Morava (river)
Bank of March
Template: Infobox River / Obsolete
The March ( Czech and Slovak Morava, Latin Marus ) is a left tributary of the Danube in central Europe. They drained about three quarters of Moravia named after her and is the main river.
In its lower reaches accompanied on both sides of a flood dam. It is border between the Czech Republic and Slovakia ( 50 km ) and between Austria and Slovakia ( 91 km). The air line these routes is because of the many meanders of the river only 37 or 50 km.
Geography
The March rises in Śnieżnik Mountains at an altitude of 1194 m at the quark holes ( two limestone caves ) on the southern slope of the Glatzer Schneeberg mountain on the border of Poland to the Czech Republic, about one kilometer north-west of the border triangle of Poland, Bohemia and Moravia and initially runs 13 km long on the area of the Bohemian Pardubice region, until it south of the village Dolni Morava Moravian region Olomouc achieved. After 358 km it flows to the Theban gate across from Hainburg an der Donau ( Austria ) at Devin (Slovakia ) in the Danube. The average discharge at the level Angern an der March is 108 m³ / s The diverse ramifications of the river Morava limited their navigability on the lower run.
The main tributaries are the left and right Bečva the Thaya. Right ( west ) of the lower reaches of March is the March field in Lower Austria.
The only major cities on the March are Olomouc and Bratislava, smaller cities and towns are Kroměříž, Uherské Hradiště, Hodonín, Dürnkrut, Angern an der March and Marchegg. About the section in which the March forms the border between Austria and Slovakia, currently holding only three bridges:
- Hohenau - Moravian Svätý Ján ( road bridge )
- Schloss Hof - Devinska Nova Ves (bicycle Freedom Bridge for pedestrians and cyclists, since 9 August 2012)
- Marchegg - Devinska Nova Ves (lane bridge between Vienna and Bratislava, on the Eastern Railway ( Marchegger branch) )
Between Angern an der March and Záhorská Ves there is a ferry that is to be replaced by a road bridge. When construction began in 2010 initially provided, but since the funding was not secured at the time that the construction will not begin before 2014. 2013 was announced by the City of Bratislava with the start of construction in 2015.
History
The name is of very ancient origin, and is on the Indo-European word * mori ( = " water" ), from which is derived in the rest of the word " sea " is returned. The term "mark" ( = border), the March has nothing to do, although it is a border river. The water was witnessed first documented in the year 892 as " Maraha ".
Already in ancient times the March in the southern region had an importance due to the width and not easily penetrable river to the mouth of the Danube. Only on the southern bank of the Danube originated the border forts of the Romans, led by Carnuntum.
The Austro- Slovak section of the March is one of Austria and Lower Austria's oldest national borders, eastern border since the 11th century. From 1526 ( the throne of the Habsburgs in Hungary) to 1918 ( dissolution of Austria -Hungary ), the March was in this section internal frontier of the Habsburg Monarchy until 1806 also external border of the Holy Roman Empire.
In addition to an existing stone bridge dating from 1771, the March from Vienna to Bratislava was two kilometers to cross over a railway bridge from 1848. From here also the railway began in the whole Slovakia. 1918-1939 and 1945-1992 bordered here Czechoslovakia to Austria, 1939-1945 Nazi satellite state of Slovakia to the German Reich. 1945-1989 the March here was part of the Iron Curtain; Austria after fleeing risked being shot by Czechoslovak border guards. The stone bridge was blown up by Czechoslovak Communists after the war in 1947.
After the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989, numerous restorations have been set up as webs over the March in the initial euphoria. The ferry between Angern and Záhjorská Ves was taken in the late 1990s in operation.
End of December 2007 have ceased to exist due to the Schengen Agreement, the border between Slovakia and Austria.
On September 25, 2011, ground was broken for the pedestrian and cycle bridge over the March between the castle courtyard and Devinska Nova Ves took place. The bridge, which is to revive the cycle tourism on both sides of the river, was released on August 9, 2012 for the traffic. In September 2012, it was opened as a bike bridge of freedom. There was at this point as early as 1771, the Maria Theresa Bridge, which was destroyed 100 years later by ice floes.
