Tisza
River in Central and Eastern Europe
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Through Eastern Europe, Drainage basin and Ancient history
The Tisza begins near Rakhiv in Ukraine, at the confluence of the White Tisza and Black Tisza, which is at coordinates 48°4′29″N 24°14′40″E / 48.07472°N 24.24444°E (the former springs in the Chornohora mountains; the latter in the Gorgany range). From there, it flows west, roughly following Ukraine's borders with Romania and Hungary, then briefly forms the border between Slovakia and Hungary, before entering Hungary, and finally Serbia. The Tisza enters Hungary at Tiszabecs, traversing the country from north to south. A few kilometers south of the Hungarian city of Szeged, it enters Serbia. Finally, it joins the Danube near the village of Stari Slankamen in Vojvodina, Serbia.
The Tisza drains an area of about 156,087 km2 (60,266 mi2) and has a length of 966 km (600 mi) Its mean annual discharge is seasonally 792 m3/s (28,000 cu ft/s) to 1,050 m3/s (37,000 cu ft/s). It contributes about 13% of the Danube's total runoff.
Attila the Hun is said to have been buried under a diverted section of it.
Names and etymology
The river was known as the Tisia in antiquity; other ancient names for it included Pathissus (Ancient Greek: Πάθισσος; later Latin: Tissus). It may be referred to as the Theiss in older English references, after the German name for the river, Theiß. It is known as the Tibisco in Italian, and in older French references (as for instance in relation to the naval battles on the Danube between the Ottoman Empire and the Habsburg Empire in the 17th and 18th centuries) it is often referred to as the Tibisque.
Another theory is that it is derived from Proto-Balto-Slavic *teišus meaning 'still, quiet' to describe the river.
Modern names for the Tisza in the languages of the countries it flows through include:
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Regulation
The length of the Tisza in Hungary used to be 1,419 km (882 mi). It flowed through the Great Hungarian Plain, which is one of the largest flat areas in central Europe. Since plains can cause a river to flow very slowly, the Tisza used to follow a path with many curves and turns, which led to many large floods in the area.
After several small-scale attempts, István Széchenyi organised the "regulation of the Tisza" (Hungarian: a Tisza szabályozása) which started on August 27, 1846, and substantially ended in 1880. The new length of the river in Hungary was reduced to 966 km (600 mi) in total, with 589 km (366 mi) of dead channels and 136 km (85 mi) of new riverbed.
Lake Tisza
In the 1970s, the building of the Tisza Dam at Kisköre started with the purpose of helping to control floods as well as storing water for drought seasons. However, the resulting Lake Tisza became one of the most popular tourist destinations in Hungary since it had similar features to Lake Balaton at drastically cheaper prices and was not crowded.
Navigation
The Tisza is navigable over much of its course. The river opened up for international navigation only recently; previously, Hungary distinguished "national rivers" and "international rivers", indicating whether non-Hungarian vessels were allowed or not. After Hungary joined the European Union, this distinction was lifted and vessels were allowed on the Tisza.
Wildlife
The Tisza has a rich and varied wildlife. Over 200 species of birds reside in the bird reserve of Tiszafüred. The flood plains along the river boast large amounts of diverse plant and animal life. In particular, the yearly "flowering" of the Tisza is considered a local natural wonder. The flowering attracts vast numbers of mayflies which is a well known spectacle.
In September 2020, colonies of magnificent bryozoans were discovered in the river.
Pollution
In early 2000, there was a sequence of serious pollution incidents originating from accidental industrial discharges in Romania. The first, in January 2000, occurred when there was a release of sludge containing cyanide from a Romanian mine and killed 2000 tons of fish. The second, from a mine pond at Baia Borsa, northern Romania, resulted in the release of 20,000 m3 (710,000 cu ft) of sludge containing zinc, lead and copper occurred in early March 2000. A week later, the third spill occurred at the same mining site at Baia Borsa, staining the river black, possibly including heavy metals.
This series of incidents were described at the time as the most serious environmental disaster to hit central Europe since the Chernobyl disaster. Usage of river water for any purpose was temporarily banned and the Hungarian government pressed the Romanians and the European Union to close all installations that could lead to further pollution.
Examination of river sediments indicates that pollution incidents from mines have occurred for over a century.
Geography
Drainage basin
The Tisza River is part of the Danube River catchment area. It is the tributary with the largest catchment area (~157,000 km2). It accounts for more than 19% of the Danube river basin. The Tisza water system is shared by five countries: Ukraine (8%), Slovakia (10%), Hungary (29%), Romania (46%) and Serbia (7%).
