1.
Silesia
–
Silesia is a region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is about 40,000 km2, and its population about 8,000,000, Silesia is located along the Oder River. It consists of Lower Silesia and Upper Silesia, the region is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesias largest city and historical capital is Wrocław, the biggest metropolitan area is the Upper Silesian metropolitan area, the centre of which is Katowice. Parts of the Czech city of Ostrava fall within the borders of Silesia, Silesias borders and national affiliation have changed over time, both when it was a hereditary possession of noble houses and after the rise of modern nation-states. The first known states to hold there were probably those of Greater Moravia at the end of the 9th century. In the 10th century, Silesia was incorporated into the early Polish state, in the 14th century, it became a constituent part of the Bohemian Crown Lands under the Holy Roman Empire, which passed to the Austrian Habsburg Monarchy in 1526. Most of Silesia was conquered by Prussia in 1742, later becoming part of the German Empire, the Weimar Republic, the varied history with changing aristocratic possessions resulted in an abundance of castles in Silesia, especially in the Jelenia Góra valley. The remaining former Austrian parts of Silesia were partitioned to Czechoslovakia, in 1945, after World War II, the bulk of Silesia was transferred to Polish jurisdiction by the Potsdam Agreement of the victorious Allied Powers and became part of Poland. The small Lusatian strip west of the Oder-Neisse line, which had belonged to Silesia since 1815 and its centres are Görlitz and Bautzen. Most inhabitants of Silesia today speak the languages of their respective countries. The population of Upper Silesia is native, while Lower Silesia was settled by a German-speaking population before 1945, an ongoing debate exists whether Silesian speech should be considered a dialect of Polish or a separate language. Also, a Lower Silesian German dialect is used, although today it is almost extinct and it is used by expellees within Germany, as well as Germans who were left behind. The names all relate to the name of a river and mountain in mid-southern Silesia, the mountain served as a cultic place. Ślęża is listed as one of the numerous Pre-Indo-European topographic names in the region, according to some Polish Slavists, the name Ślęża or Ślęż is directly related to the Old Slavic words ślęg or śląg, which means dampness, moisture, or humidity. They disagree with the hypothesis of an origin for the name Śląsk from the name of the Silings tribe, in the fourth century BC, Celts entered Silesia, settling around Mount Ślęża near modern Wrocław, Oława, and Strzelin. Germanic Lugii tribes were first recorded within Silesia in the 1st century, Slavic peoples arrived in the region around the 7th century, and by the early ninth century, their settlements had stabilized. Local Slavs started to erect boundary structures like the Silesian Przesieka, the eastern border of Silesian settlement was situated to the west of the Bytom, and east from Racibórz and Cieszyn
Silesia
–
Silesia in an early period of
Poland's fragmentation, 1172–1177
Silesia
–
Historic Silesia, superimposed on modern national borders: The medieval and early modern Bohemian and Habsburg province outlined in cyan, Prussian Silesia in yellow.
Silesia
–
First map of Silesia by
Martin Helwig, 1561; north at the bottom
Silesia
–
Coal Mine Bolesław Śmiały, Łaziska Górne
2.
Cisek
–
Cisek is an agricultural village in Kędzierzyn-Koźle County, Opole Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Cisek and it lies approximately 8 kilometres south from Kędzierzyn-Koźle and 47 km south-east from the regional capital Opole. The village has a population of 1,485, before 1945, the area was part of Germany, however the first mention of the village was in 1241. In 1532, it was named as Czisky and Cisek, in 1830, the village had 564 residents and 138 houses. By 1845, it had grown to 760 inhabitants and 129 houses, a Roman Catholic school, founded in 1818, employed one teacher and one assistant teacher. In 1865, the area of the village was 2,037 acres. According to the census of 1910, the village was inhabited by 1,206 Poles, in the census of 1925, the Polish language was listed as the native tongue of 901 villagers, German was only listed by 64 people, and 343 people were recorded as bilingual. From 1925 -1933, a Polish language public school functioned in the village, there was also a branch of the Polish-Catholic School Society. In 1937, the caused an uproar in the Polish community of Germany due to the county authorities in Koźle denial of a license to suspend the villages newly acquired church tower bells. The bells had been funded by local Polish parishioners, the German authorities had stated that the tower was too weak to hang the heavy bells. Finally, the agreed to suspend the bells after removing the Polish inscription from them which read, Hail Mary. The Union of Poles in Germany also registered two more cases of destruction of Polish inscriptions, which were placed on the roadside crosses, in 1997 the village was heavily effected by the Millennium Flood. The flood destroyed all the seasons crops and many roads. The village is partnered with both Breitungen and Körperich in Germany, Population,1,485 Population density,280 people/km² Area,5.3 km2Forests and forest land,450 acres Popiołka, Stefan, Ziemia Kozielska
Cisek
–
The village's
Neo-Gothic parish church, Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, built in 1927
Cisek
–
A stone in memory of the 1997
Millennium Flood.
Cisek
–
Wayside Chapel is a village landmark.
3.
