Flood Marks in Poland and Their Significance in Water Management and Flood Safety Education

Abstract

The tradition of permanent marking of maximum water levels reached during catastrophic floods in Poland dates back at least to the 2nd half of the sixteenth century. Currently known are more than 300 high water marks, in most cases in a form embedded onto various kinds of structures. The existence of these objects makes it possible to attempt forming a comprehensive body of knowledge about high water marks, including details such as their geographical and hydrological positioning, place of attachment, method of assembly, data they display, accessibility, etc. Flood marks have a particularly significant value for the study of historical hydrology, as they allow the recreation of the height and range of floods that occurred prior to the introduction of the systematic measurements of the water levels conducted using special instrumentation. Wherever existing in publicly accessible spaces, flood marks have the potential to serve an educative role, informing the population inhabiting and working in river valleys about the potential flood threat in the given area. Finally, old flood marks represent an element of the cultural heritage, serving as a remembrance of the natural cataclysms which occurred in places which for centuries have been inhabited by mankind. They allow the improved understanding of the way the settlement network developed on the areas threatened by floods. The work presents the current state of research on the high watermarks existing in Poland and its line of advancement. Utilizing specific examples, the work presents arguments in support of the preservation of the old high watermarks and their active protection from devastation. It also points to the necessity for the development of a unified methodology for their cataloging, providing certain recommendations for any new objects of that kind.