Great Morava

Ablussregion the Morava with the main tributaries

Template: Infobox River / Obsolete

The Morava (Serbian Велика Морава / Velika Morava, German and Great Morava ) is a right tributary of the Danube and Main rivers of Serbia. The Morava opens below Belgrade Smederevo on the Danube. The so-called Great Morava arises from the confluence of the Western Morava and the Southern Morava at Stalać. The catchment area, a total of 37,440 km ², is located up to 1207 km ² in Bulgaria and comprehensive a few square kilometers of territory in Macedonia mainly on Serbian soil.

The hydro- geographical system of the Morava follows in its main part of the tectonic guideline of the Morava - Vardar trench. This the entire central Balkan peninsula migrating trench connects the Pannonian lowlands with the Aegean Sea and forms in its northern and central part of the river system of the Great and South Morava also the lifeline of Serbia and is thus the most important line of communication and an important settlement center of the country.

Branching off from the valley of the Great and the South Morava lead over the western tributaries of the Western Morava and Toplica the natural connection to West Serbia, Raska, Bosnia, Montenegro and Kosovo, as well as on the eastern tributary of the Nis to Bulgaria and Turkey. Central location in the Morava River is Niš, above which the junction is in a larger valley widening at the Nis in the Southern Morava and since ancient times is passing traffic routes to the Aegean Sea and the Black Sea strategic nodes between the north-south and east-west.

Geography

The Great Morava arises from the confluence of the Western Morava and South Morava in the south of Stalać Varvarin and ends after 185 km east of Smederevo to 66 m into the Danube. From the confluence of the Western and the Southern Morava Morava flows in a wide valley with many meanders and all the signs of a lowland river. Only between Bagrdan and Lapovo is again a 16 -kilometer-long gorge-like narrowing of the valley.

The southern Morava on the northern slope of the mountain Skopska Crna Gora north of Skopje, flows first north-east, then from Grdelica to the northwest. The Western Morava between Javor and Golija, first flows as Moravica north to the confluence of the Đetina at geamm, then first north-east, south-east from Čačak in a relatively wide valley.

The Great and the South Morava, which are separated only by a 460 -meter-high Talwasserscheide north of Kumanovo from the territory of Vardar, make with this, the 500 -kilometer -called Morava - Vardar - furrow. The tectonic guideline is for ages one of the main thoroughfares of Pannonia to the Aegean and central today as part of Corridor X artery Serbia. The Morava River is to the west and east by the mountain systems of the Dinarides ( Serbian ore ) ( in the west), and the Carpathian Mountains and the Stara Planina ( the east) limited. These mountains Capping become the Morava valley to down, however, there are numerous bottlenecks and canyon routes. In particular, these characterize the Western Morava and their tributaries as well as the Southern Morava. In contrast, the Great Morava has only a shorter valley becomes narrower south of Batočina. Before the regulation from 1966, she meandered through it and was therefore much longer than today. The separated by artificial and natural silting former river arms are called moravište.

At least three tributaries of the Morava hot Moravica ( German about: Small Morava ). The most significant is also a Serbian district its name (see Moravica (river) and Moravica (district) ). The largest city on the banks of the Great Morava is Ćuprija, on the western Morava are Kraljevo Kruševac and on the southern Morava Leskovac and Vranje.

Hydrology

The catchment area of the Morava comprises 37,444 km ², which is about two fifths of the area of Serbia. The average runoff amounts to 258 m³ / s Of this total, 118 m³ / s on the Western Morava (especially Ibar, Golijska Moravica, Đetinja ), 112 m³ / s at the Southern Morava (especially Nis, Toplice, Vlasina ). The tributaries of the Great Morava do about it only 28 m³ / s from runoff volumes (specifically, Resava ). The discharge coefficient amounts to 29 percent of precipitation.

The flow regime of the Morava is nivo - pluvial ( snowmelt and precipitation regime ), which is characterized by flood hydrograph in March / April. The lowest water passage is then recorded in September and August. The maximum outflow, the terms of the Morava, was was 2500 m³ / s (4 May 1958) The flood hazard of the Morava results on the dense agricultural settlement. About 220,000 acres in the basin are considered to be flood-prone areas ( or 6% of the total catchment area ). Only in 1965 were flooded 102,000 hectares. Due to the risk of flooding can be found with Čačak even a single major city in the valley of the Great Morava.

• Western Morava

• Southern Morava

The flow rate of the river was about 53 years ( 1931-84 ) at the station Lubicevsky Most, about 15 kilometers upstream from the mouth measured. The observed in Lubicevsky must mean annual flow rate during this period was 240 m³ / s

Use

The river is no longer navigable, however, existed in the past, various plans, the Morava expand, thus making them passable again. However, these have so far not been implemented.

Culture

The Morava is sung because of their cultural importance in many songs and poems. The Romans called the river Margus. In the story of Peter Handke The morawische Night (2008) plays a crucial role in the river.

The Morava in the literature

In a chapter of the novel The Book of Eden by Kai Meyer, the protagonists moving to 1258 along the Morava, are attacked by a gang of robbers and rescued by the Serbian king.