Ruhr (river)

Last updated
Ruhr
River-ruhr-essen-kettwig.jpeg
The Ruhr in Essen-Kettwig
Location
Country Germany
State North Rhine-Westphalia
Physical characteristics
Source 
  location Kahler Asten
  elevation870 m (2,850 ft)
Mouth  
  location
Rhine
  coordinates
51°27′3″N6°43′22″E / 51.45083°N 6.72278°E / 51.45083; 6.72278
Length219.2 km (136.2 mi) [1]
Basin size4,485 km2 (1,732 sq mi) [1]
Discharge 
  average79 m3/s (2,800 cu ft/s)
Basin features
Progression RhineNorth Sea
Tributaries 
  left Lenne, Volme
  right Möhne

The Ruhr is a river in western Germany (North Rhine-Westphalia), a right tributary (east-side) of the Rhine.

Contents

Description and history

The Ruhr valley near Bochum during a flood Ruhr-flut.JPG
The Ruhr valley near Bochum during a flood

The source of the Ruhr is near the town of Winterberg in the mountainous Sauerland region, at an elevation of approximately 670 metres (2,200 ft). It flows into the lower Rhine at an elevation of only 17 metres (56 ft) in the municipal area of Duisburg. Its total length is 219 km (136 mi), its average discharge is 79 cubic metres per second (2,800 cu ft/s) at Mülheim near its mouth. Thus, its discharge is, for example, comparable to that of the river Ems in Northern Germany or the River Thames in the United Kingdom.

The Ruhr first passes the towns of Meschede, Arnsberg, Wickede, Fröndenberg, Holzwickede, Iserlohn, and Schwerte. Then the river marks the southern limit of the Ruhr area, passing Hagen, Dortmund, Herdecke, Wetter, Witten, Bochum, Hattingen, Essen, Mülheim, and Duisburg.

The Ruhr area was Germany's primary industrial area during the early- to mid-20th century. Most factories were located there. The occupation of the Ruhr from 1923 to 1924 by French forces, due to the Weimar Republic's failure to continue paying reparations from World War I, provoked passive resistance, which saw production in the factories grind to a halt. As a result, the German hyperinflation crisis grew even worse.

During World War II, two of the dams on the Ruhr, the Möhne Dam and the Sorpe Dam were targets for Operation Chastise, in which special "bouncing bombs" were developed to take out the dams and flood the valley, with the hope of seriously affecting the German industries there. The story was told in a 1951 book and the popular 1955 film made from it, The Dam Busters .

The drainage basin of the Ruhr Verlaufskarte Ruhr2.png
The drainage basin of the Ruhr

Lakes

There are five Ruhr reservoirs on the river, often used for leisure activities.

Tributaries

The main tributaries of the Ruhr are (from source to mouth):

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruhr</span> Urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

The Ruhr, also referred to as the Ruhr area, sometimes Ruhr district, Ruhr region, or Ruhr valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 2,800/km2 and a population of over 5 million (2017), it is the largest urban area in Germany. It consists of several large cities bordered by the rivers Ruhr to the south, Rhine to the west, and Lippe to the north. In the southwest it borders the Bergisches Land. It is considered part of the larger Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region of more than 10 million people, which is the third largest in Western Europe, behind only London and Paris.

The Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis is a district in the center of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is part of the southern Ruhr urban area and has ca. 324,000 inhabitants (2012). The district's seat is Schwelm; the largest of its nine towns is Witten.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr</span> Transit district in the Rhein-Ruhr area, Germany

The Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr, abbreviated VRR, is a public transport association (Verkehrsverbund) in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It covers most of the Ruhr area, as well as neighbouring parts of the Lower Rhine region, including Düsseldorf and thus large parts of the Rhine-Ruhr conurbation. It was founded on 1 January 1980, and is Europe’s largest body of such kind, covering an area of some 5,000 km2 (1,900 sq mi) with more than 7.8 million inhabitants, spanning as far as Dorsten in the north, Dortmund in the east, Langenfeld in the south, and Mönchengladbach and the Dutch border in the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bergisch-Markisch Railway Company</span>

The Bergisch-Markisch Railway Company, also referred to as the Berg-Mark Railway Company or, more rarely, as the Bergisch-Markische Railway Company, was a German railway company that together with the Cologne-Minden Railway and the Rhenish Railway Company was one of the three (nominally) private railway companies that in the mid-19th century built the first railways in the Ruhr and large parts of today's North Rhine-Westphalia. Its name refers to Bergisches Land and the County of Mark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Witten Hauptbahnhof</span> Railway station in the town of Witten, Germany

Witten Hauptbahnhof is a railway station in the town of Witten in western Germany. It is situated southwest of the town.

