The Tisza, the story of the river

The Tisza

Western Europeans know little of the Tisza (pronounced Tissa) even though it is the Danube's main tributary. The Tisza rises in the Ukraine. It then becomes the river which marks the border between Romania and the Ukraine for 62 km. A little further and it reaches Hungary, where it travels a further 600 km or so. It continues its course through the former Yugoslavia for 100 km. The confluence with the Danube can be found in Titel (near Belgrade). The total length of the Tisza is 977 km (by comparison, the length of the Po is 652 km, that of the Loire 1,020 km and that of the Vistula 1,090 km). It has a great number of tributaries from the right and left banks.

Because of the fact that its middle section and the greater part of its downstream section can be found in Hungary, the gradient across the "Great Plain" is only 1 to 2 cm per km. Under normal conditions, it flows lazily and slowly.

A barrage has created a reservoir of 134 km² in the heart of Hungary, making the Great Plain (Alföld) region a potential tourist destination for the future. Its wild beauty, surrounded by unspoilt nature, is calming but it nonetheless cuts through numerous Gothic, Ottoman and Art Nouveau towns steeped in culture and wonderful to explore.

Novi Sad, a city in northern Serbia and capital of the autonomous province of Voivodina, is situated in the southern part of the Great Plain in the region of Baga on the left bank of the Danube.

Szeged bursts with sheer happiness to be alive which reminds one of people who have survived a near-death experience and savour each moment of life as a bonus. Szeged is charming and seductive. It is also the "city of sunshine", the Hungarian town which has the most hours of sunlight.

Hortobagy National Park is one of the most immense expanses of prairie, the so-called "puszta", in Europe (more than 1,400 km²). The territory of Hortobagy National Park covers 70,000 hectares. Classed since 1999 as a world cultural heritage site, it abounds with places of interest to tourists and incomparable treasures in the heart of Europe.

Tokaj : The wine region of Tokaj is situated around 160 km east of Budapest, the capital of Hungary. The Tokaj region has given its name to the famous wines and comprises 28 villages encircled on all sides by the Tisza and Bodrog rivers, which meet in the village of Tokaj.