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| Wda | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | Poland |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Mouth | |
• location | Vistula |
• coordinates | 53°24′42″N18°28′45″E / 53.4117°N 18.4792°E /53.4117; 18.4792 |
| Length | 198 km (123 mi) |
| Basin size | 2,325 km2 (898 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 6.52 m3/s (230 cu ft/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Vistula→Baltic Sea |
TheWda (German:Schwarzwasser) is a river inPoland; it has a lowland character. The Wda is one of the 15 maincanoe trails in Poland. It is 198 km long and the surface of its catchment area amounts to 2325 km2. The Wda's average gradient is 0.7‰ and its flow is 6.52 m3/s.
The Wda begins its course atKrążno Lake and ends in theWisła inŚwiecie. The Wda is one of the longest rivers inBory Tucholskie and one of the most important ofPomorze'sriver routes.
The source of Wda is onRównina Charzykowska inKrężno Lake. The river flows through the area ofBory Tucholskie,Wdzydzki Landscape Park andWdecki Landscape Park.
There is one river's canal belowWdzydze Lake. The river reachesTleń, then flows acrossWysoczyzna Świecka and ends inWisła inŚwiecie onDolina Fordońska.
TheWdzydze Lake along with lakesGołyń,Jeleń andSłupinek are called Morze Kaszubskie.[1] This lakes take a shape of the cross made of postglacial channels. Wdzydze Lake is dangerous for inexperienced canoeists during strong winds.
The Wda runs through many multispecies deciduous forests, in which contains diverse lichens. The river meanders also through riparian and alder forests. Rare mountain ashbrekinii can be found in theZygmunt Czubiński Reserve “Brzęki” inSzczerkowo. Next rare and protected plants on Wda's route are:lycopodium clavatum,diphasiastrum complanatum,lycopodium annotinum,sundew,western marsh orchid,heath spotted orchid,lesser butterfly-orchid,broad-leaved helleborine,european common twayblade andarctostaphylos uva-ursi, which are found inWdecki Landscape Park.This region of Poland houses species like:cranes,common goldeneyes,goosanders,western marsh harriers,ruffs,kingfishers,trouts,common vipers,fire salamanders,tree frogs andgreat crested newts.
The name “Wda” has been already used in theMiddle Ages, but the river is also known asCzarna Woda. This name comes from dark brown colour of water caused by marshy banks, mineral molecules in water and sludge from tar factories in the 19th century.AfterWorld War I tourism started developing on Wda and about 40 years later Wda earned its title of The Queen of The Rivers of Kociew and The Beauty of The Land of Kociew.[2]
On the Wda's route are three hydroelectric power stations located inŻur,Gródek, andKozłowo. In this area canoeists need to portage their canoes to the further part of the river.
Along the route of Wda some attractions can be found. First of them is a 19th-century Neogothic church inLipusz. NextKaszubski Park Etnograficzny, containing wooden dwelling houses, farms and windmills. The oldest once date back to the 17th century.The archeological reserve “Kamienne Kręgi”[3] near the towns ofOdry andMiedzno consists of 12 mysterious stone circles and 20 burial mounds, which are remains fromGoths andGepids.Błędno has a memorial for the victory of Polish and Soviet guerrilla fighters over the German army (27 X 1944).Next monument on Wda's route is a castle of theTeutonic Knights inŚwiecie. This is a building surrounded by water. From two sides by Wda and Wisła, and from the third side by the moat. There are also remains of defensive walls in theOld Town ofŚwiecie and monumental Gothicparish church.
Tributaries of theVistula River | ||
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| Forming rivers |
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| Main tributaries of the left bank | ||
| Main tributaries of the right bank | ||
| Distributary | ||