Czech Republic
–
The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, is a nation state in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west, Austria to the south, Slovakia to the east and Poland to the northeast. The Czech Republic covers an area of 78,866 square kilometres with mostly temperate continental climate and it is a unitary parliamentary republic, has 10.5 million inhabitants and the capital and largest city is Prague, with over 1.2 million residents. The Czech Republic includes the territories of Bohemia, Moravia. The Czech state was formed in the late 9th century as the Duchy of Bohemia under the Great Moravian Empire, after the fall of the Empire in 907, the centre of power transferred from Moravia to Bohemia under the Přemyslid dynasty. In 1002, the duchy was formally recognized as part of the Holy Roman Empire, becoming the Kingdom of Bohemia in 1198 and reaching its greatest territorial extent in the 14th century. Following the Battle of Mohács in 1526, the whole Crown of Bohemia was gradually integrated into the Habsburg Monarchy alongside the Archduchy of Austria, the Protestant Bohemian Revolt against the Catholic Habsburgs led to the Thirty Years War. After the Battle of the White Mountain, the Habsburgs consolidated their rule, reimposed Roman Catholicism, the Czech part of Czechoslovakia was occupied by Germany in World War II, and was liberated in 1945 by the armies of the Soviet Union and the United States. The Czech country lost the majority of its German-speaking inhabitants after they were expelled following the war, the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia won the 1946 elections. Following the 1948 coup détat, Czechoslovakia became a one-party communist state under Soviet influence, in 1968, increasing dissatisfaction with the regime culminated in a reform movement known as the Prague Spring, which ended in a Soviet-led invasion. Czechoslovakia remained occupied until the 1989 Velvet Revolution, when the communist regime collapsed, on 6 March 1990, the Czech Socialistic Republic was renamed to the Czech Republic. On 1 January 1993, Czechoslovakia peacefully dissolved, with its constituent states becoming the independent states of the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic. The Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004, it is a member of the United Nations, the OECD, the OSCE, and it is a developed country with an advanced, high income economy and high living standards. The UNDP ranks the country 14th in inequality-adjusted human development, the Czech Republic also ranks as the 6th most peaceful country, while achieving strong performance in democratic governance. It has the lowest unemployment rate in the European Union, the traditional English name Bohemia derives from Latin Boiohaemum, which means home of the Boii. The current name comes from the endonym Čech, spelled Cžech until the reform in 1842. The name comes from the Slavic tribe and, according to legend, their leader Čech, the etymology of the word Čech can be traced back to the Proto-Slavic root *čel-, meaning member of the people, kinsman, thus making it cognate to the Czech word člověk. The country has traditionally divided into three lands, namely Bohemia in the west, Moravia in the southeast, and Czech Silesia in the northeast. Following the dissolution of Czechoslovakia at the end of 1992, the Czech part of the former nation found itself without a common single-word geographical name in English, the name Czechia /ˈtʃɛkiə/ was recommended by the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Czech Republic
–
Přemysl Ottokar II,
King of Bohemia (1253–1278) and
Duke of Austria (1251–1278)
Czech Republic
–
Flag
Czech Republic
–
The
Crown of Saint Wenceslas is the 4th oldest in Europe
Czech Republic
–
The
Defenestration of Prague sparked the
Thirty Years' War
4.
Poland
–
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe, situated between the Baltic Sea in the north and two mountain ranges in the south. Bordered by Germany to the west, the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south, Ukraine and Belarus to the east, the total area of Poland is 312,679 square kilometres, making it the 69th largest country in the world and the 9th largest in Europe. With a population of over 38.5 million people, Poland is the 34th most populous country in the world, the 8th most populous country in Europe, Poland is a unitary state divided into 16 administrative subdivisions, and its capital and largest city is Warsaw. Other metropolises include Kraków, Wrocław, Poznań, Gdańsk and Szczecin, the establishment of a Polish state can be traced back to 966, when Mieszko I, ruler of a territory roughly coextensive with that of present-day Poland, converted to Christianity. The Kingdom of Poland was founded in 1025, and in 1569 it cemented a political association with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania by signing the Union of Lublin. This union formed the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, one of the largest and most populous countries of 16th and 17th century Europe, Poland regained its independence in 1918 at the end of World War I, reconstituting much of its historical territory as the Second Polish Republic. In September 1939, World War II started with the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany, followed thereafter by invasion by the Soviet Union. More than six million Polish citizens died in the war, after the war, Polands borders were shifted westwards under the terms of the Potsdam Conference. With the backing of the Soviet Union, a communist puppet government was formed, and after a referendum in 1946. During the Revolutions of 1989 Polands Communist government was overthrown and Poland adopted a new constitution establishing itself as a democracy, informally called the Third Polish Republic. Since the early 1990s, when the transition to a primarily market-based economy began, Poland has achieved a high ranking on the Human Development Index. Poland is a country, which was categorised by the World Bank as having a high-income economy. Furthermore, it is visited by approximately 16 million tourists every year, Poland is the eighth largest economy in the European Union and was the 6th fastest growing economy on the continent between 2010 and 2015. According to the Global Peace Index for 2014, Poland is ranked 19th in the list of the safest countries in the world to live in. The origin of the name Poland derives from a West Slavic tribe of Polans that inhabited the Warta River basin of the historic Greater Poland region in the 8th century, the origin of the name Polanie itself derives from the western Slavic word pole. In some foreign languages such as Hungarian, Lithuanian, Persian and Turkish the exonym for Poland is Lechites, historians have postulated that throughout Late Antiquity, many distinct ethnic groups populated the regions of what is now Poland. The most famous archaeological find from the prehistory and protohistory of Poland is the Biskupin fortified settlement, dating from the Lusatian culture of the early Iron Age, the Slavic groups who would form Poland migrated to these areas in the second half of the 5th century AD. With the Baptism of Poland the Polish rulers accepted Christianity and the authority of the Roman Church
Poland
–
Reconstruction of a
Bronze Age,
Lusatian culture settlement in
Biskupin, c. 700 BC
Poland
–
Flag
Poland
–
Earliest known contemporary depiction of a Polish ruler; King
Mieszko II Lambert of Poland being presented with a
Liturgical book by
Matilda of Swabia, 1025–1031
Poland
–
Drawing of the
Battle of Grunwald, which was fought against the
German Order of Teutonic Knights, 15 July 1410
5.
