1000 years ago two wrestlers clashed at the Poznań arena: in the blue – the Warta River and her numerous distributaries, in the red – the Human Being with his team.
The clock is still ticking and they are still fighting! Seven rounds behind us – 2 ended in a tie, 2 in a handsome win by the Warta River, and at the end there was an unexpected response from the Human Being.
Here is the coverage of the wrestling bouts so far!
Table of contents
Qualifying phase
Before the match, the Warta River was in neutral position. Her water flowed through many riverbeds in her valley. Along her stream there were islands: Cathedral Island, Chwaliszewo, Garbary, Grobla, Rybaki. These were wetland territories – difficult to grab, just like an athlete’s oily body.
The Human Being reached the arena late. However, when the signal sounded, he slowly entered the mat and picked up the gauntlet.
1st Round – A bold move from Cathedral Island [Human Being gains the upper hand]
Two wrestlers slowly grabbed each other’s shoulders. For a long time none of them took control but slowly the Human Being began to pin the Warta River to the mat. First, he attacked her from the right and grabbed her by the biggest island – Cathedral Island. His feet touched boggy ground but he stood fast and found firm footing. He dug in on the banks of the rivers surrounding the island and established a defensive settlement. Although he was being worn away by the Warta River’s treacherous waves, he did not let her pin him down – he built a bridge over the river.
The referee’s watch showed it was the 10th century.
2nd Round – On the left edge of the mat [Human Being keeps the upper hand]
The Human Being did not go easy on the river. At first, he attacked the Warta River from the right, then he looked at her left bank. He built there small hamlets, for example, Garbary and Rybaki, until eventually, he decided to build a city. His opponent tried to trip him through her distributary, the Bogdanka River. However, he curled up and surrounded the city with walls. He grabbed the Bogdanka River and the Struga Karmelicka River and directed the flow of these two hostile distributaries to the city moat.
The referee’s watch showed that the 13th century has passed. It seemed to be a close fight.
3rd Round – The Warta River demands a rematch [the Warta River gains the upper hand]
Win a few, lose a few as the old wrestling saying goes. Although earlier it was the Human Being who had the upper hand, now it was the Warta River who walked over him. She attacked the most exposed places, which, by the way, were the closest to her: Chwaliszewo, Grobla, Garbary, Śródka and the Old Market Square. She washed away bridges, damaged mills and marketplaces, flooded houses and churches. It seemed that the Human Being may be out of the competition to reach the podium.
The referee’s watch showed 1736. People travelled around the Old Market Square by boats.
4th Round – The moat is out of the game
The Human Being, despite painful injuries, dusted himself off, dried his costume and got back in the game. He took down the majority of the city’s moat and buried the canal which the water used to separate Garbary from the city. This way, he gained another island and became bigger.
The Warta River kept moving another island, Grobla, away from the city. However, she did it so sluggishly that her distributary near Grobla was called “Lazy Warta”. The Struga Karmelicka River, which flowed on the southern side of Rybaki, was also trying to defend herself.
The referee’s watch showed the end of the 18th century.
5th Round – Terrible Beating and a huddle [exciting confrontation]
In 1888 the Warta River put all her eggs in one basket and hammered the Human Being! She flooded Chwaliszewo, Śródka, the Old Market Square, Bernardyński Square and Garbary, leading to one of the greatest floods in the history of Poznań.
Further fighting had to become more traditional – from waist up.
Challenge issued by their rival led the Human Being and his team to draw up a plan to protect themselves from the flood: by elevating the embankment and getting rid of these bloody distributaries! First, the Lazy Warta was buried and renamed triumphantly Mostowa Street. Then, a rather unchivalrous move was made – the Bogdanka River was canalised.
6th Round – Technical Advantage [the Human Being gains the upper hand]
The last but one round showed that the Human Being had the upper hand – perhaps not a spectacular, but certainly an effective one.
It was in the 20th century. The Human Being gradually implemented his plan. Trying to crib the Warta River in one riverbed, he deprived his rival of any possibility to go sideways. Grobla was no longer an island. The Struga Karmelicka River also disappeared. The Warta River flowed as a single stream, accompanied only by the Cybina River. However, the floodway, the so-called relief channels, protected the Human Being on this side from any attack by the river.
The Bogdanka and Wierzbak Rivers were out of the mat. The riverbed of the first one in the city centre was disposed of and in Sołacz it was joined with the Wierzbak River. At some point both rivers were canalised and disappeared under the ground.
The Human Being won this round due to a technical advantage.
7th Round – Chwaliszewo [the Human Being has the upper hand]
The final round sealed the Warta River’s fate and blighted her chances for advancement.
The referee’s watch showed 1969. In the city centre, only the last meander of the Warta River threatened the Human Being. It flowed around Chwaliszewo which was still an island. The Human Being gathered force, lifted his rival, which was much bigger than him, and pinned her to the mat. Since then the Warta River has been flowing in a new riverbed, away from the core area of the city centre – between Chwaliszewo and Cathedral Island. The Old Warta Riverbed Park and the river port are the remnants of the old meander.
