The Ecker is a , right-hand, southeast tributary of the Oker which runs mainly through the Harz mountains in the German states of

Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt (german: Sachsen-Anhalt ; nds, Sassen-Anholt) is a state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of and has a population of 2.18 million inhabitants, making it the ...

and

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 ...

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From its source to

Abbenrode Abbenrode is a village and a former municipality in the district of Harz, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2010, it has been part of the municipality of Nordharz. The village is situated north of the Harz mountain range, near the ...

the Ecker is a border river, today running between the federal states of Saxony-Anhalt and Lower Saxony. Prior to

German reunification German reunification (german: link=no, Deutsche Wiedervereinigung) was the process of re-establishing Germany as a united and fully sovereign state, which took place between 2 May 1989 and 15 March 1991. The day of 3 October 1990 when the Ge ...

this was also the border between the

German Democratic Republic German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

in the east and

Federal Republic of Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south ...

to the west. PappenfabrikEckertal

The Ecker rises around southwest of the

Brocken The Brocken, also sometimes referred to as the Blocksberg, is the highest peak in the Harz mountain range and also the highest peak in Northern Germany; it is near Schierke in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt between the rivers Weser and Elb ...

at at the ''Eckersprung''. Until the border was reopened it was the end of the Goethe Way (''Goetheweg'') from Torfhaus. Today there is a large picnic area with toilets at the ''Eckersprung''. Along a steep, rocky bed, the Ecker initially flows to the

Ecker Dam The Ecker Dam (german: Eckertalsperre) is a gravity dam in the Harz mountain range near Bad Harzburg, Germany. Constructed between 1939 and 1943, it is today operated by the Harzwasserwerke company. The dam's reservoir impounds the waters of t ...

, then through the deeply incised Ecker valley towards the north-northeast, where it passes the

Ahlsburg The Ahlsburg is a range of bunter sandstone hills, relatively small in area and up to , in the southern part of Lower Saxony, Germany. It lies within the Solling foreland and is part of the Weser-Leine Uplands. Geography The Ahlsburg hills run ...

, and then leaves the Harz. The upper Ecker valley is part of the

Harz National Park Harz National Park is a nature reserve in the German federal states of Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. It comprises portions of the western Harz mountain range, extending from Herzberg and Bad Lauterberg at the southern edge to Bad Harzburg ...

. Only the site of the paper factory, located there since the 19th century, was excluded. Next, the Ecker runs via Stapelburg to Abbenrode (a Nordharz district) before emptying later into the Oker, a tributary of the Aller, just north of (a Vienenburg district) on the A 395 motorway at about . Before Wiedelah some of the water is diverted as the Ecker Ditch (''Eckergraben'') and only feeds back into the Oker north of Schladen.

References

{{Authority control Rivers of Lower Saxony Rivers of Saxony-Anhalt Rivers of the Harz Rivers of Germany

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See also

References