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Szczecin Lagoon

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Szczecin Lagoon ( Polish : Zalew Szczeciński , German : Stettiner Haff ), also known as Oder Lagoon ( German : Oderhaff ), and Pomeranian Lagoon ( German : Pommersches Haff ), is a lagoon in the Oder estuary, shared by Germany and Poland . It is separated from the Pomeranian Bay of the Baltic Sea by the islands of Usedom and Wolin . The lagoon is subdivided into the Kleines Haff ( Polish : Mały Zalew , "small lagoon") in the West and the Wielki Zalew ( German : Großes Haff , "great lagoon") in the East. An ambiguous historical German name was Frisches Haff , which later exclusively referred to the Vistula Lagoon .

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35-620: From the South, the lagoon is fed by several arms of the Oder river and smaller rivers like Ziese , Peene , Zarow , Uecker , and Ina . In the North, the lagoon is connected to the Baltic Sea 's Bay of Pomerania with the three straits Peenestrom , Świna and Dziwna , which divide the mainland and the islands of Usedom and Wolin . The lagoon covers an area of 687 km, its natural depth

70-531: A combined annual 1 km. Since no reliable data for an inflow from the Baltic Sea exist, the combined inflow is an estimated 18 km from a catchment area of 129,000 km, residing in the lagoon for an average 55 days before being discharged into the Pomeranian Bay . The nutrients thereby transported into the lagoon have made it hyper(eu)trophic to eutrophic . The straits Peenestrom , Świna and Dziwna are responsible for 17%, 69%, and 14% of

105-676: A major transportation pathway since the 18th century, and as a tourist destination since the 20th century. Heringsdorf Airport on Usedom island is located on the shores of the lagoon. The southern shore of the lagoon belongs to the Am Stettiner Haff Nature Park , its northern shore and the island of Usedom to the Usedom Island Nature Park . To the west is the Anklamer Stadtbruch Nature Reserve and, within it,

140-670: A period of refusal, confirmed the inviolability of the border in 1970 in the Treaty of Warsaw . In 1990 newly reunified Germany and the Republic of Poland signed a treaty recognizing the Oder–Neisse line as their border. On 11 August 2022, it was discovered that the Oder river had been contaminated and at least 135 tonnes of dead fish washed up on its shores. Water samples taken on 28 July indicated possible mesitylene contamination, although

175-452: A publication now in the public domain :  Chisholm, Hugh , ed. (1911). " Oder ". Encyclopædia Britannica . Vol. 20 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 2–3. Usedom Island Nature Park The Usedom Island Nature Park ( German : Naturpark Insel Usedom ) comprises the German part of the island of Usedom in the district of Vorpommern-Greifswald in

210-651: Is a river in Central Europe . It is Poland's second-longest river and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and its largest tributary the Warta . The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows 742 kilometres (461 mi) through western Poland, later forming 187 kilometres (116 mi) of the border between Poland and Germany as part of the Oder–Neisse line . The river ultimately flows into

245-414: Is an average 3.8 metres, and 8.5 metres at maximum. The depth of shipping channels however can exceed 10.5 metres. Thus, the lagoon holds about 2.58 km of water. The annual average water temperature is 11 °C. 94% of the water loads discharged into the lagoon are from the Oder river and its confluences, amounting to an average annual 17 km or 540 m per second. All other confluences contribute

280-666: 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 is Wrocław , in Lower Silesia . The Oder is navigable over a large part of its total length, as far upstream as the town of Koźle , where the river connects to the Gliwice Canal . The upstream part of the river is canalized and permits larger barges (up to CEMT Class IV ) to navigate between

315-593: Is the second longest river overall taking into account its total length, including parts in neighbouring countries. The Oder drains a basin of 119,074 square kilometres (45,975 sq mi), 106,043 km (40,943 sq mi) of which are in Poland (89%), 7,246 km (2,798 sq mi) in the Czech Republic (6%), and 5,587 km (2,157 sq mi) in Germany (5%). Channels connect it to

350-768: The Allies decided that the new eastern border of Germany would run along the Oder. After World War II, the former German areas east of the Oder and the Lusatian Neisse passed to Poland by decision of the victorious Allies at the Potsdam Conference (at the insistence of the Soviets). As a result, the so-called Oder–Neisse line formed the border between the Soviet occupation zone (from 1949 East Germany ) and Poland. The final border between Germany and Poland

385-498: The Anklamer Torfmoor , a protected wetland which is renaturalising after being used for peat extraction. 53°48′16″N 14°08′25″E  /  53.80444°N 14.14028°E  / 53.80444; 14.14028 Oder The Oder ( / ˈ oʊ d ər / OH -dər , German: [ˈoːdɐ] ; Czech , Lower Sorbian and Polish : Odra ; Upper Sorbian : Wódra [ˈwʊtʁa] )