Germany
–
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a federal parliamentary republic in central-western Europe. It includes 16 constituent states, covers an area of 357,021 square kilometres, with about 82 million inhabitants, Germany is the most populous member state of the European Union. After the United States, it is the second most popular destination in the world. Germanys capital and largest metropolis is Berlin, while its largest conurbation is the Ruhr, other major cities include Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Düsseldorf and Leipzig. Various Germanic tribes have inhabited the northern parts of modern Germany since classical antiquity, a region named Germania was documented before 100 AD. During the Migration Period the Germanic tribes expanded southward, beginning in the 10th century, German territories formed a central part of the Holy Roman Empire. During the 16th century, northern German regions became the centre of the Protestant Reformation, in 1871, Germany became a nation state when most of the German states unified into the Prussian-dominated German Empire. After World War I and the German Revolution of 1918–1919, the Empire was replaced by the parliamentary Weimar Republic, the establishment of the national socialist dictatorship in 1933 led to World War II and the Holocaust. After a period of Allied occupation, two German states were founded, the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic, in 1990, the country was reunified. In the 21st century, Germany is a power and has the worlds fourth-largest economy by nominal GDP. As a global leader in industrial and technological sectors, it is both the worlds third-largest exporter and importer of goods. Germany is a country with a very high standard of living sustained by a skilled. It upholds a social security and universal health system, environmental protection. Germany was a member of the European Economic Community in 1957. It is part of the Schengen Area, and became a co-founder of the Eurozone in 1999, Germany is a member of the United Nations, NATO, the G8, the G20, and the OECD. The national military expenditure is the 9th highest in the world, the English word Germany derives from the Latin Germania, which came into use after Julius Caesar adopted it for the peoples east of the Rhine. This in turn descends from Proto-Germanic *þiudiskaz popular, derived from *þeudō, descended from Proto-Indo-European *tewtéh₂- people, the discovery of the Mauer 1 mandible shows that ancient humans were present in Germany at least 600,000 years ago. The oldest complete hunting weapons found anywhere in the world were discovered in a mine in Schöningen where three 380, 000-year-old wooden javelins were unearthed
Germany
–
The
Nebra sky disk is dated to c. 1600 BC.
Germany
–
Flag
Germany
–
Martin Luther (1483–1546) initiated the
Protestant Reformation.
Germany
–
Foundation of the
German Empire in
Versailles, 1871.
Bismarck is at the center in a white uniform.
6.
Oder River
–
The Oder is a river in Central Europe. It rises in the Czech Republic and flows through western Poland, the river ultimately flows into the Szczecin Lagoon north of Szczecin and then into three branches that empty into the Gulf of Pomerania of the Baltic Sea. Ptolemy knew the modern Oder as the Συήβος – a name derived from the Suebi. While he also refers to an outlet in the area as the Οὐιαδούα Ouiadoua, the name Suebos may be preserved in the modern name of the Świna river – an outlet from the Szczecin Lagoon to the Baltic. In the Old Church Slavonic language, the name of the river is Vjodr, the Oder is 854 kilometres long,112 km in the Czech Republic,742 km in Poland and is the second longest river in Poland. It drains a basin of 118,861 square kilometres,106,056 km2 of which are in Poland,7,217 km2 in the Czech Republic, channels connect it to the Havel, Spree, Vistula system and Kłodnica. It flows through Silesian, Opole, Lower Silesian, Lubusz, and West Pomeranian voivodeships of Poland, the main branch empties into the Szczecin Lagoon near Police, Poland. The Szczecin Lagoon is bordered on the north by the islands of Usedom, between these two islands, there is only a narrow channel 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 to navigate between the sites around the Wrocław area. Further downstream the river is flowing, passing the towns of Eisenhüttenstadt. Downstream of Frankfurt the river Warta forms a connection with Poznań. At Hohensaaten the Oder–Havel Canal connects with 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, the river in Germania Magna 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 German language it was and is called the Oder, written in older records as Odera or Oddera in Medieval Latin documents and it was mentioned in the Dagome iudex, which described territory of the Duchy of Poland under Mieszko I of Poland ca. 990, as a part of western frontier. Before Slavs settled along its banks, Oder was an important trade route, a document of the Bishopric of Prague mentions Zlasane, Trebovyane, Poborane, and Dedositze in Silesia. In the 13th century, the first dams were built to protect agricultural lands, the Finow Canal, built for the first time in 1605, connects Oder and Havel
Oder River
–
Oder between Kienitz and Zollbrücke, Germany
Oder River
–
Oder in
Wrocław,
Ostrów Tumski
Oder River
–
Oder in
Wrocław
Oder River
–
Oder River view from Ziegenwerder Island in
Frankfurt (Oder), Germany to
Słubice, Poland
7.
