Nevežis River
Encyclopedia
Nevėžis River is the sixth longest river in Lithuania
and one of the main tributaries of the Neman River
. Its length is 209 km (129.9 mi), and it flows only within the geographical confines of Lithuania. It is the second longest river in Lithuania, after the Šventoji River
, that flows exclusively within its borders. Its source
is in the Anykščiai district municipality
, and the river first flows in a northwesterly direction, but then at Panevėžys
turns towards the southwest, and passing Kėdainiai
, flows into the Neman River just west of Kaunas
near Raudondvaris
.
es" because vėžys is the Lithuanian
word for crayfish and ne means "no". In fact, the Nevėžis is known for its variety of fauna
which include crayfish. The name etymologically comes from a Sanskrit
word vaagh meaning "sough." A negation
ne- was added because the river is very slow and without turbulence. The name is logical because the Nevėžis has the lowest elevation among rivers in Lithuania, and it makes many loop
s.
The river gave name to many things including Panevėžys, the fifth largest city in Lithuania. Its name means "[Town] near Nevėžis." FK Nevėžis
and KK Nevėžis
are also named after the river. Nevėžis is important in Lithuanian culture because it flows through the middle of Lithuania. During the Middle Ages, the river was considered to be a natural border between two regions of Lithuania
: Samogitia
and Aukštaitija
.
Nevėžis has about seventy tributaries. The largest are:
In 1992, the Krekenava Regional Park was established in order to preserve the Middle Nevėžis ecosystem and natural surroundings. The park is unique because it breeds and tries to protect from extinction wisent
s, the European bison.
Even with two canals supplying Nevėžis with water, it becomes very shallow during a drier summer. Regularly it is between 4 and 9 meters deep. In more recent years, a number of grass carp
was introduced to the river for aquatic weed control. The Nevėžis, due to its low level of water, slow current, and influx of the run-off off of fertilizers from agriculture, was becoming more and more overgrown with weeds. It was hoped that the introduction of grass carp would help to control the process. Critics argued that the fish would not survive in the relatively cold climate. However, local fishermen still catch carp introduced several years ago.
River, the Sanžilė Canal was dug in 1930. A draft to connect these rivers was first written in 1797. The location was very convenient: about 9,000 years ago Nevėžis was a tributary to Lėvuo. The land between the rivers was low and there was a small Sanžilė rivulet which could serve as the basis for the new canal. In the 19th century the Neman delta belonged to the Germans. This was an obstacle in trading. The Russian Empire
was looking for ways to direct ships from the Neman River directly to the port of Riga
. The plan was abandoned because of insufficient funds. The idea was revisited again in 1914, the preparations for construction started but were interrupted by World War I
. After reclaiming the origin of the Lėvuo, heavy rains would cause the flood of as many as twenty villages. It was decided to dig an 8 km length canal. In 1961-63 another canal connecting the Nevėžis with the Šventoji River
was finished. It is 12 km in length. There is a pumping station near Kavarskas
to supply the canal with water.
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
and one of the main tributaries of the Neman River
Neman River
Neman or Niemen or Nemunas, is a major Eastern European river rising in Belarus and flowing through Lithuania before draining into the Curonian Lagoon and then into the Baltic Sea at Klaipėda. It is the northern border between Lithuania and Russia's Kaliningrad Oblast in its lower reaches...
. Its length is 209 km (129.9 mi), and it flows only within the geographical confines of Lithuania. It is the second longest river in Lithuania, after the Šventoji River
Šventoji River
The Šventoji River is the longest river that flows entirely within Lithuania and the largest tributary of the Neris River. It originates from the Lake Samanis in the Gražutė Regional Park and flows into Neris near Jonava. The longest tributary of the Šventoji is the Širvinta River.The Šventoji...
