The Emme is a

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of w ...

in Switzerland. It rises in the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Swi ...

between the peaks of Hohgant and Augstmatthorn in the canton of Bern. The Emme is long and flows through the

Emmental The Emmental ( en, Emme Valley) is a valley in west-central Switzerland, forming part of the canton of Bern. It is a hilly landscape comprising the basins of the rivers Emme (river), Emme and Ilfis (river), Ilfis. The region is mostly devoted to ...

and between

Zuchwil Zuchwil is a municipality in the district of Wasseramt in the canton of Solothurn in Switzerland. History Zuchwil is first mentioned in 1052 as ''Zuchwile''. Geography Zuchwil has an area, , of . Of this area, or 24.8% is used for agricultural ...

and

Luterbach Luterbach is a municipality in the district of Wasseramt in the canton of Solothurn in Switzerland. History Luterbach is first mentioned in 1052 as ''lutere Bach'', though this identification is disputed. In 1319 it was mentioned as ''ville L ...

into the

Aare The Aare () or Aar () is a tributary of the High Rhine and the longest river that both rises and ends entirely within Switzerland. Its total length from its source to its junction with the Rhine comprises about , during which distance it descen ...

. The drainage area is . The average discharge at the mouth is approximately . The maximum discharge can be up to . The Emme is known for its sudden variations in water discharge. The narration ''Die Wassernot im Emmental'' (''The Water Crisis in the Emmen Valley'') by

Jeremias Gotthelf Albert Bitzius (4 October 179722 October 1854) was a Swiss novelist; best known by his pen name of Jeremias Gotthelf. Biography Bitzius was born at Murten, where his father was pastor. The Bitzius family had once belonged to the Bernese patrici ...

impressively describes a very large and destructive, and therefore well-known, flood which occurred August 13, 1837. This and other floods led to the building of numerous canals and dams in the 19th century. The tributaries of the Emme are the Ilfis and the Limpach.

See also