Morava (river)
–
The Morava is a river in Central Europe, a left tributary of the Danube. It is the river of Moravia, which derives its name from it. The river originates on the Králický Sněžník mountain in the corner of Pardubice Region. The lower part of the rivers course forms the border between the Czech Republic and Slovakia and then between Austria and Slovakia, the latter three are actually continuous parts of one large basin, forming the major part of the Vienna Basin. In the Czech Republic, there are some larger towns lying upon Morava, particularly Olomouc, Kroměříž, Otrokovice, Uherské Hradiště and Hodonín. After 354 km of its course, Morava feeds the Danube by a discharge rate of 120 m3/s. The Morava river is unusual in that it is a European blackwater river, the rivers longest tributary is Thaya or Dyje, flowing in at the tripoint of Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The biggest tributary from the left is Bečva, though the German name March may refer to Mark, border, frontier, the rivers name more probably is derived from Proto-Indo-European *mori, waters. It was first documented as Maraha in an 892 deed, at the times of the Cold War, this section of the river was part of the Iron curtain, being the frontier between Austria and Czechoslovakia. In July 1997, the Morava basin was affected by heavy stratiform raining, in the Czech Republic,49 people lost their life, more than 250 villages had to be evacuated and the total damage cost 63 milliard crowns. March of Austria March of Moravia Geographic data related to Morava at OpenStreetMap
Morava (river)
–
The Morava meets the
Danube in
Bratislava -
Devín
Morava (river)
–
Source of the Morava on
Králický Sněžník
Morava (river)
–
The Morava between
Austria and
Slovakia
Morava (river)
–
A
flooded Morava at
Bratislava -
Devínska Nová Ves
8.
Genoa low
–
A Genoa low is a cyclone that forms or intensifies from a pre-existing cyclone to the south of the Alps over the Gulf of Genoa, Ligurian Sea, Po Valley and northern Adriatic. The northwestern Mediterranean and the Gulf of Genoa in particular, are not only an area for passing cyclones. Several factors that have relevance in the development of depressions south of the Alps are. Interaction between the polar front jet stream and the jet stream. Effect of northerly flow over the Alps, enhancing cyclogenetic activity along the southern slopes, effect of the concave curvature of the southern slopes of the Alps, enhancing cyclonic formation. Genoa low cyclogenesis can occur at any time of year, though usually situated further south during the summer, Cyclogenesis is shifted to the east depending on the amount of cold air entering the Po Valley, and generally shifts to the Gulf of Venice when little enters the valley. The depressions bear rain, often intense, on the Ligurian coast and hills of Tuscany, most Genoa lows remain stationary or leave a residual trough to the south of the Alps. Three principal tracks which they follow were identified by Wilhelm Jakob van Bebber who classified European windstorm tracks in 1891. To this date, track V of the group has remained in common use. The tracks diverge from the Genoa low formation area along the following pathways, a strong southwesterly flow in the upper atmosphere leads the lows to the northeast and northnortheast, towards the Vienna Basin. The lows then glide over colder and denser air from the northwest and are lifted orographically by the Bohemian Massif, Ore Mountains, Sudetes, Beskids and Tatra Mountains. The warm and moist air masses cause prolonged and abundant precipitation during slow Meridional flow over the upper catchments of both the southern and northern European Watershed, flooding then progresses down their major rivers of central Europe. This Vb-track displays a potential for large summer floods in Europe. Although the link between large summer floods and the Vb track have also described as having a significant. Examples of flooding events which follow this pattern are, St. Mary Magdalenes flood 1997 Central European flood from the lows Xolska and Zoe.2002 European floods from the lows Hanne,2005 European floods 2009 European floods 2010 Central European floods from the low Yolanda. 2013 European floods 2014 Southeast Europe floods The Vc track draws the lows across the Panonian plain towards the Carpathian Mountains and on towards western Ukraine and Moldova. If there is an anticyclone over the Balkans, Turkey and the Black Sea. It is this track that moves the low across the Tyrrhenian Sea, in this case, gale force Bora are typically generated by the time the depression moves into the Ionian Sea
Genoa low
–
Relief map of Alpine region of Europe
Genoa low
–
The Ligurian Sea
Genoa low
–
Map of cyclone tracks over Europe, showing divergence of track V over the Ligurian sea and north Adriatic
9.
Moravia
–
Moravia is a historical country in the Czech Republic and one of the historical Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. Moravia has an area of over 22,348.87 km2 and about 3 million inhabitants, the statistics from 1921 states, that the whole area of Moravia including the enclaves in Silesia covers 22,623.41 km2. The people are historically named Moravians, a subgroup of Czechs, the land takes its name from the Morava river, which rises in the northern tip of the region and flows southward to the opposite end, being its major stream. Moravias largest city and historical capital is Brno, however before being sacked by the Swedish army during the Thirty Years War, though officially abolished by an administrative reform in 1949, Moravia is still commonly acknowledged as a specific land in the Czech Republic. Moravian people are aware of their Moravian identity and there is some rivalry between them and the Czechs from Bohemia. Moravia occupies most of the part of the Czech Republic. Moravian territory is naturally strongly determined, in fact, as the Morava river basin, with effect of mountains in the west and partly in the east. Moravia occupies a position in Central Europe. All the highlands in the west and east of part of Europe run west-east. Moravia borders Bohemia in the west, Lower Austria in the south, Slovakia in the southeast, Poland very shortly in the north and its natural boundary is formed by the Sudetes mountains in the north, the Carpathians in the east and the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands in the west. The Thaya river meanders along the border with Austria and the tripoint of Moravia, Austria and Slovakia is at the confluence of the Thaya, the northeast border with Silesia runs partly along the Moravice, Oder and Ostravice rivers. Between 1782–1850, Moravia also included a portion of the former province of Silesia – the Austrian Silesia. Geologically, Moravia covers an area between the Bohemian Massif and the Carpathians, and between the Danube basin and the North European Plain. Its core geomorphological features are three wide vales, namely the Dyje-Svratka Vale, the Upper Morava Vale and the Lower Morava Vale, the former two form the westernmost part of the Subcarpathia, the latter one is the northernmost part of the Vienna Basin. The vales surround the low range of Central Moravian Carpathians, the highest mountains of Moravia are situated on its northern border in Hrubý Jeseník, the highest peak is Praděd. Second highest are the Moravian-Silesian Beskids at the very east, with Smrk, the White Carpathians along the southeastern border rise up to 970 m at Velká Javořina. The spacious, but moderate Bohemian-Moravian Highlands on the west reach 837 m at Devět skal. The fluvial system of Moravia is very cohesive, as the border is similar to the watershed of the Morava river
Moravia
–
Mikulov, a town in Moravia
Moravia
Moravia
–
The historical Flag of Moravia
Moravia
–
Šance, part of the
Moravian-Silesian Beskids
10.
