The Váh (; , ; ; ) is the longest river within Slovakia. Towns on the river include Liptovský Hrádok, Liptovský MikulÃ¡à ¡, Ruà ¾omberok, Vrútky, à ½ilina, BytÃÂa, Povaà ¾ská Bystrica, Púchov, Ilava, Dubnica nad Váhom, Nemà ¡ová, TrenÃÂÃÂn, Nové Mesto nad Váhom, Pieà ¡à ¥any, Hlohovec, SereÃÂ, à  aþa, Kolárovo and Komárno.
The name is of Germanic or Slavic origin. It could be derived from old Germanic wÃÂg (stream) or proto-Slavic vagÃÂ, vaga (pole, stick, carved branch) referring to reinforced riverbanks. Several Slavic river names with a similar motivation exist, but pre-Slavic origin of larger rivers in Slovakia is assumed in general. The earliest mentions are flumen Vvaga (1111) and aqua Vvac (1113).
A left tributary of the Danube river, the Váh is long, including its ÃÂierny Váh branch. Its two sources, the Biely Váh (White Váh) and the ÃÂierny Váh (Black Váh), are located in the Vysoké Tatry (High Tatras) and NÃÂzke Tatry (Low Tatra) mountains, respectively, and it flows over northern and western Slovakia and finally feeds into the Danube near Komárno at the border. The left tributaries are Demänovka, Revúca, ýubochnianka, Turiec, RajÃÂanka and Nitra rivers, and the right tributaries are Belá, Orava, VarÃÂnka, Kysuca, Biela voda, Vlára, Dubová, Dudváh and Malý Dunaj rivers. In late medieval time it was a property of Stibor of Stiboricz and his son Stibor of Beckov of the Clan of Ostoja, later passing to Maurice Benyovszky as a gift of Maria Theresa.
The Váh includes canals, artificial dams (ÃÂierny Váh, Liptovská Mara, Beà ¡eà Âová, Krpeþany, à ½ilina, HriÃÂov, Nosice, Súà Âava, Madunice, Kráþová and Selice) and 16 hydropower stations, whose construction started in the 1930s and increased after World War II. The main Slovak limited-access motorway is along the Váh (Bratislava â TrenÃÂÃÂn â Povaà ¾ská Bystrica âÂ à ½ilina and Ruà ¾omberok â Poprad), as well as the main railway Bratislava âÂ à ½ilina â Koà ¡ice.