The Tisza River Basin area and average discharge (period from 1946–2006) by country
The 1800–2500 m high ridge of the Carpathian Mountains create in a semi circle the northern, eastern and southeastern boundary of the Tisza catchment. The western - southwestern reach of the watershed is comparatively low in some places – on its Hungarian and Serbian parts it is almost flat. The area is divided roughly along the centreline by the Carpathian Mountains, east of which lies the 400–600 m high plateau of the Transylvanian Basin, and the plains to the west. The highest summits of the river basin reach 1948 m in the Low Tatras (Kráľova hoľa), 2061 m in the Chornohora Mountains (Hoverla), 2303 m in the Rodna Mountains (Pietrosul Rodnei) and even higher in the Retezat Mountains of the Southern Carpathians (Peleaga, 2509 m). Areas above elevations higher than 1600 m occupy only 1% of the total; 46% of the territory lies below 200 m. The Tisza River Basin in Slovakia is predominantly hilly area and the highest mountain peak in Kráľova hoľa - in the Low Tatras Mountain Range at 1948 m. The lowland area lies in the south, forming the northern edge of the Hungarian Lowland. The lowest point in Slovakia is the village of Streda nad Bodrogom in the eastern Slovak lowland (96 m) in the Bodrog River Basin. The Hungarian and Vojvodina (Serbia) part of the Tisza River Basin is a flat area bordered by small ranges of hills and mountains from the north and dominated by the Hungarian lowland.
Important hydrographic stations along the Tisza (full list):
*Period: 1971–2000
Discharge
Average, minimum and maximum discharge of the Tisza River at Tiszabecs (Upper Tisza), Szolnok (Middle Tisza) and Senta (Lower Tisza).
Szeged
Water discharge of the Tisza River at the Szeged gauging station. Complete series from starting 1921.
Szolnok
Water discharge of the Tisza River at the Szolnok gauging station. Period 1953–2022.
Tributaries
The following rivers are tributaries to the river Tisza:
- Vișeu (entering at Valea Vișeului)
- Kosivska (entering at Luh)
- Shopurka (entering at Velykyi Bychkiv)
- Iza (entering at Sighetu Marmației)
- Sarasău
- Bic
- Săpânța
- Șaroș
- Teresva (entering near Teresva)
- Baia
- Valea lui Francisc
- Tereblia (entering at Bushtyno)
- Rika (entering near Khust)
- Batar
- Borzhava
- Tur
- Szamos (entering near Vásárosnamény)
- Someșul Mare (in Dej)
- Șieu (in Beclean)
- Bistrița (near Bistrița)
- Șieu (in Beclean)
- Someșul Mic (in Dej)
- Someșul Cald (in Gilău)
- Someșul Rece (in Gilău)
- Someșul Mare (in Dej)
- Kraszna (entering in Vásárosnamény)
- Bodrog (entering in Tokaj)
- Ondava (near Cejkov)
- Latorica (near Cejkov)
- Laborec (near Oborín)
- Uzh (near Pavlovce nad Uhom)
- Cirocha (in Humenné)
- Stara
- Vicha
- Kerepets
- Laborec (near Oborín)
- Sajó (entering near Tiszaújváros)
- Hornád (near Kesznyéten)
- Eger (entering in Poroszló)
- Zagyva (entering in Szolnok)
- Körös (entering near Csongrád)
- Sebes-Körös (near Gyoma)
- Berettyó (Barcău) (in Szeghalom)
- White-Körös (near Gyula)
- Black-Körös (near Gyula)
- Sebes-Körös (near Gyoma)
- Maros (entering near Szeged)
- Arieș (near Gura Arieșului)
- Târnava (near Teiuș)
- Târnava Mare (in Blaj)
- Târnava Mică (in Blaj)
- Aranca (entering near Padej)
- Čik (entering near Bačko Petrovo Selo)
- Jegrička (entering near Žabalj)
- Bega (entering near Titel)
The main tributaries of the Tisza:
*Period: 1971–2000
Cities and towns
The Tisza (Tisa) flows through the following countries and cities (ordered from the source to mouth):
- Ukraine
- Rakhiv
- Tiachiv
- Khust
- Vynohradiv
- Slovakia
- Malé Trakany
- Veľké Trakany
- Biel
- Romania
- Sighetu Marmației
- Hungary
- Vásárosnamény
- Záhony
- Tokaj
- Tiszalök
- Tiszaújváros
- Tiszafüred
- Szolnok
- Tiszakécske
- Csongrád
- Szentes
- Szeged
- Serbia
- Kanjiža
- Novi Kneževac
- Senta
- Ada
- Mol
- Bačko Petrovo Selo
- Bečej
- Novi Bečej
- Titel
Cultural legacy
Among Hungary's rivers, the Tisza holds a special place in the hearts of the Hungarian people. This is reflected in the countless Hungarian folk songs and poems that celebrate it, making it the most frequently praised river in Hungarian culture. The Tisza is portrayed as a temperamental yet deeply cherished force of nature. Often described as "blonde", "wild", "muddy", "winding". Until the Treaty of Trianon in 1920, the Tisza was commonly described as "the most Hungarian river", because unlike the Danube, which passes through several countries, the Tisza flowed entirely within the borders of historical Hungary. Even today the Tisza fundamentally influences the surface-water conditions of more than half of Hungary.