Flash floods
–
A flash flood is a rapid flooding of geomorphic low-lying areas, washes, rivers, dry lakes and basins. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a thunderstorm, hurricane, tropical storm. Flash floods may occur after the collapse of an ice or debris dam, or a human structure such as a man-made dam. Flash floods are distinguished from regular floods by a timescale of less than six hours, the water that is temporarily available is often used by foliage with rapid germination and short growth cycles, and by specially adapted animal life. Flash floods can occur under several types of conditions, Flash flooding occurs when it rains rapidly on saturated soil or dry soil that has poor absorption ability. The runoff collects in gullies and streams and, as they join to form larger volumes, often forms a fast flowing front of water, in areas on or near volcanoes, flash floods have also occurred after eruptions, when glaciers have been melted by the intense heat. Flash floods are known to occur in the highest mountain ranges of the United States and are common in the arid plains of the Southwestern United States. Flash flooding can also be caused by extensive rainfall released by hurricanes and other tropical storms, human activities can also cause flash floods to occur. When dams fail, a quantity of water can be released. Many people tend to underestimate the dangers of flash floods, what makes flash floods most dangerous is their sudden nature and fast-moving water. A vehicle provides little to no protection against being swept away, it may make people overconfident, more than half of the fatalities attributed to flash floods are people swept away in vehicles when trying to cross flooded intersections. As little as 2 feet of water is enough to carry away most SUV-sized vehicles. The U. S. National Weather Service reported in 2005 that, using a national 30-year average, more people die yearly in floods,127 on average, than by lightning, tornadoes, in deserts, flash floods can be particularly deadly for several reasons. First, storms in arid regions are infrequent, but they can deliver an enormous amount of water in a short time. Second, these rains often fall on poorly absorbent and often clay-like soil, in fact, in some areas, desert roads frequently cross dry river and creek beds without bridges. From the drivers perspective, there may be clear weather, when a river unexpectedly forms ahead of or around the vehicle in a matter of seconds. Finally, the lack of rain to clear water channels may cause flash floods in deserts to be headed by large amounts of debris, such as rocks, branches. 1889, Johnstown Flood, Pennsylvania, U. S. more than 2,200 people dead 1903, Heppner Flood of 1903, Oregon, United States,247 dead, 25% of the city 1938, Los Angeles Flood of 1938, California, U. S. S
Flash floods
–
Driving through a flash-flooded road
Flash floods
–
Nepal Monsoon
Flash floods
–
A flash flood after a thunderstorm in the
Gobi, Mongolia
11.
Kamienica (architecture)
–
The term tenement originally referred to tenancy and therefore to any rented accommodation. In Scotland, it continues to be the most common word for a multiple-occupancy building, late 19th-century social reformers in the U. S. were hostile to both tenements and apartment houses. The adapted buildings were known as rookeries, and were a particular concern as they were prone to collapse. Mulberry Bend and Five Points were the sites of notorious rookeries that the city worked for decades to clear, in both rookeries and purpose-built tenements, communal water taps and water closets were squeezed into what open space there was between buildings. In parts of the Lower East Side, buildings were older and had courtyards, generally occupied by shops, stables. Prior to the 1867 law, tenements often covered more than 90 percent of the lot, were five or six stories high, yards were a few feet wide and filled with privies where they had not been entirely eliminated. Early housing reformers urged the construction of tenements to replace cellars, and beginning in 1859 the number of people living in cellars began to decline. This was amended by the Tenement House Act of 1879, known as the Old Law, which required lot coverage of no more than 65 percent. ”The New York City Board of Health, empowered to enforce the regulations, declined to do so. As a compromise, the Old Law tenement became the standard, this had a shape, with air and light shafts on either side in the center. Public concern about New York tenements was stirred by the publication in 1890 of Jacob Riis How the Other Half Lives and it used both charts and photographs, the first such official use of photographs. Together with the publication in 1895 by the U. S and these rules are still the basis of New York City law on low-rise buildings, and made single-lot development uneconomical. The Lower East Side Tenement Museum, a brick former tenement building in Manhattan that is a National Historic Site, is a museum devoted to tenements in the Lower East Side. Tenements make up a percentage of the housing stock of Edinburgh. Edinburghs tenements are much older, dating from the 17th century onwards, and some were up to 15 storeys high when first built, which made them among the tallest houses in the world at that time. Glasgow tenements were built no taller than the width of the street on which they were located, therefore. Virtually all Glasgow tenements were constructed using red or blonde sandstone, a large number of the tenements in Edinburgh and Glasgow were demolished in the 1960s and 1970s because of slum conditions, overcrowding and poor maintenance of the buildings. The Gorbals is a small area and at one time had an estimated 90,000 people living in its tenements, leading to very poor living conditions. However, the many remaining tenements in areas of both cities have experienced a resurgence in popularity due to their large rooms, high ceilings
Kamienica (architecture)
–
Tenements at
Park Avenue and 107th Street,
New York City, around 1900
Kamienica (architecture)
–
Rear view of an early 19th-century Scottish tenement,
Edinburgh
Kamienica (architecture)
–
Tenements in
Soundview, The Bronx
Kamienica (architecture)
–
Lower East Side tenement buildings
12.
