The Narew ([ˈnarɛf]; Belarusian: Нараў, romanizedNaraŭ; Lithuanian: Narevas or Naruva) is a 499-kilometre (310 mi) river primarily in north-eastern Poland. It is a tributary of the river Vistula. The Narew is one of Europe's few braided rivers, the term relating to the twisted channels resembling braided hair. Around 57 kilometres (35 mi) of the river flows through western Belarus.

Narew
Нараў, Нарев, Narevas
Narew as part of the Vistula watershed.
Location
CountryPoland, Belarus
Cities
Voivodeships / VoblastsGrodno, Podlaskie, Mazovian
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationnorth-eastern part of the Białowieża Forest near Dzikie Bagno, Belarus
 • coordinates52°52′24.68″N 24°13′8.87″E / 52.8735222°N 24.2191306°E / 52.8735222; 24.2191306
 • elevation159 m (522 ft)
MouthVistula
 • location
Modlin (Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki), Poland
 • coordinates
52°26′01″N 20°40′33″E / 52.4335°N 20.6759°E / 52.4335; 20.6759
 • elevation
70.7 m (232 ft)
Length499 km (310 mi)
Basin size74,527 km2 (28,775 sq mi)
Discharge 
 • locationmouth
 • average313 m3/s (11,100 cu ft/s)
Discharge 
 • locationentering Pułtusk
 • average146 m3/s (5,200 cu ft/s)
Basin features
ProgressionVistulaBaltic Sea
Map

Etymology

edit

The name of the river is from a Proto-Indo-European root *nr primarily associated with water (compare Neretva, Neris, Ner and Nur)[1] or from a Lithuanian language verb nerti associated primarily with diving and flood.[2]

Name of the lower portion

edit

The portion of the river between the junctions with the Western Bug and the Vistula is also known as the Bugonarew, Narwio-Bug, Narwo-Bug, Bugo-Narew, Narwiobug or Narwobug. At the confluence near Zegrze the Bug is 1.6x longer, drains a 1.4x larger basin, and has a slightly greater average discharge (158 m³/s at Wyszków vs 146 m³/s at Pułtusk for the Narew, both ~25 km above the junction). Thus the Bugonarew was often considered part of the Bug river and the Narew a right tributary of the Bug.

On December 27, 1962, Prime Minister Józef Cyrankiewicz abolished the name Bugonarew soon after the Zegrze Reservoir had been constructed.[3] Since then the river Bug has officially been considered part of the river Narew's system, with the Bug being a left tributary of the Narew (by this classification, the River Narew is a right tributary of the River Vistula). The name Bugonarew however is still used, especially by the inhabitants of local towns, such as Pułtusk.

Geography

edit

The Narew flows through the geographical region of Europe known as the Wysoczyzny Podlasko – Bialoruskie (English: Plateau of Podlasie and Belarus) located within the Podlaskie Voivodeship and Masovian Voivodeship of Poland and the Hrodna Voblast of Belarus.

Country Length[4] Basin Area[4]
Belarus 57 kilometres (35 mi)
Poland 443 kilometres (275 mi) 53,846 square kilometres (20,790 sq mi)
Total 499 kilometres (310 mi) 74,527 square kilometres (28,775 sq mi)

The Narew is the fifth longest Polish river.

 
View from the road along Siemianówka reservoir near Bondary village, gmina Michałowo, Podlaskie voivodship, Poland

Cities and towns

edit
 
Confluence of the Narew and Vistula at Modlin
 
The valley of the river Narew taken from the high river bank at Paulinowo-Dzbądz (close to city Różan)
 
Marshes on the braided channels of the Narew's floodplains, near Pańki and Rzędziany
 