Reserves
Along the March there are several protected areas, including:
- Ramsar site Donau- March-Thaya -Auen ( Cross-border )
- Austria European Protected Areas March-Thaya -Auen (European bird sanctuary and Habitats reserve)
- Conservation area Danube March-Thaya -Auen
- Nature reserve Angerner
- Nature reserve Dürnkruter March loops
- Nature reserve Lower Marchauen and WWF Nature Reserve Marchegg
- Conservation area Zahorie ( PLA Zahorie )
- Národní přírodní rezervace Ranšpurk, near Lanzhot
- Ramena řeky Moravy, floodplain between Litovel and Olomouc
- Národní přírodní rezervace Vrapač, Litovle
With the National Park Strategy 2010 has been announced for the - to strive for the establishment of a national park yet inadequately protected March-Thaya- Auen - national.
In addition to the established protected areas, there is an ongoing individual projects aimed at the protection of flora and fauna and in some areas to target. Increasingly, cross-border projects are carried out. For example, since 2007 a scheme for the protection of birds of prey (such as Imperial Eagle and Saker Falcon ), storks and owls ( owls ) under the name CORO - SKAT ( Conservation Of Raptors and Owls ) running in. Here, organizations such as BirdLife Austria and Okhrana work dravcov na Slovensku ( Raptor Protection of Slovakia - RPS) together.
Floods
The March conducts an annual flood, especially after the snow melts. The data necessary for the flooding of the Marchauen higher water levels usually lead only to road closures of border crossings that are not high water usage.
Large flood events are recorded, however, again and again. So that caused extensive damage in 1997 on the Slovak side. A more recent that the previous exceeded and huge damage wreaked that was after the snow melts in the spring of 2006, the. Due to several dams on the Austrian side as wreaked in Jedenspeigen great damage to the private sector as well as to infrastructure, for example, on the northern railway It was a 100 - year flood with a loss amount in Austria alone of 72 million euros.
Main article: Thaya-March 2006 flood
Flood protection in Austria
For this reason, both the left and right banks also long dams are available. So 57 km dam are available only on the Austrian side, which has been continuously built in the decades 1936-1964. By straightening it was the March was dug up to two meters and amplifies the gradient of 0.0153 % to 0.021 %.
A renewal of the dams was planned after the 1997 floods. So should be repaired primarily the sections Angern - Manner Village Stillfriedplatz and Waidendorf - Dürnkrut - Jedenspeigen. Only in 2004, the EIA was submitted. The dam height should be aligned with those of Slovakia. The flood in 2006 rolled over to these plans, as it pointed out the actual poor state of the dams. So had to be reorganized along the entire length except for two short sections of the dam. The second section was completed on schedule in 2007. The total renovation should be completed by the year 2012. Initial differences over the competences and the related financing issues has been solved so that the rehabilitation of the Danube via incumbent.
Beginning of 2010 were almost 60 % of the dam rehabilitated.
WWF criticizes the province of Lower Austria because of this flood protection measures. An amendment to the Nature Conservation Act in 2007, the construction of a nature impact assessment are excluded, so that the nature conservation interests need not be adequately perceived in the eyes of the WWF.
There are differences of opinion regarding the conservation process. While the province of Lower Austria due to the massive damage wanted them repaired as soon as possible, the Umweltdachverband laid a complaint with the European Union, considering it was not considered by the EU Birds Directive. The State argued that it was a repair and that the people protection have priority over the nature reserve.
In February, the renewed dam complex opened on the Lower Austrian side with a length of 65 km. It will provide protection from a 100 - year flood. Also feeder dikes in the length of 3 km were in this project, which devoured 125 million euros, involved. It was a construction period of seven years required for it.
Flood protection internationally
Within the project CEframe ( Central European Flood Risk Assessment and Management in CENTROPE ) took over in 2010, the province of Lower Austria, the guide to the countries Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary shared river basins, where the March to hear the basis for a future to develop flood management.