Opole
–
Opole is a city located in southern Poland on the Oder River. With a population of approximately 127,792, it is the capital of the Opole Voivodeship and, with it long history dating back to the 9th century, Opole is considered to be one of the oldest towns in Poland. The origins of the first settlement are connected with the town being granted Magdeburg Rights in 1217 by Casimir I of Opole, the rapid development of the town was also caused by the establishment of a seat of regency in Opole in 1816. During its existence Opole belonged to Poland, Bohemia, Prussia, prior to World War II it was located in eastern Germany and was one of the largest centres of Polish minority in the entire country. In 1945, according to Yalta and Potsdam Agreements, the region was assigned to Poland, many German Upper Silesians and Poles of German ancestry still live in the Opole region, in the city itself, however, ethnic Germans make up less than 3% of the population. It was also the capital of the region of Upper Silesia. The National Festival of Polish Song has been held annually since 1963 and each year new regular events, fairs, shows. Opole is sometimes referred to as Polish Venice, because of its picturesque Old Town and several canals, the name Opole likely originated from the medieval Slavic term for a group of settlements. Opoles history begins in the 8th century, at this time, according to the archeological excavations, the first Slavic settlement was founded on the Ostrówek - the northern part of the Pasieka Island in the middle of the Oder river. In the early 10th century it developed one of the main gróds of the Slavic Opolanie. At the end of the century Silesia became part of Poland and was ruled by the Piast dynasty, from the 11th-12th centuries it was also a castellany. After the death of Duke Władysław II the Exile, Silesia was divided in 1163 between two Piast lines- the Wrocławska line in Lower Silesia and the Opolsko-Raciborska of Upper Silesia. Opole would become a duchy in 1172 and would share much in common with the Duchy of Racibórz, in 1281 Upper Silesia was divided further between the heirs of the dukes. The Duchy of Opole was temporarily reestablished in 1290, in the early 13th century, Duke Casimir I of Opole decided to move the settlement from the Pasieka Island into the right shore of the Oder river. All of the inhabitants had to be moved in order to place for the castle that was eventually built in the place of the old city. Former inhabitants of Ostrówek together with German merchants that immigrated here from the West, Opole received German town law in 1254, which was expanded with Neumarkt law in 1327. Opole developed during the rule of duke Bolko I of Opole, in this time the castle was finally completed and new buildings, including the city walls and the Holy Cross Church, were constructed. Along with most of Silesia, in 1327 the Duchy of Opole came under the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Bohemia, in 1521 the Duchy of Racibórz was inherited by the Duchy of Opole, by then also known by its German equivalent - Oppeln
Opole
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Old Town
Opole
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Cathedral of Opole
Opole
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OPPELN after the plebiscite, under international ruling in August 1921
Opole
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Town hall of Opole
13.
Oder-Neisse line
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The Oder–Neisse line is the international border between Germany and Poland. The small remainder, consisting of the surrounding the German city of Königsberg in northern East Prussia, was allocated to the Soviet Union after the war. The vast majority of the native German population in these territories fled, the Oder–Neisse line marked the border between the German Democratic Republic and Poland from 1950 to 1990. East Germany confirmed the border with Poland in 1950, while West Germany, after a period of refusal, in 1990 the newly reunified Germany and the Republic of Poland signed a treaty recognizing it as their border. The lower River Oder in Silesia was Piast Polands western border from the 10th until the 13th century, from around the time of World War I, some proposed restoring this line, in the belief that it would provide protection against Germany. One of the first proposals was made in the Russian Empire, later, when the Nazis gained power, the German territory to the east of the line was militarised by Germany with a view to a future war, and the Polish population faced Germanisation. The policies of Nazi Germany also encouraged nationalism among the German minority in Poland, before World War II, Polands western border with Germany had been fixed under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles of 1919. However Pomerelia and Upper Silesia had been divided, leaving areas populated by the Polish as well as other Slavic minorities on the German side, between the wars, the concept of Western thought became popular among some Polish nationalists. The Polish motherland territories were defined by scholars like Zygmunt Wojciechowski as the areas included in Piast Poland in the 10th century, some Polish historians called for the return of territories up to the river Elbe. After Nazi Germany invaded and occupied Poland, some Polish politicians started to see a need to alter the border with Germany, a secure border was seen as essential, especially in the light of Nazi atrocities. During the war, Nazi Germany committed genocide against Polands population, especially Jews, alteration to the western border was seen as a punishment for the Germans for their atrocities and a compensation for Poland. The border changes were to provide Poland with a border and to prevent the Germans from using Western Pomerania. Only with the situation during the war were these territorial proposals modified. While these territorial claims were regarded as megalomaniac by the Soviet ambassador in London, on 16 December 1941 Stalin remarked in a meeting with the British Foreign Minister Anthony Eden, though inconsistent in detail, that Poland should receive all German territory up to the river Oder. In May 1942 General Władysław Sikorski, Prime Minister of the Polish government in exile, sent two memoranda to the US government, sketching a postwar Polish western border along the Oder, however, the proposal was dropped by the government-in-exile in late 1942. In post-war Poland the government described the Oder–Neisse line as the result of negotiations between Polish Communists and Stalin. Stalins political goals as well as his desire to foment enmity between Poles and Germans influenced his idea of a swap of western for eastern territory, thus ensuring control over both countries. As with before the war, some fringe groups advocated restoring the old border between Poland and Germany, at the Tehran Conference in late 1943 the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin raised the subject of Polands western frontier and its extension to the River Oder
Oder-Neisse line
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The
Oder and
Neisse rivers
Oder-Neisse line
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The Oder–Neisse line
Oder-Neisse line
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The Oder–Neisse line at
Usedom
Oder-Neisse line
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Marking the new Polish-German Border in 1945
14.
