Eider (river)

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Eider
Eider Breiholz.jpg
The Eider at Breiholz
Nordens Historie - Sonderjylland.gif
The Eider as the borderline between the Danes, Saxons and Frisians
Location
Country Germany
State Schleswig-Holstein
Cities
Physical characteristics
SourceKlaster Teich
  locationWattenbek
  coordinates 54°8′18″N10°7′38″E / 54.13833°N 10.12722°E / 54.13833; 10.12722
Mouth North Sea
  location
Tönning
  coordinates
54°18′52.27″N8°57′16.34″E / 54.3145194°N 8.9545389°E / 54.3145194; 8.9545389
Length188 km (117 mi)
Discharge 
  average6.5 m3/s (230 cu ft/s)
Basin features
Tributaries 
  leftTielenau, Broklandsau, Süderau
  right Treene, Sorge

The Eider (German : Eider; Danish : Ejderen; Latin: Egdor or Eidora [1] ) is the longest river in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. The river starts near Bordesholm and reaches the southwestern outskirts of Kiel on the shores of the Baltic Sea, but flows to the west, ending in the North Sea. The lower part of the Eider was used as part of the Eider Canal until that canal was replaced by the modern Kiel Canal. [2]

Contents

In the Early Middle Ages the river is believed to have been the border between the related Germanic tribes, the Jutes and the Angles, who along with the neighboring Saxons crossed the North Sea from this region during this period and settled in England. During the High Middle Ages the Eider was the border between the Saxons and the Danes, as reported by Adam of Bremen in 1076. For centuries it divided Denmark and the Holy Roman Empire. [3] Today it is the border between Schleswig, Holstein and Eiderland, the northern and southern parts, respectively, of the modern German state of Schleswig-Holstein.

The Eider flows through the following towns: Bordesholm, Kiel, Rendsburg, Friedrichstadt and Tönning. Near Tönning it flows into the North Sea. The estuary has tidal flats and brackish water. The mouth of the river is crossed by a closeable storm surge barrier, the Eider Barrage.

The Eider-Treene basin Eider Treene2.gif
The Eider-Treene basin

A tidal lock provides access for boats through the Eider Barrage. The fishing port of Tönning lies 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) upstream of the barrier, while Friedrichstadt is 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) further upstream. At Friedrichstadt a lock gives access to the River Treene. [4]

The Eider remains tidal as far as the lock at Nordfeld, 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) above Friedrichstadt. There is a further lock named Lexfähre  [ de ] near Wrohm, 52 kilometres (32 mi) upstream of Nordfeld. A further 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) beyond Lexfähre is the junction with the short Gieselau Canal, which provides a navigable link to the Kiel Canal at Oldenbüttel. The Eider therefore provides an alternative route from the North Sea to the Kiel Canal, avoiding the tides of the estuary of the Elbe. [4]

The head of navigation lies a further 23 kilometres (14 mi) upstream at Rendsburg. Although it is adjacent to the Kiel Canal, through passage is no longer possible. [4]

The Eider Barrage Storm tide barrage at the Eider river - photo.jpg
The Eider Barrage

See also

Related Research Articles

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The Kiel Canal is a 98 km (61 mi) long freshwater canal in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. The canal was finished in 1895, but later widened, and links the North Sea at Brunsbüttel to the Baltic Sea at Kiel-Holtenau. An average of 460 km (290 mi) is saved by using the Kiel Canal instead of going around the Jutland Peninsula. This not only saves time but also avoids storm-prone seas and having to pass through the Danish straits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schleswig-Holstein</span> State in Germany

Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical Duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig. Its capital city is Kiel; other notable cities are Lübeck and Flensburg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rendsburg</span> Town in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

Rendsburg is a town on the River Eider and the Kiel Canal in the central part of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is the capital of the Kreis (district) of Rendsburg-Eckernförde. As of 2006, it had a population of 28,476.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holstein</span> Historical region in the Southern half of Schleswig-Holstein

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Schleswig-Holstein</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anglia (peninsula)</span> Place in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

Anglia is a small peninsula in northern Germany, on the Baltic coast of Jutland. Jutland consists of the mainland of Denmark and the northernmost German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Anglia belongs to the region of Southern Schleswig, which constitutes the northern part of Schleswig-Holstein. The region is often referred to in German as Landschaft Angeln or Halbinsel Angeln.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bordesholm</span> Municipality in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bovenau</span> Municipality in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Büdelsdorf</span> Town in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

