Köhm is a small river of

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a States of Germany, state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more tha ...

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 flows into the

Niers The Niers (, ) is a river in Germany and The Netherlands, a right tributary of the river Maas (Meuse). Its wellspring is near Erkelenz, south of Mönchengladbach, in North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany). Course and length The Niers flows through Mö ...

near Erkelenz-Keyenberg. Its upper course no longer exists due to

lignite Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, is a soft, brown, combustible, sedimentary rock formed from naturally compressed peat. It has a carbon content around 25–35%, and is considered the lowest rank of coal due to its relatively low heat ...

mining ( Garzweiler surface mine).

Course

The original source of the Köhm was in the area between Garzweiler and Kaiskorb. Here, at an altitude of 120 m above sea level, was the watershed between the

Erft The Erft () is a river in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It flows through the foothills of the Eifel, and joins the Lower Rhine (left tributary). Its origin is near Nettersheim, and its mouth in Neuss-Grimlinghausen south of the Josef Cardinal ...

(

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...

) and the

Rur The Rur or Roer (german: Rur ; Dutch and li, Roer, , ; french: Rour) is a major river that flows through portions of Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. It is a right (eastern) tributary to the Meuse ( nl, links=no, Maas). About 90 perce ...

(

Meuse The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a t ...

). From here, the Köhm flowed north past Alt-Otzenrath. The area between Garzweiler and Otzenrath is now in the excavated area of the

open-cast mine Open-pit mining, also known as open-cast or open-cut mining and in larger contexts mega-mining, is a surface mining technique of extracting rock or minerals from the earth from an open-air pit, sometimes known as a borrow. This form of mining ...

. Heading from Otzenrath, the Köhm runs in a west-east direction in a narrow valley at an altitude of 74 to 78 m above sea level through the village of Borschemich, then north of Keyenberg directly past the former knight's estate Haus Keyenberg to finally flow into the Niers. It is only a flowing body of water after heavy rainfall and when the snow melts. Some of the water is fed in by drainage measures for the Garzweiler open-cast mine. From the entrance to Borschemich, the Köhm is canalized and only flows openly again from Marienstiftstraße next to the parish house. In the past, the Köhm in Borschemich fed the ditch system of Haus Paland; a part of the ditches is still preserved. In the past, water also flowed into the Köhm from the ditch system of Haus Keyenberg, which in turn was fed by springs.

'Köhm-Lied'

A traditional song exists about the Köhm river in the Borschemich dialect of German: Kütt dr Sonndachnommedach wehs kehner us noch en löf dat Dres de Stros eraf flöck nom Onkel hin säht em dann jet in et Uer hei dat wütt jemaat hei dat jöff en Sondertour hei dat jöff en Fahrt Jo mir fahre med nem Böötche ob dr Kue´hm allemole un et Dres mit singem Ühem un dat Dres dat kritt dr zedder be demm janz glitter jo no Mod - jo no Mod - jo no Mod allemole op dem klene Paddelboot !

Course

'Köhm-Lied'

See also