Siekierki, West Pomeranian Voivodeship
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Siekierki is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Cedynia, within Gryfino County West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-western Poland, close to the German border. It lies approximately 9 kilometres south of Cedynia,52 km south of Gryfino, before 1945, the area was part of Germany. For the history of the region, see History of Pomerania, the village has a population of 173. Hans Schilling, German World War I pilot
Siekierki, West Pomeranian Voivodeship
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IS-2 tank monument
15.
Oder
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The Oder is a river in Central Europe. It rises in the Czech Republic and flows through western Poland, the river ultimately flows into the Szczecin Lagoon north of Szczecin and then into three branches that empty into the Gulf of Pomerania of the Baltic Sea. Ptolemy knew the modern Oder as the Συήβος – a name derived from the Suebi. While he also refers to an outlet in the area as the Οὐιαδούα Ouiadoua, the name Suebos may be preserved in the modern name of the Świna river – an outlet from the Szczecin Lagoon to the Baltic. In the Old Church Slavonic language, the name of the river is Vjodr, the Oder is 854 kilometres long,112 km in the Czech Republic,742 km in Poland and is the second longest river in Poland. It drains a basin of 118,861 square kilometres,106,056 km2 of which are in Poland,7,217 km2 in the Czech Republic, channels connect it to the Havel, Spree, Vistula system and Kłodnica. It flows through Silesian, Opole, Lower Silesian, Lubusz, and West Pomeranian voivodeships of Poland, the main branch empties into the Szczecin Lagoon near Police, Poland. The Szczecin Lagoon is bordered on the north by the islands of Usedom, between these two islands, there is only a narrow channel 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 to navigate between the sites around the Wrocław area. Further downstream the river is flowing, passing the towns of Eisenhüttenstadt. Downstream of Frankfurt the river Warta forms a connection with Poznań. At Hohensaaten the Oder–Havel Canal connects with 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, the river in Germania Magna 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 German language it was and is called the Oder, written in older records as Odera or Oddera in Medieval Latin documents and it was mentioned in the Dagome iudex, which described territory of the Duchy of Poland under Mieszko I of Poland ca. 990, as a part of western frontier. Before Slavs settled along its banks, Oder was an important trade route, a document of the Bishopric of Prague mentions Zlasane, Trebovyane, Poborane, and Dedositze in Silesia. In the 13th century, the first dams were built to protect agricultural lands, the Finow Canal, built for the first time in 1605, connects Oder and Havel
Oder
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Oder between Kienitz and Zollbrücke, Germany
Oder
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Oder in
Wrocław,
Ostrów Tumski
Oder
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Oder in
Wrocław
Oder
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Oder River view from Ziegenwerder Island in
Frankfurt (Oder), Germany to
Słubice, Poland
16.
Wroclaw
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Wrocław is the largest city in western Poland. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, Wrocław is the historical capital of Silesia and Lower Silesia. Today, it is the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, at various times in history, it has been part of the Kingdom of Poland, Bohemia, Hungary, the Austrian Empire, Prussia and Germany. It became part of Poland in 1945, as a result of the changes after the Second World War. The population of Wrocław in 2016 was 637,075, making it the fourth-largest city in Poland, the city hosted the Eucharistic Congress in 1997 and the Euro 2012 football championships. Wrocław is classified as a city by GaWC, with the ranking of high sufficiency. In 2016, the city was a European Capital of Culture, also in this year, Wrocław hosted the Theatre Olympics, World Bridge Games and the European Film Awards. In 2017, the city is the host of the IFLA Annual Conference, the first municipal seal stated Sigillum civitatis Wratislavie. A simplified name is given, in 1175, as Wrezlaw, the Czech spelling was used in Latin documents as Wratislavia or Vratislavia. At that time, Prezla was used in Middle High German, in the middle of the 14th century, the Early New High German form of the name, Breslau, began to replace its earlier versions. The city is believed to be named after Wrocisław or Vratislav. It is also possible that the city was named after the duke of the Silesians or after an early ruler of the city called Vratislav. The citys name in other languages is available at the list of names of European cities, persons born or living in the city are known as Vratislavians. In ancient times at or near Wrocław was a place called Budorigum and it has been mapped to the ancient Claudius Ptolemy map of the years 142-147 AD. The city of Wrocław originated at the intersection of two routes, the Via Regia and the Amber Road. Settlements in the area existed from the 6th century onward, when during migration period, Slavic tribe Ślężans settled on the Oder, the city was first recorded in the 10th century as Vratislavia, the Bohemian duke Vratislaus I founded here a Bohemian stronghold. Vratislavia was possibly derived from the dukes name Vratislav, in 985, Duke Mieszko I of Poland conquered Silesia including Wrocław. The town was mentioned explicitly in the year 1000 AD in connection with a founding of a bishopric during the Congress of Gniezno
Wroclaw
Wroclaw
Wroclaw
Wroclaw
17.
