Orthographic projection centred over Bremen and the Weser watershed

The Weser () 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 wate ...

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 ...

in north-west

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 begins at Hannoversch Münden through the

confluence In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main stem); o ...

of the Werra and

Fulda Fulda () (historically in English called Fuld) is a town in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the river Fulda and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district (''Kreis''). In 1990, the town hosted the 30th Hessentag state festival. History ...

. It passes through the

Hanseatic The Hanseatic League (; gml, Hanse, , ; german: label=German language, Modern German, Deutsche Hanse) was a Middle Ages, medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central Europe, Central and Norther ...

city of

Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie Hansestadt Bremen''), a two-city-state consis ...

. Its mouth is further north against the ports of Bremerhaven and Nordenham. The latter is on the Butjadingen Peninsula. It then merges into the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...

via two highly

saline Saline may refer to: * Saline (medicine), a liquid with salt content to match the human body * Saline water, non-medicinal salt water * Saline, a historical term (especially US) for a salt works or saltern Places * Saline, Calvados, a commune in ...

estuarine An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...

mouths. It connects to the canal network running east-west across the North German Plain. The river, when combined with the Werra (a dialectal form of "Weser"), is long and thus, the longest river entirely situated within Germany (the

Main Main may refer to: Geography * Main River (disambiguation) **Most commonly the Main (river) in Germany * Main, Iran, a village in Fars Province *"Spanish Main", the Caribbean coasts of mainland Spanish territories in the 16th and 17th centuries ...

, however, is the longest if the Weser and Werra are not combined). The Weser itself is long. The Werra rises in

Thuringia Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million. Erfurt is the capital and larg ...

, the German state south of the main projection (tongue) of Lower Saxony.

Etymology

"Weser" and "Werra" are the same words in different dialects. The difference reflects the old

linguistic border A language border or language boundary is the line separating two language areas. The term is generally meant to imply a lack of mutual intelligibility between the two languages. If two adjacent languages or dialects are mutually intelligible, no ...

between

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

and

Low German : : : : : (70,000) (30,000) (8,000) , familycolor = Indo-European , fam2 = Germanic , fam3 = West Germanic , fam4 = North Sea Germanic , ancestor = Old Saxon , ancestor2 = Middle L ...

, passing through Hannoversch Münden. The name likely derives from the Old Germanic ''*waisōn'' "flow, ooze". It is cognate with the

Wear Wear is the damaging, gradual removal or deformation of material at solid surfaces. Causes of wear can be mechanical (e.g., erosion) or chemical (e.g., corrosion). The study of wear and related processes is referred to as tribology. Wear in m ...

in England and

Vistula The Vistula (; pl, Wisła, ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest river in Europe, at in length. The drainage basin, reaching into three other nations, covers , of which is in Poland. The Vistula rises at Barania Góra in ...

(Polish Wisła, German Weichsel) in Poland, all of which are derived from the

Proto-Indo-European Proto-Indo-European (PIE) is the reconstructed common ancestor of the Indo-European language family. Its proposed features have been derived by linguistic reconstruction from documented Indo-European languages. No direct record of Proto-Indo-E ...

root *''weys-'' "to flow", which also gives rise to Old English/Old Frisian ''wāse'' "mud, ooze", Old Norse ''veisa'' "slime, stagnant pool", Dutch ''waas'' "haze; soggy land" (see Waasland), Old Saxon ''waso'' "wet ground, mire", Old High German ''wasal'' "rain" and French ''vase'' "mud, sludge".

Course

The Weser starts at the confluence of the Fulda and the Werra. It then runs down to the

Porta Westfalica Porta Westfalica () is a town in the district of Minden-Lübbecke, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The name "''Porta Westfalica''" is Latin and means "gate to Westphalia". Coming from the north, the gorge is the entry to the region of West ...

between two high hill ranges, the Wiehengebirge, west and the Weserbergland in the east. Between

Minden Minden () is a middle-sized town in the very north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, the greatest town between Bielefeld and Hanover. It is the capital of the district (''Kreis'') of Minden-Lübbecke, which is part of the region of Detm ...

and the North Sea, humans have largely canalised the river up to a limit of 1,200-ton ships. Eight hydroelectric dams stand at the ends of adjacent weirstreams that make up the river. The navigation is linked west to the

Dortmund–Ems Canal The Dortmund–Ems Canal is a long canal in Germany between the inland port of the city of Dortmund () and the seaport of Emden. The artificial southern part of the canal ends after at Herbrum lock near Meppen. The route then takes the riv ...

via the Coastal Canal. It is linked east at Bremerhaven to the

Elbe The Elbe (; cs, Labe ; nds, Ilv or ''Elv''; Upper and dsb, Łobjo) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Repu ...

