Oder River
The
Oder (Odra) is a
river in
Central Europe. It begins in the
Czech Republic and flows through western
Poland, later forming the northern 187 km of the border between Poland and
Germany, part of the
Oder-Neisse line. The river ultimately flows into the
Szczecin Lagoon north of
Szczecin and then into three branches (
Dziwna,
Świna and
Peene) that empty into the
Baltic Sea.
The Oder is known by several names in different languages: (
Czech and ; ;
Classical Latin:
Viadrus,
Viadua;
Medieval Latin:
Od(d)era).
The Oder is 854 km long: 112 in the Czech Republic, 742 in Poland (including 187 on the border between Germany and Poland) and is the second longest river in Poland (after the
Vistula). It drains 118,861 km² of watershed, 106,056 of which are in Poland (89%), 7,217 in the Czech Republic (6%), and 5,587 in Germany (5%). Channels connect it to the
Havel,
Spree,
Vistula system and
Kłodnica. It flows through
Silesian,
Opole,
Lower Silesian,
Lubusz, and
West Pomeranian voivodeships of Poland and the states of
Brandenburg and
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in Germany.
The main branch empties into the
Szczecin Lagoon. The Szczecin Lagoon is bordered on the north by islands of
Usedom (west) and
Wolin (east). Between these two islands, there is only a narrow channel (Świna) going to the
Bay of Pomerania, which forms a part of the Baltic Sea.
The largest city on the Oder River is
Wrocław.
The Oder is navigable over a large part of its total length, as far upstream as to the town of Koźle, where the river connects to the Gliwicki Canal. The upstream part of the river is canalized and permits larger barges (up to CEMT Class IV) to navigate between the industrial sites around the
Wrocław area.
Further downstream the river is free flowing, passing the towns of
Eisenhüttenstadt (where a canal connects the river to the
Spree in
Berlin) and
Frankfurt (Oder). Downstream of Frankfurt the
Warta River forms a navigable connection with
Poznań and
Bydgoszcz for smaller vessels. At
Hohensaaten the Havel-Oder-Wasserstrasse connects with the Berlin waterways again.
Near its mouth the Oder reaches the city of
Szczecin, a major maritime port. The river finally reaches the Baltic Sea through the
Szczecin Lagoon and the river mouth at
Świnoujście. (Source:
NoorderSoft Waterways Database)
The river was known to the
Romans as the
Viadrus or
Viadua in
Classical Latin, as it was a branch of the
Amber Road from the Baltic Sea to the
Roman Empire (see
via). During the
Middle Ages, it was called the
Odera or
Oddera in
Medieval Latin documents and was first mentioned in the
Dagome iudex, which described the boundaries of early
Poland under Duke
Mieszko I ca. 990.
The Oder must have been an important trade route and human settlement axis as early as the 9th or 10th centuries as the documents mention many tribes living along the river. The
Bavarian Geographer (ca. 845) specifies the following peoples:
Silesians, Dadoshanie,
Opolanians, Lupiglaa, and Golenshitse in
Silesia and
Wolinians and
Pyrzycans in
Western Pomerania. A document of the Bishopric of
Prague (1086) mentions Zlasane, Trebovyane, Poborane, and Dedositze in Silesia.
In the 13th century, the first
dams were built to protect agricultural lands.
After
World War II, the Oder and the
Lusatian Neisse formed the
Oder-Neisse line, which was designated as the new border between Germany and Poland. The German populations east of these two rivers were
expelled westwards.
Main section::
Ostrava -
Bohumín -
Racibórz -
Kędzierzyn-Koźle -
Krapkowice -
Opole -
Brzeg -
Oława -
Jelcz-Laskowice -
Wrocław -
Brzeg Dolny -
Ścinawa -
Szlichtyngowa -
Głogów -
Bytom Odrzański -
Nowa Sól -
Krosno Odrzańskie -
Eisenhüttenstadt -
Frankfurt (Oder) -
Słubice -
Kostrzyn -
Cedynia -
Schwedt -
Vierraden -
Gartz -
Gryfino -
Szczecin -
PoliceDziwna branch (between
Wolin Island and mainland Poland)::
Wolin -
Kamień Pomorski -
DziwnówŚwina branch (between Wolin and the
Usedom islands)::
Świnoujście Szczecin Lagoon::
Nowe Warpno -
UeckermündePeene branch (between Usedom Island and the German mainland)::
Usedom -
Lassan -
Wolgast:
Ostravice -
Olza -
Ruda -
Bierawka -
Kłodnica -
Czarnka -
Mała Panew -
Stobrawa -
Widawa -
Jezierzyca -
Barycz -
Krzycki Rów -
Obrzyca -
Jabłonna -
Pliszka -
Ołobok -
Gryzynka -
Warta with the
Noteć -
Myśla -
Kurzyca -
Stubia -
Rurzyca -
Tywa -
Płonia -
Ina -
Gowienica:
Opava - Psina - Cisek - Olszówka - Stradunia - Osobłoga - Prószkowski Potok -
Nysa Kłodzka - Oława -
Ślęza - Bystrzyca - Średzka Woda - Cicha Woda - Kaczawa - Ślepca -
Zimnica - Dębniak - Biała Woda - Czarna Struga - Śląska Ochla - Zimny Potok -
Bóbr - Olcha - Racza -
Lusatian Neisse*
List of rivers of the Czech Republic*
List of rivers of Germany*
List of rivers of Poland*
Lower Odra Valley National Park*
Oder-Neisse line*
www.odra.org*
Bibliography on Water Resources and International Law See
Oder and Neisse Rivers. Peace Palace Libray