Brzeg Dolny
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Brzeg Dolny is a town in Wołów County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship in south-western Poland. It is located 31 km north-west of Wrocław on the Oder River, as of 2006, the towns population was 12,786. Brzeg Dolny was first mentioned in a 1353 deed as a part of the Duchy of Wrocław, in 1660, it was bought by the German chancellor Baron George Abraham von Dyhrn of the Dyhrn family. In 1663, it received the name Dyhernfurth, after the Dyhrn family. The baron made efforts to expand the new town, opening a Catholic school for boys, the year 1668 saw the establishment of a printing house and the construction of a wooden pipe to draw water directly from the river into town. In 1742, after the First Silesian War, the became part of Prussia. The new owners subsequently modernized the Baroque palace and the park according to the plans of Carl Gotthard Langhans. Langhans also directed the construction of a large neo-classical pavilion perpendicular to the structure, which became known as the “Little Palace. ”Following these changes, the grand complex remained much the same until 1849. She had it refashioned to resemble a Renaissance château overlooking the Loire, the river bank garden was also given Renaissance character. In 1860, the first sisters of Charity of St. Charles Borromeo came to Dyhernfurth, in close proximity to the Chapel of St. Hedwig, the nuns established a small convent and a hospital, which would eventually expand into the town hospital of present day. During World War II, as part of the Grün 3 program, run by the Anorgana GmbH, a branch of IG Farben, the plant began production in 1942. The Germans utilized the forced labour of prisoners of camps to produce the chemical weapons. Two subcamps of Gross-Rosen - Dyhernfurth I and Dyhernfurth II - were established for this purpose, while the Dyhernfurth I inmates were forced to produce the gas and fill bombs and shells with it, the prisoners of the second camp were primarily forced to work on enlarging the plant. The Soviets, however, did not capture any tabun at Dyhernfurth, although they occupied the area of the factory, a German raid was organized by Generalmajor Max Sachsenheimer. A German unit with roughly the strength of a crossed the Oder River early on February 5,1945, seized the factory. On that day, the Germans destroyed documentation and evidence of the atrocities and pumped tabun into the Oder River. In the evening of February 5, the German force pulled back behind the Oder River, subsequently, the Soviet government had the plant dismantled and taken back to Russia. When the town was handed over to Poland, considerable effort was required to adapt the contaminated and it was not until 1946 that the plant started producing Sodium hypochlorite
Brzeg Dolny
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The Old Town (Stare Miasto), aerial view
Brzeg Dolny
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The palace on the
Oder
Brzeg Dolny
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The Brzeg Dolny Palace at the beginning of the 20th century.
Brzeg Dolny
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The large pavilion adjoining the palace.
18.
Malczyce
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Malczyce is a village in Środa Śląska County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland, situated on the south-west bank of the river Oder. It is the seat of township Gmina Malczyce, prior to 1945 it was part of Germany and was considered a city. Malczyce lies approximately 11 kilometres north-west of Środa Śląska, and 41 kilometres west of the regional capital Wrocław, the village has a population of 3,100
Malczyce
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Church in Malczyce
19.
Glogow
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Głogów is a town in southwestern Poland. It is the county seat of Głogów County, in Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Głogów is the sixth largest town in the Voivodeship, according to the 2004 census estimate the town had a total population of 71,686. The name of the town derives from głóg, the Polish name for hawthorn, among the oldest towns in Poland, Głogów was founded in the 10th century as a Piast defensive settlement and obtained city rights in the 13th century from Duke Konrad I. Due to the strategic location on several trade routes, the townspeople received many privileges and benefits. Over time, Głogów grew to be one of the largest fortified towns in Lower Silesia, the demolition of fortifications at the beginning of the 20th century improved the chances for further growth. However, towards the end of the Second World War Głogów was once turned into a defensive fortress. Currently reconstruction works are being carried out with the aim of restoring the historic appearance of the town. The castle, which was rebuilt between 1971 and 1983, now houses the Historical and Archaeological Museum, since 1984 the town also has been the venue for the Głogów Jazz Festival, which features local and international singers, musicians and performers. Głogów is one of the oldest towns in Poland and it was founded as a grad by a West Slavic tribe called the Dziadoszanie. The next year Henry and Bolesław concluded the Peace of Bautzen, in 1157 the town finally fell to the forces of Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa, invading the Silesian lands in aid of Duke Władysław II the Exile and his sons. In the course of the fragmentation under Duke Bolesław II the Bald and his younger brother, two years later he vested the town with Magdeburg rights. Likewise the many Duchies of Silesia, Głogów also fell under the overlordship of King John of Bohemia in 1329, in 1504 century, the Głogów line of the Silesian Piasts died out with the death of Jan II the Mad. Jans cruel measures had provoked the resistance of the Głogów citizens, from 1491-1506 Głogów was ruled by John Albert and Sigmund the Old, future kings of Poland. The town was inherited together with all Silesia, then part of the Crown of Bohemia, during the Thirty Years War, Głogów was turned into a stronghold in 1630. It was conquered by Protestants in 1632, reconquered by Imperial troops in 1633, fell to Sweden in 1642, Głogów remained part of the Habsburg-ruled Crown of Bohemia until the First Silesian War. The city became known by the Germanized name of Groß-Glogau to differentiate it from the town of Oberglogau in Upper Silesia, during the Napoleonic Wars, the Polish forces of General Jan Henryk Dąbrowski were stationed in Glogau, and the city was also visited three times by Napoleon Bonaparte. Glogau was captured by French forces after the Battle of Jena in 1806. The town, with a garrison of 9,000 French troops, was besieged in 1813-14 by the Sixth Coalition, by the time the defenders surrendered on 10 April 1814, in 1939 Glogau had 33,000 mostly German inhabitants
Glogow
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Sights of Głogów
Glogow
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The Castle of the Dukes of Głogów
Glogow
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Ruins of St. Nicholas Church
Glogow
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Town Hall
-powodz_1997.jpg)
Poland Racibórz Miedonia
Germany Ratzdorf
Media related to 1997 Oder flood at Wikimedia Commons