, that flows exclusively within its borders. Its source
Source (river or stream)
The source or headwaters of a river or stream is the place from which the water in the river or stream originates.-Definition:There is no universally agreed upon definition for determining a stream's source...
is in the Anykščiai district municipality
Anykšciai district municipality
Anykščiai district municipality is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania.- Structure :District structure:* 3 cities – Anykščiai, Kavarskas and Troškūnai;* 8 towns – Andrioniškis, Debeikiai, Kurkliai, Skiemonys, Surdegis, Svėdasai, Traupis and Viešintos;...
, and the river first flows in a northwesterly direction, but then at Panevėžys
Panevežys
Panevėžys see also other names, is the fifth largest city in Lithuania. As of 2008, it occupied 50 square kilometers with 113,653 inhabitants. The largest multifunctional arena in Panevėžys is the Cido Arena...
turns towards the southwest, and passing Kėdainiai
Kedainiai
Kėdainiai is one of the oldest cities in Lithuania. It is located on the Nevėžis River. First mentioned in the 1372 Livonian Chronicle of Hermann de Wartberge, its population as of 2008 was 30,214. Its old town dates to the 17th century....
, flows into the Neman River just west of Kaunas
Kaunas
Kaunas is the second-largest city in Lithuania and has historically been a leading centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the biggest city and the center of a powiat in Trakai Voivodeship of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1413. During Russian Empire occupation...
near Raudondvaris
Raudondvaris
Raudondvaris is a village on the Neman River in Kaunas district, Lithuania, west of Kaunas.-History:The town was first mentioned in Teutonic chronicles in 1392. The old castle was rebuilt after the Battle of Grunwald and became Grand Duke's property. In 1549 Grand Duke Sigismund II Augustus...
.
Name
There is a popular misconception that the name Nevėžis means "a river without crayfishCrayfish
Crayfish, crawfish, or crawdads – members of the superfamilies Astacoidea and Parastacoidea – are freshwater crustaceans resembling small lobsters, to which they are related...
es" because vėžys is the Lithuanian
Lithuanian language
Lithuanian is the official state language of Lithuania and is recognized as one of the official languages of the European Union. There are about 2.96 million native Lithuanian speakers in Lithuania and about 170,000 abroad. Lithuanian is a Baltic language, closely related to Latvian, although they...
word for crayfish and ne means "no". In fact, the Nevėžis is known for its variety of fauna
Fauna
Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...
which include crayfish. The name etymologically comes from a Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
word vaagh meaning "sough." A negation
Negation
In logic and mathematics, negation, also called logical complement, is an operation on propositions, truth values, or semantic values more generally. Intuitively, the negation of a proposition is true when that proposition is false, and vice versa. In classical logic negation is normally identified...
ne- was added because the river is very slow and without turbulence. The name is logical because the Nevėžis has the lowest elevation among rivers in Lithuania, and it makes many loop
Meander
A meander in general is a bend in a sinuous watercourse. A meander is formed when the moving water in a stream erodes the outer banks and widens its valley. A stream of any volume may assume a meandering course, alternately eroding sediments from the outside of a bend and depositing them on the...
s.
The river gave name to many things including Panevėžys, the fifth largest city in Lithuania. Its name means "[Town] near Nevėžis." FK Nevėžis
FK Nevežis
FK Nevėžis is a football club from the city of Kėdainiai, Lithuania.- Achievements :*Three times became Lithuanian champion .*Twice runner-up .*Three times won Bronze medals ....
and KK Nevėžis
KK Nevežis
BC Kėdainiai Triobet is a profesional Lithuania basketball club which currently plays in Lithuanian Basketball League and Baltic Basketball League. BC „Nevėžis“ was founded in 1992 by Stasys Mickevičius. In 1993 BC „Nevėžis“ was renamed to KK „Notra“ because of the club supporters UAB „Notra“...
are also named after the river. Nevėžis is important in Lithuanian culture because it flows through the middle of Lithuania. During the Middle Ages, the river was considered to be a natural border between two regions of Lithuania
Regions of Lithuania
Lithuania can be divided into historical and cultural regions . The exact borders are not fully clear, as the regions are not official political or administrative units. They are delimited by culture, such as country traditions, traditional lifestyle, songs, tales, etc. To some extent regions...
