The Wieprz (, ; ua, Вепр, Vepr) is a
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of ...
in central-eastern
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
, a tributary of the
Vistula
The Vistula (; pl, Wisła, ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest river in Europe, at in length. The drainage basin, reaching into three other nations, covers , of which is in Poland.
The Vistula rises at Barania Góra in ...
. It is the country's ninth longest river, with a total length of 349 km and a
catchment area
In human geography, a catchment area is the area from which a location, such as a city, service or institution, attracts a population that uses its services and economic opportunities. Catchment areas may be defined based on from where people are ...
of 10,497 km
2, all within Poland. Its course near the town of
Łęczna includes the
protected area
Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...
known as
Wieprz Landscape Park.
The river has its sources in Lake Wieprz, in
Wieprzów Tarnawacki near
Tomaszow Lubelski, and flows into the Vistula near
Dęblin.
The Wieprz is connected to another river, the
Krzna, through the 140-kilometer Wieprz-Krzna Canal, built in 1954-1961. Because the Wieprz with its wide valley has not been regulated, its nature is very diverse. The meandering river with its
oxbow lake
An oxbow lake is a U-shaped lake or pool that forms when a wide meander of a river is cut off, creating a free-standing body of water. In South Texas, oxbows left by the Rio Grande are called '' resacas''. In Australia, oxbow lakes are call ...
s is inhabited by numerous birds,
European otters and
Eurasian beavers.
During the
Polish-Soviet War, units of the Polish 4th Army concentrated along the Wieprz, getting ready for the
Battle of Warsaw. In September 1939, during the
Invasion of Poland
The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week af ...
, the
Battle of Tomaszow Lubelski
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
took place by the Wieprz.
Towns on the Wieprz
*
Krasnobród
*
Zwierzyniec
*
Szczebrzeszyn
Szczebrzeszyn (; yi, שעברעשין, Shebreshin; uk, Щебрешин, Shchebreshyn) is a city in southeastern Poland in Lublin Voivodeship, in Zamość County, about 20km west of Zamość. From 1975–1999, it was part of the Zamość Voiv ...
*
Krasnystaw
Krasnystaw ( uk, Красностав, Krasnostav) is a town in southeastern Poland with 18 630 inhabitants (31 december 2019). Situated in the Lublin Voivodeship (since 1999), previously in Chełm Voivodeship (1975–1998). It is the capital ...
*
Łęczna
*
Lubartów
Lubartów () is a town in eastern Poland, with 23,000 inhabitants (2004), situated in Lublin Voivodeship. It is the capital of Lubartów County and the Lubartów Commune. Historically it belongs to Lesser Poland.
Lubartów was established in 15 ...
*
Dęblin
See also
*
List of rivers in Poland
References
{{Authority control
Rivers of Poland
Rivers of Masovian Voivodeship
Rivers of Lublin Voivodeship