Przemsza

Przemsza (German: Przemsa) is a river in the south of Poland, a tributary of the Vistula. According to one theory, it originates at the confluence of the Black (Polish: Czarna) Przemsza and White (Biała) Przemsza, between the cities of Mysłowice and Jaworzno. For about 24 km (15 mi) it flows southwards to its Vistula mouth at Czarnuchowice (a district of Bierun). Another theory stipulates that it has the length of 88 kilometers, and begins at the source of the Black Przemsza.

It is one of the most polluted rivers of Poland. It carries industrial waste from Upper Silesian and Zagłębie Dąbrowskie Coal Basin, and its water is regarded as dead. Furthermore, due to high level of pollution, the Przemsza does not freeze in winter. Among cities located along the Przemsza are Dąbrowa Górnicza, Mysłowice, Jaworzno, Chełmek, and Jezor, a district of Sosnowiec.

The Przemsza has been used for water transport since mid-18th century. By mid-19th century, it emerged as one of the most important waterways of the region. Special kind of flat-bottomed, large rowboats, called galar, was used for transport of goods along the Przemsza to the Vistula. One galar took up to 70 tons of coal or stone from quarries at Jelen or Dzieckowice. In June 1926, Piast Mine from Lędziny began mass water transport of its coal, using a specially constructed port, located at the village of Chelm Maly. Other mines followed Piast, opening their own loading facilities. By 1937, there were eight such facilities along the Przemsza. Government of the Second Polish Republic had far-reaching plans about the river. A river port at Niwka (a district of Sosnowiec) was to be built, a canal Mysłowice - Spytkowice - Kraków, and a waterway to the Baltic Sea. The outbreak of World War Two terminated these plans