: Samogitia
Samogitia
Samogitia is one of the five ethnographic regions of Lithuania. It is located in northwestern Lithuania. Its largest city is Šiauliai/Šiaulē. The region has a long and distinct cultural history, reflected in the existence of the Samogitian dialect...
and Aukštaitija
Aukštaitija
Aukštaitija is the name of one of five ethnographic regions of Lithuania. The name comes from the relatively high elevation of the region, particularly the eastern parts.-Geography:...
.
Natural environment
- left: Alantas, Juoda, Upytė, Linkava, Obelis, Barupė, Gynia;
- right: Juosta, Kiršinas, Liaudė, Kruostas, Dotnuvėlė, Smilga, Šušvė (14th longest river in Lithuania), Aluona, Strūna.
In 1992, the Krekenava Regional Park was established in order to preserve the Middle Nevėžis ecosystem and natural surroundings. The park is unique because it breeds and tries to protect from extinction wisent
Wisent
The wisent , Bison bonasus, also known as the European bison or European wood bison, is a species of Eurasian bison. It is the heaviest surviving land animal in Europe; a typical wisent is about long, not counting a tail of long, and tall. Weight typically can range from , with an occasional big...
s, the European bison.
Even with two canals supplying Nevėžis with water, it becomes very shallow during a drier summer. Regularly it is between 4 and 9 meters deep. In more recent years, a number of grass carp
Grass carp
The grass carp is a herbivorous, freshwater fish species of family Cyprinidae, and the only species of the genus Ctenopharyngodon. It is cultivated in China for food, but was introduced in Europe and the United States for aquatic weed control...
was introduced to the river for aquatic weed control. The Nevėžis, due to its low level of water, slow current, and influx of the run-off off of fertilizers from agriculture, was becoming more and more overgrown with weeds. It was hoped that the introduction of grass carp would help to control the process. Critics argued that the fish would not survive in the relatively cold climate. However, local fishermen still catch carp introduced several years ago.
Canals
The Nevėžis is connected with two other large rivers by canals. In order to reduce floods in the LėvuoLevuo
Lėvuo is a river in Northern Lithuania, tributary of the river Mūša. Lėvuo is 148 kilometres long. In 1931 Sanžilė channel, connecting Lėvuo and Nevėžis rivers was built. Biggest tributary rivers of Lėvuo are Mituva, Svalia, Kupa....
River, the Sanžilė Canal was dug in 1930. A draft to connect these rivers was first written in 1797. The location was very convenient: about 9,000 years ago Nevėžis was a tributary to Lėvuo. The land between the rivers was low and there was a small Sanžilė rivulet which could serve as the basis for the new canal. In the 19th century the Neman delta belonged to the Germans. This was an obstacle in trading. The Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
was looking for ways to direct ships from the Neman River directly to the port of Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
. The plan was abandoned because of insufficient funds. The idea was revisited again in 1914, the preparations for construction started but were interrupted by World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. After reclaiming the origin of the Lėvuo, heavy rains would cause the flood of as many as twenty villages. It was decided to dig an 8 km length canal. In 1961-63 another canal connecting the Nevėžis with the Šventoji River
Šventoji River
The Šventoji River is the longest river that flows entirely within Lithuania and the largest tributary of the Neris River. It originates from the Lake Samanis in the Gražutė Regional Park and flows into Neris near Jonava. The longest tributary of the Šventoji is the Širvinta River.The Šventoji...
was finished. It is 12 km in length. There is a pumping station near Kavarskas
Kavarskas
Kavarskas , with a population of only 700, is the fourth smallest city in Lithuania. The Šventoji River flows through the town. In 1956 near Kavarskas a water lifting station was built and part of the Šventoji River's water was channeled to the Nevėžis River...
to supply the canal with water.