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420-654: The Duchy of Pomerania . In the 17th century, it passed to Sweden . Later on, it gradually passed to the Kingdom of Prussia in the 18th and 19th century, and from 1871 was part of unified Germany . In 1880, the Kaiserfahrt ("Emperor's passage") channel on Usedom was opened, a water route with a depth of 10 metres connecting the lagoon with the Baltic Sea by bypassing the eastern part of the Swine, allowing large ships to enter

455-611: 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 near Police, Poland . The Szczecin Lagoon is bordered on the north by the islands of Usedom (west) and Wolin (east). Between these two islands, there

490-644: The Szczecin Lagoon north of Szczecin and then into three branches (the Dziwna , Świna and Peene ) that empty into the Bay of Pomerania of the Baltic Sea . The Oder is known by several names in different languages, but the modern ones are very similar: English and German: Oder ; Czech, Polish, and Lower Sorbian : Odra , Upper Sorbian : Wódra ; Kashubian : Òdra ( pronounced [ˈwɛdra] ); Medieval Latin : Od(d)era ; Renaissance Latin : Viadrus (invented in 1534). Ptolemy knew

525-479: The 10th century, almost the entire course of the Oder River found itself within the borders of the newly formed Polish state, with the exception of the area around the source of the river, which was under Bohemian rule. Several important cities of medieval Poland developed along the Oder, including Opole which became the capital of Upper Silesia , Wrocław which became the capital of Lower Silesia and one of

560-797: 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 . Under Germania Magna , 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 . In Germanic languages, including English, it

595-461: The Oder and Havel. After completion of the more straight Oder–Havel Canal in 1914, its economic relevance decreased. The earliest important undertaking to modify the river to improve navigation was initiated by Frederick the Great , who recommended diverting the river into a new and straight channel in the swampy tract known as Oderbruch near Küstrin ( Kostrzyn nad Odrą ). The work was carried out in

630-412: The bay, 15% is moorland and the remaining area is a cultural landscape. A special feature of the nature park is the great diversity of landscapes within a small area. These include beach and littoral, lakes and marshes, dunes, pine and beech forests mixed with small villages and fields. The island of Usedom is one of the richest bird areas in Germany. Osprey , white stork , crane and heron all breed in

665-513: The discharge, respectively. The average salinity is between 0.5 and 2 grams of salt per kilogram of water (approximately equivalent to 0.5 and 2 parts per thousand [ppt]). Occasionally northerly winds reverse the direction of the Świna, admitting sea water from the Baltic Sea into the lagoon, raising the local salinity to 6 ppt. In the 10th century, the emerging Polish state strove for the area, but likely did not succeed with establishing control. Following Poland's fragmentation, it formed part of

700-506: The eastern part of the lagoon became part of Poland, while the western part became part of East Germany . The Kaiserfahrt was renamed Piast Canal , after the Polish Piast dynasty , which first included the region to Poland in the 10th century. The German-Polish border also divides the bight called Neuwarper See near Rieth  [ de ] , Luckow . The lagoon has served as an important fishing grounds for centuries, as

735-684: The industrial sites around the Wrocław area. Further downstream the river is free-flowing, passing the towns of Eisenhüttenstadt (where the Oder–Spree Canal connects the river to the Spree in Berlin) and Frankfurt upon the Oder . Downstream of Frankfurt the river Warta forms a navigable connection with Poznań and Bydgoszcz for smaller vessels. At Hohensaaten the Oder–Havel Canal connects with

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770-540: The lagoon and the seaport of Stettin quicker and safer. The canal, approximately 12 km long and 10 metres deep, was dug by the German Empire between 1874 and 1880, during the reign of the first Kaiser Wilhelm (1797–1888) after whom it was named. Also, the work resulted in a new island named Kaseburg ( Karsibór ) being cut off from Usedom. After the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II in 1945,

805-646: The main cities and ports of the Pomerania region and the entire southern coast of the Baltic Sea. From the 13th century on, the Oder valley was central to German Ostsiedlung , making the towns on its banks German-speaking over the following centuries. Over time, control over parts of the river was taken from Poland by other countries, including the Margraviate of Brandenburg and the Kingdom of Bohemia , and later also by Hungary , Sweden , Prussia and Germany . The Finow Canal , first built in 1605, connects

