TheBóbr(Czech:Bobr,German:Bober,) is ariverwhich carries water through the north of theCzech Republicand the southwest ofPoland.It is a left tributary of theOder.[1]Its Polish name translates directly to 'beaver'.
| Bóbr | |
|---|---|
 Bóbr nearJanowice Wielkie | |
 River course in Poland | |
| Location | |
| Countries | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Bobr,Žacléř 50°40′51″N15°54′31″E/ 50.68083°N 15.90861°E |
| Mouth | OderatKrosno Odrzańskie 52°3′2″N15°4′19″E/ 52.05056°N 15.07194°E |
| Length | 279 km (173 mi) |
| Basin size | 5,874 km2(2,268 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 44.8 m3/s (1,580 cu ft/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Oder→Baltic Sea |
Course
editThe Bóbr has a length of 279 kilometres (173 mi) (3 in Czech Republic, 276 in Poland, 10th longest Polish river) and a basin area of 5,874 square kilometres (2,268 sq mi) (44 in Czech Republic and 5,830 in Poland).[2]It originates on a slope of the Rýchory mountains in the southeast of theKrkonošerange. The source is located near the small Bobr village of theŽacléřmunicipality in the CzechHradec Králové Region.Parallel to theLusatian Neissetributary of the Oder in the west, it flows northwards from theBohemianregion into adjacentSilesia.
Shortly after the river crosses the border to PolishNiedamirówand runs northwestwards through theJelenia Góra valleyof theWestern Sudetesto the dam ofPilchowiceand downhill into the plains ofLower Silesia,passing the towns ofJelenia Góra,Bolesławiec,Szprotawa,andŻagań,where the parallelKwisariver joins it. The river finally flows into the Oder near the town ofKrosno.Non-navigable for its entire length, it is a popular destination forcanoeing.
History
editSince the Middle Ages the lower Bóbr river north of Żagań and the Kwisa confluence marked the border between the historic regions of Silesia in the east andLower Lusatiato the west. After in 937 KingOtto I of Germanyhad established theSaxon Eastern Marchon the lands settled byPolabian Slavs,MargraveGerountil 963 subdued the Lusatian lands up to the border withPoland(Civitas Schinesghe). Upon Gero's death in 965, the river was the designated eastern border of the newly createdMarch of Lusatiain theHoly Roman Empire.
The Polish territorial sovereignty was acknowledged to DukeBolesław I Chrobryby EmperorOtto IIIat theCongress of Gnieznoin 1000. Nevertheless, Bolesław laid claims to the lands west of the Bóbr, which he temporarily acquired by the 1018Treaty of Bautzen.After EmperorConrad IIhad reconquered the territory until 1031, thestatus quowas restored.
The river became an internal border, when theLuxembourgkingJohn of Bohemiastep-by-step vassalized thePiastdukes of Silesia and incorporated their lands with the consent of KingCasimir III of Polandby the 1335Treaty of Trentschin,whereafter both Lusatia in the west and Silesia in the east becameLands of the Bohemian Crown.
During thePotsdam Conferencein 1945, theWestern Alliesbriefly advocated a Polish-German border along the Oder, Bóbr and Kwisa rivers, but were rejected byJoseph Stalin,who had already committed himself to theOder-Neisse line.
Towns
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Bóbr dam
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ThePilchowiceDam (Polish:Jezioro Pilchowickie,German:Talsperre Mauer) was built from 1904 to 1912 in the northern Krkonoše range near Jelenia Góra. Then the largest in Europe, surpassing even theUrft Dambuilt in 1905, it created a reservoir of about 4 km (2.5 mi) length.
The masonry structure was erected on aGneissbasis according to theIntze Principle.Equipped withFrancis turbinesmanufactured byVoithandSiemens-SchuckertandAEGgenerators, thehydroelectricplant supplies about 20,000,000 kWh a year, with apower ratingof 7,585 kW.
Protections
editParts of the Bóbr river valley is protected area in some form or another, and the river itself originates from theKrkonoše National Parkin Czech Republic, close to the border with Poland. Protections in the Bóbr valley area include:
See also
editReferences
edit- ^Chisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911)..Encyclopædia Britannica(11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
- ^Statistical Yearbook of the Republic of Poland 2017,Statistics Poland,p. 85-86