Büdelsdorf is a town in the district of Rendsburg-Eckernförde, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated on the river Eider and the Kiel Canal, approx. 2 kilometres north of Rendsburg, and 30 km (19 mi) west of Kiel, just 5 mi (8 km) off the motorway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treene (river)</span> River in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

The Treene is a river, hydrologically 95 km (59 mi) and nominally 73.4 km (45.6 mi) long, in Southern Schleswig in the north of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is a right-bank tributary of the River Eider. It starts in northern Angeln, southeast of Flensburg, and flows mainly south-south-west before joining the Eider near Friedrichstadt.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schülp bei Rendsburg</span> Municipality in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

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Jutland is a peninsula of Northern Europe that forms the continental portion of Denmark and part of northern Germany (Schleswig-Holstein). It stretches from the Grenen spit in the north to the confluence of Elbe and Sude in the southeast. The historic southern border river of Jutland as a cultural-geographical region, which historically also included Southern Schleswig, is the Eider. The peninsula, on the other hand, also comprises areas south of the Eider: Holstein, the former duchy of Lauenburg, and most of Hamburg and Lübeck.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eider-Treene Depression</span> Landscape in west Schleswig-Holstein in North Germany

The Eider-Treene Depression is a landscape in west Schleswig-Holstein in North Germany. It covers 500 square kilometres (190 sq mi) around the rivers Eider, Treene and Sorge. The Eider-Treene Depression is the largest wetland in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. It includes one third of the moorland (bog) in the state and is a habitat to the largest inland group of meadow birds. To the north, its border runs between Hollingstedt and Treia, to the east near Rendsburg, to the south the boggy depression reaches to the Hanerau and Haalerau beyond the Kiel Canal. Its western boundary with the Eiderstedt Marsh is unclear as marsh, bog and geest are interspersed. The region comprises the river valleys and their interfluvial geest ridges (Geestkernen). The landscape was formed during the ice ages, and altered by man as a result of dams and weirs built across the Eider, which was still a tidal river as far as Rendsburg until the 1920s. The region recently is encouraging "nature tourism" with walking, riding, cycling and canoe trips.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eider Barrage</span> Coastal protection structure in Germany

The Eider Barrage is located at the mouth of the river Eider near Tönning on Germany's North Sea coast. Its main purpose is to protect against storm surges from the North Sea. It is Germany's largest coastal protection structure. It was also intended to contribute to economic recovery in the districts of Norderdithmarschen and Eiderstedt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neumünster–Flensburg railway</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Husum–Kiel railway</span> Railway line in Germany

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flensburg–Husum–Tönning Railway Company</span>

The Flensburg–Husum–Tönning Railway Company built the first railway line in the Danish Duchy of Schleswig. The line opened in 1854 and was one of the first Danish railways.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eider Canal</span> Former waterway in northern Germany

The Eider Canal was an artificial waterway in southern Denmark which connected the North Sea with the Baltic Sea by way of the rivers Eider and Levensau. Constructed between 1777 and 1784, the Eider Canal was built to create a path for ships entering and exiting the Baltic that was shorter and less storm-prone than navigating around the Jutland peninsula. In the 1880s the canal was replaced by the enlarged Kiel Canal, which includes some of the Eider Canal's watercourse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bundesstraße 202</span> Federal highway in Germany

The Bundesstraße 202 is a German federal road or Bundesstraße and the west–east link between Sankt Peter Ording, Tönning, Friedrichstadt, Rendsburg, Kiel, Lütjenburg and Oldenburg in Holstein in the central part of the state of Schleswig-Holstein.

References

  1. Ejderstenen Græseforeningen (Danish)
  2. "The History of the City of Kiel, 1243 – 1945". British Kiel Yacht Club. Archived from the original on 5 February 2012. Retrieved 16 March 2006.
  3. Lawson, M.K. (1993). Cnut, The Danes in England in the Early Eleventh Century. New York: Longman. ISBN   0-582-05969-0.
  4. 1 2 3 Sheffield, Barry (1995). Inland Waterways of Germany. St Ives: Imray Laurie Norie & Wilson. ISBN   0-85288-283-1.
  5. Müller, W. W.; Saathoff, F. (2015). "Geosynthetics in geoenvironmental engineering". Science and Technology of Advanced Materials. 16 (3): 034605. Bibcode:2015STAdM..16c4605M. doi:10.1088/1468-6996/16/3/034605. PMC   5099829 . PMID   27877792.