The Dill is a long river, flowing through central
Hesse
Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major historic cities are Dar ...
in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. It is a
tributary
A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drai ...
to the
Lahn
The Lahn is a , right (or eastern) tributary of the Rhine in Germany. Its course passes through the federal states of North Rhine-Westphalia (23.0 km), Hesse (165.6 km), and Rhineland-Palatinate (57.0 km).
It has its source in t ...
, joining it on the right bank at the town of
Wetzlar
Wetzlar () is a city in the state of Hesse, Germany. It is the twelfth largest city in Hesse with currently 55,371 inhabitants at the beginning of 2019 (including second homes). As an important cultural, industrial and commercial center, the un ...
.
Course
The Dill flows exclusively through the
Lahn-Dill-Kreis
Lahn-Dill is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the west of Hesse, Germany. Neighboring districts are Siegen-Wittgenstein, Marburg-Biedenkopf, Gießen, Wetteraukreis, Hochtaunuskreis, Limburg-Weilburg, Westerwaldkreis.
History
The southern district b ...
district in
Hesse
Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major historic cities are Dar ...
. The river originates at about 567 m above sea-level north of
Haiger
Haiger is a country town in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis in Hesse, Germany. The nearest city is Siegen, about 25 km north of Haiger.
Geography
Location
Haiger lies about 5 km west of Dillenburg, and 20 km southeast of Siegen on the eastern ...
-Offdilln on the eastern slope of the ''Haincher Höhe'' (heights that reach 606 m), where the mountain ranges
Rothaargebirge and
Westerwald
The Westerwald (; literally 'Western forest') is a low mountain range on the right bank of the river Rhine in the German federal states of Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia. It is a part of the Rhenish Massif ( or Rhenish ...
meet. During its course, roughly from north to south, the Dill passes the towns of
Haiger
Haiger is a country town in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis in Hesse, Germany. The nearest city is Siegen, about 25 km north of Haiger.
Geography
Location
Haiger lies about 5 km west of Dillenburg, and 20 km southeast of Siegen on the eastern ...
,
Dillenburg
Dillenburg, officially Oranienstadt Dillenburg, is a town in Hesse's Gießen region in Germany. The town was formerly the seat of the old Dillkreis district, which is now part of the Lahn-Dill-Kreis.
The town lies on the German- Dutch holiday road ...
,
Herborn,
Aßlar, and finally empties into the Lahn at
Wetzlar
Wetzlar () is a city in the state of Hesse, Germany. It is the twelfth largest city in Hesse with currently 55,371 inhabitants at the beginning of 2019 (including second homes). As an important cultural, industrial and commercial center, the un ...
.
Many places on the banks of the river draw their names from it. On the river's upper reaches these are Offdilln, Dillbrecht, Fellerdilln, Dillenburg, and further downstream Dillheim. Dillenburg was the seat of the former
Dillkreis district and residence town of the
House of Orange-Nassau.
Tributaries
Going downstream, the Dill's largest tributaries are: Roßbach, Haigerbach,
Aubach, Donsbach,
Dietzhölze
Dietzhölze is a river of Hesse, Germany. It flows into the Dill in Dillenburg.
See also
*List of rivers of Hesse
A list of rivers of Hesse, Germany:
A
*Aar, tributary of the Dill
*Aar, tributary of the Lahn
*Aar, tributary of the Twiste
* A ...
, Nanzenbach,
Schelde
The Scheldt (french: Escaut ; nl, Schelde ) is a river that flows through northern France, western Belgium, and the southwestern part of the Netherlands, with its mouth at the North Sea. Its name is derived from an adjective corresponding to ...
,
Aar, Ambach, Rehbach,
Lemp, and Blasbach.
References
External links
River statistics – Aßlar
{{Authority control
Rivers of Hesse
Lahn-Dill-Kreis
Rivers of the Westerwald
Rivers of Germany