Large parts of the Vistula Basin were occupied by the Iron Age Lusatian and Przeworsk cultures in the first millennium BC.

Genetic analysis indicates that there has been an unbroken genetic continuity of the inhabitants over the last 3,500 years.

The Vistula Basin along with the lands of the Rhine, Danube, Elbe, and Oder came to be called Magna Germania by Roman authors of the 1st century AD.
This does not imply that the inhabitants were "Germanic peoples" in the modern sense of the term;
Tacitus, when describing the Venethi, Peucini and Fenni, wrote that he was not sure if he should call them Germans, since they had settlements and they fought on foot, or rather Sarmatians since they have some similar customs to them.
Ptolemy, in the 2nd century AD, would describe the Vistula as the border between Germania and Sarmatia.

The Vistula river used to be connected to the Dnieper River, and thence to the Black Sea via the Augustów Canal, a technological marvel with numerous sluices contributing to its aesthetic appeal.
It was the first waterway in Central Europe to provide a direct link between the two major rivers, the Vistula and the Neman.
It provided a link with the Black Sea to the south through the Oginski Canal, Dnieper River, Berezina Canal, and Dvina River.
The Baltic Sea– Vistula– Dnieper– Black Sea route with its rivers was one of the most ancient trade routes, the Amber Road, on which amber and other items were traded from Northern Europe to Greece, Asia, Egypt, and elsewhere.

The Vistula estuary was settled by Slavs in the 7th and 8th century.
Based on archeological and linguistic findings, it has been postulated that these settlers moved northward along the Vistula river.
This however contradicts another hypothesis supported by some researchers saying the Veleti moved westward from the Vistula delta.

A number of West Slavic Polish tribes formed small dominions beginning in the 8th century, some of which coalesced later into larger ones.
Among the tribes listed in the Bavarian Geographer's 9th-century document was the Vistulans (Wiślanie) in southern Poland.
Kraków and Wiślica were their main centers.

Many Polish legends  are connected with the Vistula and the beginnings of Polish statehood.
One of the most enduring is that about princess Wanda co nie chciała Niemca (who rejected the German).
According to the most popular variant, popularized by the 15th-century historian Jan Długosz, Wanda, daughter of King Krak, became queen of the Poles upon her father's death.
She refused to marry a German prince Rytigier (Rüdiger), who took offence and invaded Poland, but was repelled.
Wanda however committed suicide, drowning in the Vistula river, to ensure he would not invade her country again.
Large parts of the Vistula Basin were occupied by the Iron Age Lusatian and Przeworsk cultures in the first millennium BC.
Genetic analysis indicates that there has been an unbroken genetic continuity of the inhabitants over the last 3,500 years.
The Vistula Basin along with the lands of the Rhine, Danube, Elbe, and Oder came to be called Magna Germania by Roman authors of the 1st century AD. This does not imply that the inhabitants were "Germanic peoples" in the modern sense of the term;
Tacitus, when describing the Venethi, Peucini and Fenni, wrote that he was not sure if he should call them Germans, since they had settlements and they fought on foot, or rather Sarmatians since they have some similar customs to them.Ptolemy, in the 2nd century AD, would describe the Vistula as the border between Germania and Sarmatia.
The Vistula river used to be connected to the Dnieper River, and thence to the Black Sea via the Augustów Canal, a technological marvel with numerous sluices contributing to its aesthetic appeal. It was the first waterway in Central Europe to provide a direct link between the two major rivers, the Vistula and the Neman. It provided a link with the Black Sea to the south through the Oginski Canal, Dnieper River, Berezina Canal, and Dvina River. The Baltic Sea– Vistula– Dnieper– Black Sea route with its rivers was one of the most ancient trade routes, the Amber Road, on which amber and other items were traded from Northern Europe to Greece, Asia, Egypt, and elsewhere.
The Vistula estuary was settled by Slavs in the 7th and 8th century. Based on archeological and linguistic findings, it has been postulated that these settlers moved northward along the Vistula river. This however contradicts another hypothesis supported by some researchers saying the Veleti moved westward from the Vistula delta.
A number of West Slavic Polish tribes formed small dominions beginning in the 8th century, some of which coalesced later into larger ones. Among the tribes listed in the Bavarian Geographer's 9th-century document was the Vistulans (Wiślanie) in southern Poland. Kraków and Wiślica were their main centers.
Many Polish legends  are connected with the Vistula and the beginnings of Polish statehood. One of the most enduring is that about princess Wanda co nie chciała Niemca (who rejected the German). According to the most popular variant, popularized by the 15th-century historian Jan Długosz, Wanda, daughter of King Krak, became queen of the Poles upon her father's death. She refused to marry a German prince Rytigier (Rüdiger), who took offence and invaded Poland, but was repelled. Wanda however committed suicide, drowning in the Vistula river, to ensure he would not invade her country again.
Vistula