840-532: The main cities of the entire Kingdom of Poland (Latin: sedes regni principales ), and Lubusz (now Lebus) which became the capital of the Lubusz Land , nicknamed "the key to the Kingdom of Poland" in medieval chronicles. Wrocław and Lubusz became seats of some of the oldest Catholic bishoprics of Poland, founded in 1000 ( Wrocław ) and 1125 ( Lubusz ). Located near the mouth of the river, Szczecin became one of

875-619: The modern Oder as the Συήβος ( Suebos ; Latin Suevus ), a name apparently derived from the Suebi , a Germanic people. While he also refers to an outlet in the area as the Οὐιαδούα Ouiadoua (or Οὐιλδούα Ouildoua ; Latin Viadua or Vildua ), this was apparently the modern Wieprza , as it was said to be a third of the distance between the Suebos and Vistula . The name Suebos may be preserved in

910-514: The modern name of the Świna river (German Swine ), an outlet from the Szczecin Lagoon to the Baltic. The Oder is 840 kilometres (522 miles) long: 112 km (70 miles) in the Czech Republic, 726 km (451 miles) in Poland (including 187 km (116 miles) on the border between Germany and Poland). It is the third longest river located within Poland (after the Vistula and Warta); however, it

945-719: The rivers Albis (Elbe) , Oder, and Vistula . Centuries later, after Germanic tribes, the Bavarian Geographer (ca. 845) specified the following West Slavic peoples: Sleenzane , Dadosesani, Opolanie , Lupiglaa, and Golensizi in Silesia and Wolinians with Pyrzycans in Western Pomerania . A document of the Bishopric of Prague (1086) mentions Zlasane, Trebovyane, Poborane, and Dedositze in Silesia. In

980-460: The state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern , Germany . In addition to the island itself, the park covers the waterbody between the island and the mainland as well as small strips of mainland in the northwest and west near the seaside resorts of Lubmin and the town of Lassan . Even in East German days several parts of Usedom had been declared nature reserves , and they were gradually expanded. It

1015-489: The toxin was not present in samples taken after 1 August. Main section: Szczecin Lagoon : east: Dziwna (German: Dievenow ) branch (between Wolin Island and mainland Poland): middle: Świna (German: Swine ) branch (between Wolin and Usedom islands): west: Peenestrom ( Peene ) (Polish: Piana ) branch (between Usedom Island and mainland Germany): [REDACTED]   This article incorporates text from

1050-496: The years 1746–53, a large tract of marshland being brought under cultivation, a considerable detour cut off and the mainstream successfully confined to a canal. In the late 19th century, three additional alterations were made to the waterway: By the Treaty of Versailles , navigation on the Oder became subject to International Commission of the Oder. Following the articles 363 and 364 of the Treaty Czechoslovakia

1085-601: Was and still is called the Oder , written in medieval Latin documents as Odera or Oddera . Most notably, it was mentioned in the Dagome iudex , which described territory of the Duchy of Poland under Duke Mieszko I in A.D. 990, as a part of Poland's western frontier, however, in most sections the border ran west of the river. Before Slavs settled along its banks, the Oder was an important trade route, and towns in Germania were documented along with many tribes living between

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1120-543: Was designated a protected area in 1966 and, in 1993, expanded to the area of the present-day nature park. In December 1999 the entire region was officially designated a nature park in the sense of being a large-scale cultural landscape. An information centre, the Ruth and Klaus Bahlsen House, with exhibition rooms, maps and leaflets, is located in the historic station building on the Bäderstraße from Usedom . The building

1155-544: Was entitled to lease in Stettin (now Szczecin) its own section in the harbor, then called Tschechoslowakische Zone im Hafen Stettin . The contract of lease between Czechoslovakia and Germany , and supervised by the United Kingdom , was signed on 16 February 1929, and would end in 2028, however, after 1945 Czechoslovakia did not regain this legal position, de facto abolished in 1938–39. At the 1943 Tehran Conference

1190-577: Was promoted as part of an INTERREG project and completed in 2005. The park is bounded by the Baltic Sea on the Bay of Greifswald ( Greifswalder Bodden ), the Peenestrom river, the Achterwasser lagoon and the Oder Lagoon ( Stettiner Haff ). The total area of the park is 632 square kilometres (244 sq mi). Roughly 30% of this area is covered by forest, about 50% by lakes and

1225-553: Was to be determined at a future peace conference. A part of the German population east of these two rivers was evacuated by the Nazis during the war or fled from the approaching Red Army . After the war, the remaining 8 million Germans were expelled from these territories by the Polish and Soviet administrations. East Germany confirmed the border with Poland under Soviet pressure in the Treaty of Zgorzelec in 1950. West Germany , after

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