Siemianówka reservoir near Bondary village, gmina Michałowo, podlaskie,Poland
Country
Voivodeship
County Gmina Village Comments
Belarus Czoło - osada
Podlaskie Voivodeship Hajnowski Narewka Siemianówka
Białystok Michałowo Bondary
Hajnowski Narew Narew
Białystok Zabłudów Kaniuki
Juchnowiec Kościelny Czerewki
Bielsk Wyszki Strabla
białostocki Suraż Suraż
Łapy Uhowo
Turośń Kościelna Topilec
wysokomazowiecki Kobylin-Borzymy Kurowo The seat of Narwiański Park Narodowy
Sokoły Waniewo
Białystok Choroszcz Choroszcz
moniecki Krypno Góra
Białystok Tykocin Tykocin
moniecki Trzcianne Zajki
Białystok Zawady Góra Strękowa The fortifications defended by Captain Władysław Raginis during German Invasion of Poland
Łaś-Toczyłowo
Łomża Wizna Wizna
Piątnica Drozdowo The seat of Łomżyński Park Krajobrazowy Doliny Narwi and Museum of Nature
Łomża Siemień Nadrzeczny
Piątnica Piątnica
Łomża Łomża
kolneński Mały Płock Chludnie
Łomża Nowogród Nowogród
Zbójna Gontarze
Miastkowo Nowosiedliny The last village in Podlaskie Voivodeship
Masovian Voivodeship ostrołęcki Lelis Łęg Starościński
Rzekuń Laskowiec
Ostrołęka Ostrołęka
ostrołęcki Olszewo-Borki Ostrołęka
Rzekuń Dzbenin
makowski Różan Różan
wyszkowski Długosiodło Ostrykół Dworski
makowski Rzewnie Nowe Łachy
wyszkowski Rząśnik Nowy Lubiel
pułtuski Obryte Zambski Kościelne
Pułtusk Pułtusk
Pokrzywnica Łubienica
Zatory Stawinoga
legionowski Serock Serock
Jadwisin
Nieporęt Nieporęt
Serock Dębe
Wieliszew Topolina
Nowy Dwór Pomiechówek Stare Orzechowo
Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki Narew flows into Vistula

Tributaries

edit
Left Bank Right Bank Municipality Characteristics Country
Czoło Bialowieza Forest Belarus
Bierieżanka Bialowieza Forest Siemianówka Marshland Poland
Siemianówka Siemianówka Marshland
Bondary
Narewka
Olszanka
Ruda Narew
Małynka
Rudnia
Czarna Kaniuki
Łoknica
Orlanka Czerewki
Strabelka Strabla
Liza Suraż Narew National Park
Awissa Łapy
Turośnianka
Niewodnica Topilec
Waniewo
Kurowo
Horodnianka Choroszcz
Supraśl Złotoria
Jaskranka Góra
Nareśl Tykocin
Ślina Targonie Wielkie
Zajki
Góra Strękowa
Biebrza Biebrza National Park
Wizna
Łojewek Bronowo Łomżyński Valley national Park
Gać
Narwica Łomża Piątnica
Łomżyczka
Lepacka Struga
Pisa Nowogród
Ruż Gontarze
Szkwa Nowosiedliny
Rozoga
Czeczotka Ostrołęka
Omulew Olszewo-Borki
Róż Chełsty
Różan
Orz Brzóze Duże
Wymakracz Ostrykół Dworski
Orzyc Zambski Kościelne
Pełta Pułtusk
Bug Serock Zegrze Reservoir
Rządza
Nieporęt
Topolina
Wkra Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki mouth of the river at the Vistula
 
The Narew near Łomża. The river flows slowly, creating meanders

History

edit

On August 23, 1939, the Soviet Union and Germany signed the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, agreeing to divide Poland along the Narew, Vistula (Wisła), and San rivers.

On September 6, 1939, Polish military forces attempted to use the Narew as a defense line against German attack during the German invasion of Poland. This was abandoned the next day in favor of the Bug as German forces had already penetrated the defenses.

The Battle of Wizna was fought along the banks of the river between September 7 and September 10, 1939, between the forces of Poland and Germany during the initial stages of Invasion of Poland. Because it consisted of a small force holding a piece of fortified territory against a vastly larger invasion for three days at great cost before being annihilated with no known survivors, Wizna is sometimes referred to as a Polish Thermopylae in Polish culture.

On September 17, 1939, the USSR invaded Poland. By 28 September, the Soviet Army had reached the line of the rivers Narew, Bug River, Vistula and San – completing the division of Poland as negotiated in advance.

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ Witold Mańczak (1999). Wieża Babel (in Polish). Wrocław: Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich. ISBN 83-04-04463-3.
  2. ^ "Narew". mazowsze.szlaki.pttk.pl. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  3. ^ (in Polish) "Monitor Polski" 1963, nr 3, poz. 6
  4. ^ a b Statistical Yearbook of the Republic of Poland 2017, Statistics Poland, p. 85-86
edit