Szinva
Encyclopedia
Stream
A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...
in northern Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, a tributary
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
to the river Sajó
Sajó
The Sajó is a river in Slovakia and Hungary.Its length is 229 km, of which 110 km is in Slovakia. Its source is in the Stolica Mountains range of the Slovak Ore Mountains. It flows through the Slovak town Rožňava and the Hungarian city Miskolc. In Hungary it flows through the county of...
. It originates in the Bükk
Bükk
The Bükk Mountains are a section of the North Hungarian Mountains of the Inner Western Carpathians. Much of the area is included in the Bükk National Park.-Geography:...
Mountains. It is 30 kilometres long, 20 kilometres of which can be found the city of Miskolc
Miskolc
Miskolc is a city in northeastern Hungary, mainly with heavy industrial background. With a population close to 170,000 Miskolc is the fourth largest city of Hungary It is also the county capital of Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén and the regional centre of Northern Hungary.- Geography :Miskolc is located...
, through which the stream flows from west to east. More than 70 bridges were built over the stream, and in parts of the city centre it flows underground.
The damming of the streams Szinva and Garadna formed Lake Hámori in Miskolc-Lillafüred
Lillafüred
Lillafüred is a town in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county, Hungary. Officially it is a part of Miskolc, actually it is almost 12 kilometres away from the city, in the Bükk Mountains...
around 1770. The highest waterfalls of the country (20 metres high) can be found on the Szinva nearby. It is a major tourist attraction. Since the water of most of the water springs of the stream are fed into the water supply system of the city, and the upper reaches of the stream often run dry in summer, water has to be pumped from the lake for the waterfalls to work. Garadna flows into Szinva about 100 metres after the waterfall.
The Szinva was responsible for the great flood of 1878
Flood in Miskolc, 1878
The Hungarian city of Miskolc lies on the drainage area of the river Sajó and the stream Szinva. Both the river and the stream played an important part in the development of the city, but during great rains they also meant danger...
, one of the largest floods of the 19th century. The flood claimed about 400 lives and almost completely destroyed the downtown of Miskolc
Downtown (Miskolc)
Miskolc City Centre is basically the historical part of the city of Miskolc, Hungary. Most of the other parts of the city were either independent towns and villages previously, or they were built later....
.
Before 1990, when Miskolc was a heavy industrial centre, the water of the stream was very polluted
Pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light...
, mostly because of the paper factory of Diósgyőr
Diósgyor
Diósgyőr is a historical town in Hungary, today it is a part of Miskolc. The medieval castle in Diósgyőr was a favourite holiday residence of Hungarian kings and queens; today it is a popular tourist attraction. The city part has a heavy industrial background...
. Today it is much cleaner, to the extent that some fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
now live in it.
The Szinvapark
Szinvapark
Szinvapark is one of the two largest shopping malls of Miskolc, Hungary. It is situated in the city centre, not far from its main rival, the Miskolc Plaza.The three-storey shopping centre opened on September 1, 2000 and is visited by 20,000 customers daily...
shopping mall – one of the largest in Miskolc – was built on the two sides of the stream; the buildings are connected by a bridge over the Szinva. A newly constructed public square, the Szinva Terrace
Szinva Terrace
The Szinva Terrace is the newest public square in Miskolc city centre, Hungary, next to the stream Szinva which runs through the city.The square was constructed in autumn 2005 in place of a parking lot, as a part of the reconstruction of the city centre, and was opened to the public on November 5....
is also named after the stream.