Szinva is a

stream A stream is a continuous body of water, body of surface water Current (stream), flowing within the stream bed, bed and bank (geography), banks of a channel (geography), channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a strea ...

in northern

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

, a

tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...

to the river

Sajó The Sajó ( , Hungarian) or Slaná ( Slovak) 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 ...

. It originates in the

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 Although Kékes, the highest point in Hungary, is not here but in t ...

Mountains. It is long, of which can be found in the city of

Miskolc Miskolc ( , ; ; Czech language, Czech and ; ; ; ) is a city in northeastern Hungary, known for its heavy industry. With a population of 161,265 as of 1 January 2014, Miskolc is the List of cities and towns in Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, ...

, through which the stream flows from west to east. More than 70 bridges have been built over the stream, and it flows underground in parts of the city centre. The

damming A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...

of the streams Szinva and Garadna formed Lake Hámori in Miskolc-Lillafüred 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 after the waterfall. The Szinva was responsible for the great flood of 1878, one of the largest floods of the 19th century. The flood claimed about 400 lives and almost completely destroyed the downtown of Miskolc. Before 1990, when Miskolc was a heavy industrial centre, the water of the stream was very

polluted Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause harm. Pollution can take the form of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, the component ...

, mostly because of the paper factory of

Diósgyőr Diósgyőr (Hungarian: Help:IPA/Hungarian, �dioːʒɟøːr 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 t ...

. Today it is much cleaner, to the extent that some

fish A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...

now live in it. The

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 cu ...

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 is also named after the stream.

External links

Waterfall photos
{{coord, 48, 06, N, 20, 50, E, display=title, region:HU_type:river_source:GNS-enwiki Geography of Miskolc Rivers of Hungary Geography of Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County