Oude Rijn (Gelderland)

Last updated
The Oude Rijn (Old Rhine) river near Bunnik (NL), former main course of the river Rhine in the Netherlands before it was diverted to the south. 2006 OudeRijnBunnik1.jpg
The Oude Rijn (Old Rhine) river near Bunnik (NL), former main course of the river Rhine in the Netherlands before it was diverted to the south. 2006

Oude Rijn ("Old Rhine"; not to be confused with the Alter Rhein) is the name of a long former bend in river Rhine in the Dutch province of Gelderland.

In summer the bend became too shallow to be navigable, and so between 1701 and 1709 it was cut off from the main waterway near the town of Lobith and replaced by the Pannerdens Kanaal. [1] After the bend was dammed-up at Tolkamer, the Oude Rijn received little water from the Rhine proper. Instead, most of its inflow now comes from the small river Wild. Near the Oude Rijn are several more, smaller, Old Rhine branches. Together they are known as the Rijnstrangen ("Rhine Bends"), a wildlife reserve area that is part of the Gelderse Poort.

The Oude Rijn, which forms the border between the Dutch town of Lobith and the German town of Elten, was still used to relieve the overflow of the Rhine in times of flooding until the middle of the twentieth century. Opposite the town of Angeren, the Pannerdens Kanaal connects to the Oude Rijn, after which the river continues towards the sea as Nederrijn (Lower Rhine).

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhine</span> Major river in Western Europe

The Rhine is one of the major European rivers. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein, Swiss-Austrian, and Swiss-German borders. After that the Rhine defines much of the Franco-German border, after which it flows in a mostly northerly direction through the German Rhineland. Finally in Germany, the Rhine turns into a predominantly westerly direction and flows into the Netherlands where it eventually empties into the North Sea. It drains an area of 9,973 sq km and its name derives from the Celtic Rēnos. There are also two German states named after the river, North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Batavia (region)</span> Historical and geographical region in the Rhine–Meuse delta

Batavia is a historical and geographical region in the Netherlands, forming large fertile islands in the river delta formed by the waters of the Rhine and Meuse rivers. During the Roman empire, it was an important frontier region and source of imperial soldiers. Its name is possibly pre-Roman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IJssel</span> River in the Netherlands

The IJssel is a Dutch distributary of the river Rhine that flows northward and ultimately discharges into the IJsselmeer, a North Sea natural harbour. It more immediately flows into the east-south channel around the Flevopolder, Flevoland which is kept at 3 metres below sea level. This body of water is then pumped up into the IJsselmeer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rijnwaarden</span> Former municipality in Gelderland, Netherlands

Rijnwaarden was a municipality in the province of Gelderland, in the eastern Netherlands. The Rhine enters the Netherlands at its location. Rijnwaarden was merged into the municipality of Zevenaar on 1 January 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alphen aan den Rijn</span> Municipality in South Holland, Netherlands

Alphen aan den Rijn is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The city is situated on the banks of the river Oude Rijn, where the river Gouwe branches off. The municipality had a population of 112,587 in 2021, and covers an area of 132.50 km2 (51.16 sq mi) of which 6.27 km2 (2.42 sq mi) is water.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nederrijn</span> Dutch portion of the Rhine river

Nederrijn is the Dutch part of the Rhine from the confluence at the town of Angeren of the cut-off Rhine bend of Oude Rijn (Gelderland) and the Pannerdens Kanaal. The city of Arnhem lies on the right (north) bank of the Nederrijn, just past the point where the IJssel branches off. The Nederrijn flows on to the city of Wijk bij Duurstede, from where it continues as the Lek. The once-important but now small Kromme Rijn branch carries the name "Rhine" towards the city of Utrecht.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pannerdens Kanaal</span>

The Pannerdens Kanaal is a canal in the Netherlands that was dredged between 1701 and 1709 to cut off a large, shallow bend of the river Rhine and so improve river traffic and water regulation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bijlands Kanaal</span> Canal in Gelderland, the Netherlands

The Bijlands Kanaal is a canal in the Dutch province of Gelderland, near the Dutch-German border. It is currently by far the most important river-stretch of the Rhine when that major river enters the Netherlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oude Rijn (Utrecht and South Holland)</span> River in Netherlands

The Oude Rijn is a branch of the Rhine delta in the Dutch provinces of Utrecht and South Holland, starting west of Utrecht, at Harmelen, and running by a mechanical pumping station into the North Sea at Katwijk. Its present-day length is 52 kilometres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lobith</span> Village in Gelderland, Netherlands

Lobith is a village in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is located in the municipality of Zevenaar. Traditionally, it is said that the Rhine enters the Netherlands at Lobith, although in reality, this happens about 4 km further upstream, near Spijk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pannerden</span> Village in Gelderland, Netherlands

Pannerden is a village in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is located in the municipality of Zevenaar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oude IJssel</span> River in Germany and the Netherlands

The Oude IJssel or Issel is a river in Germany and the Netherlands approximately 82 km (51 mi) long. It is a right tributary of the river IJssel. Oude IJssel is Dutch for "Old IJssel"; the Oude IJssel was the upper course of the IJssel until the connection with the Rhine was dug, possibly in the Roman era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lower Rhine</span> Lower portion of the Rhine river

The Lower Rhine flows from Bonn, Germany, to the North Sea at Hook of Holland, Netherlands ; alternatively, Lower Rhine may refer to the part upstream of Pannerdens Kop, excluding the Nederrijn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta</span> Delta formed by 3 rivers in the Netherlands

The Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta is a river delta in the Netherlands formed by the confluence of the Rhine, the Meuse and the Scheldt rivers. In some cases, the Scheldt delta is considered a separate delta to the Rhine–Meuse delta. The result is a multitude of islands, branches and branch names, in which a waterway that appears to be one continuous stream may have numerous separate names for different sections, e.g. Rhine → Bijlands Kanaal → Pannerdens Kanaal → Nederrijn → Lek → Nieuwe Maas → Het Scheur → Nieuwe Waterweg. Since the Rhine contributes most of the water, the term "Rhine Delta" is commonly used, although this name is also used for the delta where the Alpine Rhine flows into Lake Constance. By some calculations, the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta covers 25,347 km2 (9,787 sq mi), making it the largest in Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oude Maas</span> Distributary of the Rhine River in South Holland, Netherlands

The Oude Maas is a distributary of the river Rhine, and a former distributary of the river Maas, in the Dutch province of South Holland. It begins at the city of Dordrecht where the Beneden Merwede river splits into the Noord and the Oude Maas. It ends when it joins the Nieuwe Maas to form Het Scheur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wild (river)</span> River in The Netherlands, Germany

Die Wild is a small stream on the border between Germany and The Netherlands. It flows south of the Dutch town of 's-Heerenberg and the German village of Elten towards the north of the Dutch village of Spijk. North of Lobith it flows into the Oude Rijn, an old branch of the Rhine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schenkenschanz</span>

Schenkenschanz is a small community in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany that was incorporated into the town of Kleve (Cleves) in 1969. Schenkenschanz is site of the former Schenkenschans fortress that was of significance in the Dutch Revolt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oud-Zevenaar</span> Village in Gelderland, Netherlands

Oud-Zevenaar is a village in the municipality of Zevenaar in the province of Gelderland, the Netherlands. It is located to the south of Zevenaar

References

  1. "Geldersche Waard bij Oud-Zevenaar". Oud-Zevenaar. Retrieved 2024-02-10.

51°53′46″N6°05′20″E / 51.896°N 6.089°E / 51.896; 6.089