one of the most beautiful buildings in Europe.

Downstream on the Oder is the German town of Eisenhüttenstadt, where a canal connects the Oder to the German Spree. The city’s name literally translates as “ironworks city”: it has long been home to steelworks and remains one of Germany’s industrial centers.

The small East German town of Frankfurt an der Oder borders Poland, with Slubek on the other side of the river. Frankfurt an der Oder is an old Hanseatic port city; in the 19th century it was located between Poznan and Berlin and had great commercial significance in Prussia. The old buildings were badly damaged in World War II, and the town was rebuilt in a more modern style.

The Polish city of Szczecin is the country’s most important seaport, located near the mouth of the Oder River, not far from where it meets the Baltic Sea.

Flora and Fauna

Despite the high utilization of the river, many fish species live in its waters: pike, catfish, eels, zander, perch, carp and trout. In order to protect the natural environment in this densely populated part of Europe, nature reserves and national parks have been established along the river, the most famous of which are the Lower Oder Valley National Park in the northeastern German state of Brandenburg and the Oder Broadleaf Reserve in Poland.

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General information

• It flows through the territories of the Republic of Poland (Silesia, Opole, Lower Silesia, Lubusz and West Pomerania), the Federal Republic of Germany (Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) and the Czech Republic (Moravian-Silesian region).
• The second longest river in Poland.
• Feeding Type:Mixed (snow and rain).
• Origin: Sudeten Mountains, Czech Republic (Moravia region), 634 meters above sea level.
• Mouth: Bay of Stettin, Baltic Sea.
• Languages: Polish, German, Czech.
• Currency: Euro, Czech Koruna, Polish Zloty.
• Main tributaries: Warta River, Bubl River, Nis River, Ina River, Opava River, etc.
• Largest port cities: Germany – Frankfurt an der Oder, Schwedt, Eisenhüttenstadt; Poland – Opole, Szczecin, Wroclaw, Racibórz; Czech Republic – Ostrava.
• Length: 854 km (742 km in Poland, 112 km in the Czech Republic, 187 km on the Polish-German border).
• Width: 30-250 meters.
• Water flow: 67 m3/s (Ratibórz, upstream), 574 m3/s (estuary).
• Source altitude: 634 meters.
• Water slope: 0.35 m/km.
• Ice melt: late December to early February (unstable).

Climate and Weather

• Oceanic, moderately continental in the upper reaches.
• Average temperature in January: 0°C.
• Average temperature in July: +19°C.
• Average annual precipitation: 500-1000 mm.
• Relative humidity: 70-80%.

economy

• Industry: Port industry.
• Water supply (drinking and industrial).
• Agriculture: River valley areas – crop production (cereals) and livestock raising (meat and dairy).
• Services: transportation (river shipping); tourism.

Attractions

• Bay of Szczecin.
• Canals: Finov Canal (Oder-Havel), Oder-Spree Canal.
• Ostrava (Czech Republic): St. Wenceslas Cathedral (13th century), Silesian-Ostrava Fortress, New Town Hall, Masaryk Central Square, Old Town Hall (Ostrava Museum), Plague Column, Ostrava Brewery and Beer Museum, Poruba District, Puppet Theatre Building, Art Gallery, Landek Mining Museum and National Cultural Monument of Mines.
• Wrocław: Tumski Island, Market Square (XIII century), Gothic Town Hall (XIII century), Jasja and Malgosi houses (XVI century Baroque houses), Racławicka Panorama (battles of Polish insurgents at the end of the XVIII century), Aula Leopoldina (Auditorium of the University of Wrocław, XVIII century), Church of St. Elżbieta (XVIII century), Historical Museum “King’s Palace”.
• Frankfurt an der Oder: Cathedral (13th century), Remmerberg main square and wooden buildings (14th-15th centuries), Gothic town hall (17th century), Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Museum, Eleven Museums Gallery, Palmegarten – Palm Park.
• Szczecin: Town Hall, Gothic banker Loitzew’s House, Walla Boulevard the Brave, National Museum, Castle of the Pomeranian Princes, St. Jacob’s Cathedral (12th century), Church of St. Peter and Paul (the oldest Christian church in Pomerania, 12th century).
• “Lower Oder Valley” National Park (Germany).
• Nature Reserve “Oder Broadleaf Forest” (Poland).
• Wolzynski National Park (Poland).

Interesting Facts

• Viadrina University was founded in 1506 in Frankfurt an der Oder, which means “on the Oder” in Latin. Later, the university moved to Breslau (Wroclaw) and was re-established in Frankfurt an der Oder in 1991 as the European Viadrina University. Its buildings are located on both sides of the river on the border between Germany and Poland.
• The city of Eisenhüttenstadt was founded in the German Democratic Republic in 1950. In 1953, the city was named Stalinstadt and is considered the first socialist city on German soil. In 1961, the city was renamed Eisenhüttenstadt. Since 1986, the city has been a sister city of the West German city of Saarlois. It is the first sister city of the East Germany and the Federal Republic of Germany after the reunification of the two Germanys.
• Usedom is an island in the Baltic Sea, across the mouth of the Oder River. During World War II, Usedom was the site of the Usedom concentration camp, where the Faou-1 and Faou-2 rockets were produced for launch into Britain.
• Empress Catherine II (née Sofia Augusta Frederica von Anhalt-Zerbst) was born on 21 April (2 May) 1729 in Szczecin (now Szczecin, Poland).
• In 1368, Frankfurt an der Oder became a member of the Hanseatic League, but in the middle of the 15th century it broke off relations with the Hanseatic League. Military biography of the city – a series of sieges and raids: in 1429 and 1432 the city was besieged by the Hussites, during the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648) the troops of Gustavus Adolphus took it by force. A Swedish garrison was stationed here for 16 months (1631-1632); then the city was occupied by Wallenstein (1633). In 1634 Wallenstein’s detachment was expelled by the Elector of Brandenburg, and for the next three years (1640-1643) Frankfurt an der Oder was in Swedish hands. During the Seven Years’ War the city was captured by the Russians under the command of Saltykov (1759). In 1806-1808. Frankfurt an der Oder was occupied by the French. From 1812 to 1813, France stationed troops here.