Warsaw and the Vistula River

Warsaw and the Vistula River Today’s Video of the Day from the European Space Agency features Warsaw, the capital and largest city of Poland.

Warsaw is famous for its resilience. During World War II, more than 85 percent of the city’s buildings were destroyed. Since that time, Warsaw has risen from the ashes, earning the nickname “Phoenix City.”

The town is divided by the Vistula River. Warsaw’s historical Old Town, which is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is located in the west bank of the river. A major river in Poland, the Vistula originates on the western slopes of the mountain Barania Góra in the Carpathian Mountains in southern Poland.

On the east side of the Vistula, the Narodowy National Stadium is a retractable-roof stadium used for concerts and sporting events. In 2013, the stadium hosted the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP-19). At the time the river, it represented the best available science. The river is often associated with Polish culture, history and national identity.  Also it is the country’s most important waterway and natural symbol, and the term “Vistula Land” can  be compared with Poland.  The highest point of the river basin is at 2,655 metres (8,711 feet) Also one of many  features of the river basin of the Vistula is its asymmetry great measure resulting from the tilting direction of the Central European Lowland toward the northwest, the direction of the flow of glacial waters, and considerable predisposition of its older base. 

Video Credit: ESA

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By Chrissy Sexton, Earth.com Staff Writer