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The Arnsberg Forest Nature Park is a nature park in the districts of Hochsauerlandkreis and Soest within the administrative region of Arnsberg in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The park was established in 1960 and covers an area of 482 km2. Nearly 350 km2 of the protection is forested and the park's wooded hills rise up to 581.5 m above sea level (NN).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Witten/Dortmund–Oberhausen/Duisburg railway</span> Railway in Germany

The Witten/Dortmund, Oberhausen/Duisburg railway is one of the most important railways in Germany. It is the main axis of long distance and regional rail transport on the east–west axis of the Ruhr and is served by Intercity-Express, InterCity, Regional-Express, Regionalbahn and S-Bahn trains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the Ruhr</span>

The actual boundaries of the Ruhr vary slightly depending on the source, but a good working definition is to define the Lippe and Ruhr as its northern and southern boundaries respectively, the Rhine as its western boundary, and the town of Hamm as the eastern limit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruhr Valley Railway</span> Railway line running from Düsseldorf-Rath to Warburg

The Ruhr Valley Railway is a partly abandoned railway line in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, running from Düsseldorf-Rath via Old Kupferdreh station, Bochum-Dahlhausen, Witten-Herbede, Hagen-Vorhalle and Schwerte to Warburg. It was built between 1872 and 1876 by the Bergisch-Märkische Railway Company, one of the three major private railway companies in the Ruhr area. The railway tracks that were built along the Ruhr river had a relatively uniform grade that was suitable for railway operations at the time.

North Rhine-Westphalia is home to 14 universities and over 50 partly postgraduate colleges, with a total of over 500,000 students. Largest and oldest university is the University of Cologne (Universität zu Köln), founded in 1388 AD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Essen West station</span> Railway station in Essen, Germany

Essen West station is situated in Essen on the Witten/Dortmund–Oberhausen/Duisburg railway in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is served by lines S1, S3 and S9 of the Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn.

The Düsseldorf-Derendorf–Dortmund Süd railway is a partially closed line in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia from Düsseldorf-Derendorf station to Dortmund South station. Parts of it are still busy, including two sections used for the Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mülheim-Styrum station</span>

Mülheim-Styrum station is located in the district of Styrum in the German city of Mülheim in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is on the Witten/Dortmund–Oberhausen/Duisburg line and is classified by Deutsche Bahn as a category 3 station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Essen-Steele Ost station</span> Railway station in Essen, Germany

Essen-Steele Ost station is located in the district of Essen-Steele in the German city of Essen in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is on the Witten/Dortmund–Oberhausen/Duisburg line and is classified by Deutsche Bahn as a category 4 station. It is served by Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn lines S 1 and S 3.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wattenscheid-Höntrop station</span> Railway station in Bochum, Germany

Wattenscheid-Höntrop station is a railway station in the district of Wattenscheid of the city of Bochum in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is on the 97 km-long (60 mi) route of Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn line S 1 from Dortmund to Solingen. Wattenscheid station, which is more than a kilometre to the northwest is only served by regional trains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Osterath–Dortmund Süd railway</span>

The Osterath–Dortmund-Süd railway is a historically significant line in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Parts of it are closed, much of it is now used for freight only, but several sections are still used for Regional-Express, Regionalbahn or Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Essen-Eiberg station</span> Railway station in Essen, Germany

Essen-Eiberg station is a station in the district of Eiberg of the city of Essen in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is on the Witten/Dortmund–Oberhausen/Duisburg railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhine-Ruhr Stadtbahn</span>

The Rhine-Ruhr Stadtbahn is an umbrella system of all of the Stadtbahn lines included in the integrated public transport network of the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (VRR), which covers the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan area in western Germany. It does not include the Cologne and Bonn Stadtbahn systems, which are integrated in the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Sieg (VRS).

The Bochum–Essen/Oberhausen railway was built by the Bergisch-Märkische Railway Company to the north of its main line through the central Ruhr to tap traffic from mines and factories in the northern Ruhr region, which is now in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhein Ruhr Express</span> Public transit system in North Rhine-Westphalia

Rhein Ruhr Express is a regional rail system in the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region of Germany connecting the Ruhr Valley and the central Rhineland. The primary goal is to provide a fast connection on the main trunk line between Dortmund and Cologne, located along the Ruhr Valley, with trains every quarter of an hour. This main line has been expanded, improved or reconfigured to enable more trains to operate and at higher speeds. Like the previous Regional-Express lines they replaced, RRX routes branch off from the main trunk line to serve other cities and states at lower frequencies.

References