Žitný ostrov
The Great Rye Island (Slovak Žitný ostrov, formerly Čalokez, German and Large material, Hungarian Csallóköz ) is a river island (or river island group) between the Danube, the Little Danube ( Maly Dunaj ) and the Waag ( Vah ) on the left bank of the main stream in southwestern Slovakia.
At a length of 84 km and a width of 15 to 30 km, the Danube here forms a network of numerous meanders and tributaries, including the Little Danube. Are about 500 islands and islets between the river branches.
The Great Rye Island starts at Bratislava at river kilometer in 1865 and covers an area of 1885.19 km ². When viewed as a single island, it is the largest river island.
The Great Rye Island is in contrast to the small island bulk solely on Slovak territory and kraj belongs administratively mostly for Okres Dunajská Streda in Trnavský in the center and west and Okres Komárno in Nitriansky kraj in the east. Parts of Bratislavský kraj ( Okres Senec and Okres Bratislava II ) are in the far west of the island.
The main cities of the Great Rye Island are Komárno, Dunajská Streda and Šamorín. For this purpose, a part of the capital Bratislava extends on the island. The population of the area there is a significant Hungarian minority. The area is mainly used for agriculture and for drinking water. Transferred literally into German means the Slovak name " Rye Island".
Geology
Not only in terms of area, the bulk island is remarkable. The bulk Island, which lies mostly in the Danube plain (Slovak Podunajská rovina ), also has one of the largest aquifers in Europe, since deposits for the period reach a depth of up to 500 meters north of Gabčíkovo especially after the ice age. For this reason the island is since 1978 the water protection area.
About the Name
The island was mainly in Hungarian in the past several names ( Aranykert (1837 ), Komáromi sziget (1911 ), etc.), today's German name is detected at least since the 16th century. Today's Hungarian name is originally derived from the Slovak Čalovo name (originally a settlement, then a river name). The current Slovak name is a neoplasm of 1919, which is a phonetic adaptation of the German name ( in the well but the fact was exploited that " Žitný " also an adjective of the Slovak word for rye ).
It is important to note that ( by an unknown point in time) the current Little Danube the main flow of the Danube formed until the 16th century, so that today are separated by today's Danube Islands Great Rye Island and Small Rye Island were one known as Rye Island island.
Pipeline plans
Resistance stirred, when it became known that wanted to move the two oil companies, the Slovak Slovnaft and the Austrian OMV, a connection pipeline with a length of 60 km above the bulk island. With this line, the OMV is to be connected to the Russian oil supply. Opponents see it, the water reserves with which Bratislava is supplied in danger. Several times, the start of construction was delayed. Originally the line was to be built in 2006. One highlight saw the dispute at the beginning of the year 2010 at the beginning of the election campaign in Slovakia, because the Slovak government blocked application, so that the completion in 2012 and was not sure. While the OMV their line was already planning to extend over Kittsee, opponents of the line wanted to achieve a routing north of the Danube, but on the other hand would pass through the Donau-Auen National Park and therefore in Austria resistance would cause.
Movement came into the project with the next government in 2011, which changed the route due to the ongoing protests.