The Apenke is a left tributary of the
Söse
Söse is a river of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a right tributary of the river Rhume and long.
Geography
The Söse rises on the plateau of ''Auf dem Acker'' in the district of Göttingen in the southwestern part of the Harz Mountains in Ge ...
in
Osterode in the
Harz Mountains
The Harz () is a highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The name ''Harz'' derives from the Middle High German ...
in the German state of
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...
.
Course
The Apenke rises south of the Feenhöhe heights in the Bärengarten. It flows initially parallel to the
Eipenke
The Eipenke is a left tributary of the River Söse near Osterode in the Harz Mountains in the German state of Lower Saxony.
Course
The Eipenke rises south of the Söse Reservoir and flows below the hill known as the ''Sösenkopf'' (423 ...
stream in a southwesterly direction. Near Augustental it is joined by more water draining from the
Teufelsbäder moor. For the rest of its course the Apenke flows northwest and feeds the ponds of ''Kaiserteich'' and ''Pferdeteich''. In the Osterode town district of Petershütte it empties into the
Söse
Söse is a river of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a right tributary of the river Rhume and long.
Geography
The Söse rises on the plateau of ''Auf dem Acker'' in the district of Göttingen in the southwestern part of the Harz Mountains in Ge ...
.
History
The water power of the Apenke used to be used to drive the various water wheels for gypsum, corn and saw mills. In 1991, the Apenke was polluted in Osterode by {{cvt, 8, m3 of
diesel fuel
Diesel fuel , also called diesel oil, is any liquid fuel specifically designed for use in a diesel engine, a type of internal combustion engine in which fuel ignition takes place without a spark as a result of compression of the inlet air and ...
.
The following is a translation of the verses (rhyming in the original German) written by Manfred Kleiner about the Apenke:
:''Pure and clear all silvery bright,
is the Apenke's little spring
on the Harz's western rim,
where I found the little beck's source.
There, where the stream begins its sally,
where the water runs down the valley,
under trees and hidden well
still untainted,
the Apenke murmurs quietly,
wanting to reach Osterode.
Happy to escape the dark forest
it helps to refresh the meadows
and fills along its way
pond after pond with water.
This habitat for fish
also helps to refresh the sheep
and is, as is clear to anyone,
the home of a huge flock of ducks.
Half hidden, to the side of paths
it flows gently through the terrain,
its water keeping gardens looked after,
it only has to be nimbly scooped up.
At the Apenke's mouth at last
has the Apenke reached its end,
it gives its water without complaining
to the millstream and its continuation.''
See also
*
List of rivers of Lower Saxony
All rivers in the German state of Lower Saxony flow directly or indirectly into the North Sea.
A–Z
A
B
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
* Purrmühlenbach
R
S
T
* Tiefenbeek
* Trillkebach
* Trutenbeek
* Twiste
U
* Uffe
* Ulrich ...
References
Rivers of Lower Saxony
Rivers of the Harz
Osterode (district)
Rivers of Germany