The Biebrza (, ', ') is a

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

in northeastern

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, a tributary of the

Narew The Narew (; ; or ) 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 h ...

River (near

Wizna Wizna is a village in Łomża County of Podlaskie Voivodeship, in north-eastern Poland, situated on the Narew River. Wizna is known for the battle of Wizna which took place in its vicinity during the 1939 Invasion of Poland at the start of World ...

), with a length of and a basin area of 7,092 km² (7,067 in Poland).Statistical Yearbook of the Republic of Poland 2017

Statistics Poland Statistics Poland (, popularly called GUS), formerly known in English as the Central Statistical Office, is the Polish government's chief executive agency charged with collecting and publishing statistics related to the economy, population, and s ...

, p. 85-86 Larger towns in the area: *

Lipsk Lipsk (also ) is a town in Augustów County, Podlaskie Voivodeship, in north-eastern Poland, with 2,520 inhabitants (2004). History Lipsk was granted town rights in 1580 by King Stephen Báthory by virtue of a privilege (law), privilege issued ...

Sztabin Sztabin (; ) is a village in Augustów County, Podlaskie Voivodeship, in north-eastern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Sztabin. It lies approximately south-east of Augustów and north of the regional ca ...

Goniądz Goniądz (; ) is a town in northeastern Poland, located at the Biebrza river, (pop. 1,915) in Mońki County in Podlaskie Voivodeship. History The town was founded sometime in the 14th century when dense forests covered the area. The first mentio ...

* Osowiec-Twierdza * Radzilow *

The region is usually divided into lower, central, and upper basin areas, each with its own different characteristics.

Tributaries

* Right tributaries:

Netta ''Netta'' is a genus of diving ducks. The name is derived from Greek ''Netta'' "duck". Unlike other diving ducks, the ''Netta'' species are reluctant to dive, and feed more like dabbling ducks. These are gregarious ducks, mainly found on fresh ...

, Lega, Ełk, Wissa * Left tributaries: Sidra, Brzozówka

Natural environment

Today, the river is best known for the vivid wildlife in the peatbogs and marshes in its flood areas.

History

Historically, the borderland regions of

Mazovia Mazovia or Masovia ( ) is a historical region in mid-north-eastern Poland. It spans the North European Plain, roughly between Łódź and Białystok, with Warsaw being the largest city and Płock being the capital of the region . Throughout the ...

and Lithuania, the area retains much of its cultural diversity today.

Cultural and linguistic environment

The basin of the Biebrza River is inhabited not only by hundreds of rare and endangered sorts of birds, but also by people representing diverse cultures, languages, and religions. Although most of the population of the region speaks standard Polish, some people in the upper river basin (municipalities of

Dąbrowa Białostocka Dąbrowa Białostocka is a town in Sokółka County, Podlaskie Voivodeship, in north-eastern Poland. As of December 2021, the town has a population of 5,305. Data for territorial unit 2011014. History Jewish history The Jewish community of D� ...

and partly

) speak a local dialect of

Belarusian Belarusian may refer to: * Something of, or related to Belarus * Belarusians, people from Belarus, or of Belarusian descent * A citizen of Belarus, see Demographics of Belarus * Belarusian language * Belarusian culture * Belarusian cuisine * Byelor ...

(called by them ''prosty jazyk'' 'simple language'). The people there belong to the Orthodox or Roman Catholic church. On the north bank of the upper Biebrza there are also a few villages where so-called "

old believers Old Believers or Old Ritualists ( Russian: староверы, ''starovery'' or старообрядцы, ''staroobryadtsy'') is the common term for several religious groups, which maintain the old liturgical and ritual practices of the Russian ...

" live, who speak an archaic dialect of Russian. Some of these communities have preserved much of their traditional culture in spite of long-lasting communist government policies aimed at assimilation of non-Polish cultural and linguistic minorities.

References

Sources

External links

Natural tourism (birdwatching) in Biebrza National Park

Radzilow - Town running along the Biebrza
Rivers of Poland Rivers of Podlaskie Voivodeship {{Poland-river-stub