The Leine (; Old Saxon ''Lagina'') is a river in Thuringia and Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a left tributary of the

Aller Aller may refer to: Places Rivers * Aller (Germany), a major river in North Germany *Aller (Asturian river), a river in Asturias, Spain *River Aller, a small river on Exmoor in Somerset, England Inhabited places in the United Kingdom *Aller, Devo ...

and the Weser and is long. The river's source is located close to the town of Leinefelde in Thuringia. About downriver, the river enters Lower Saxony and runs northwards. Important towns along its course, from upstream to downstream, are Göttingen,

Einbeck Einbeck (; Eastphalian: ''Aimbeck'') is a town in the district Northeim, in southern Lower Saxony, Germany, on the German Timber-Frame Road. History Prehistory The area of the current city of Einbeck is inhabited since prehistoric times. Vario ...

, Freden, Alfeld, and Gronau, before the river enters Hanover, the largest city on its banks. Downstream some north of Hanover, near

Schwarmstedt Schwarmstedt is a municipality in the Heidekreis in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated near the confluence of the rivers Aller and Leine, approx. 20 km south of Bad Fallingbostel, and 30 km east of Nienburg. Further districts of the ...

, the river joins the Aller and reaches the North Sea via the Weser. Its northern (lower) reaches are only navigable today by the smallest commercial carriers, though in the past, it served as an important pre- railway barge transport artery as far upriver as Göttingen. The river is somewhat polluted by industry, so the water is not used for drinking, but the pollution has never been severe enough to prevent fish from living in it. Like many western rivers since the 1960s, it has enjoyed increasingly cleaner waters since the implementation of environmental controls. Sport fishing is enjoyed from small boats and along the banks, although yields are normally low. At least one point of the river (Göttingen) is partially diverted into a canal that runs more or less parallel to the river. Serial killer

Fritz Haarmann Friedrich Heinrich Karl "Fritz" Haarmann (25 October 1879 – 15 April 1925) was a German serial killer, known as the Butcher of Hanover, the Vampire of Hanover and the Wolf Man, who committed the sexual assault, murder, mutilation and dismember ...

disposed of most of his victims' remains in the Leine river.

In fiction

In his 1986 bestseller '' Red Storm Rising'', author Tom Clancy uses the Leine as a major obstacle to the Soviet Union's Red Army drive to the Rhine and the North Sea ports of the Netherlands and Belgium through West Germany. In reality, the river is a rather minor one, and, for most of its length, is quite narrow with a small flow volume. As such, it would not provide a significant barrier to an advancing army.

References

External links

*
Bundesamt für Naturschutz: Landschaftssteckbrief "Leine-Ilme-Senke"

{{Authority control Rivers of Thuringia Rivers of Lower Saxony Federal waterways in Germany Rivers of Germany

In fiction

See also

References

Further reading

External links