. A large reservoir, the Edersee, on the

Eder Eder may refer to: People * Eder (surname) * Éder (given name), a Portuguese or Spanish given name *Éder (footballer, born 1986), Brazilian footballer Éder Citadin Martins *Eder (footballer, born 1987), Portuguese footballer from Guinea-Bissau E ...

, the main tributary of the Fulda, is used to allow enough water depth for shipping year-round. The dam, built in 1914, was bombed and severely damaged by British aircraft in May 1943, causing great destruction and about 70 deaths downstream. It was rebuilt within four months. The reservoir is a major summer resort area. Turbines driven by its sluices provide electricity. AlteWeser 1964

Weserradweg b Oedelsheim.jpg, "Upper" Weser, in reality the central section between the upper courses Werra and Fulda, and the lowland section Minden Weser-Mittelland Kanal Lock 01.jpg, Mittelland Canal/ River Weser Lock in Minden taken in 1977 MI-16 River Weser (Minden) North (RLH).jpg, View north of the River Weser and the road bridge at Minden River Weser (Minden) South To Porta West Falica (RLH).jpg, Southern view of the River Weser from the road bridge at Minden in 1977 The Weser enters the North Sea in the southernmost part of the German Bight. In the sea it splits into two arms – the riverbed at the end of the last ice age. These sea arms are called ''Alte Weser'' (old Weser) and ''Neue Weser'' (new Weser). They are the waterways for ships heading for the ports of Bremerhaven, Nordenham, and

. The Alte Weser Lighthouse marks the northernmost point of the Weser. This replaced the

Roter Sand Lighthouse Roter Sand is a lighthouse in the North Sea, in the Weser estuary. It entered service in 1885. The light was deactivated in 1986 but the tower still serves as a day beacon. Roter Sand Lighthouse was the first building ever to be erected direct ...

in 1964.

Tributaries

The largest tributary of the Weser is 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 ...

, which joins south of Bremen. Tributaries of the Weser and the Werra (from source to mouth) are: Modes of the list: * Listed upstream, but sides seen with the flow * Distances ("km …") from the hydrographical limit towards the sea ** "II", "III"and "IV" mark distances of secondary/tertiary tributaries from the confluence with the Weser etc. * After the names, lengths and basin sizes are given. * Lengths with longer affluents are given behind the slash, lengths including an upper course with another name with "or" Weser basin topo

List: * km 19, right: Geeste (in Bremerhaven), 42.5 km, 338 km² * km 33, right: Lune, 43 km, 383 km² * km 35.9, right:

Drepte Drepte is a river of Lower Saxony, Germany. It flows into the Weser north of Brake. See also *List of rivers of Lower Saxony All rivers in the German state of Lower Saxony flow directly or indirectly into the North Sea. A–Z A B D E F ...

, 37.6 km, 101 km² * km 52.8, left: Hunte, 189 km, 2.785 km² ** II: km 125.7: Lake

Dümmer The Dümmer () or officially Dümmer See is a large lake in southern Lower Saxony (Germany). It has a surface of 13.5 km2 and an average depth of one metre. Its elevation is 37 metres. Dümmer is a popular resort for water sports, but a ...

* km 67.6, right:

Lesum The Lesum is a river in northern Germany, right tributary of the Weser, navigable for Class III ships.Hamme Hamme () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Hamme proper, Kastel Moerzeke, and . In 2018, Hamme had a total population of 24,827. The total area is 40.21 km². The cur ...

, 48.5 km, 549 km² **↑ main stream:

Wümme Wümme () is a river in northern Germany, in the states Lower Saxony and Bremen, marking the border between the two states for part of its course. It is the main headstream of the Lesum. The Wümme's length is . Including the Lesum, that runs in ...

, 118 / 120, 1,585 km² * km 72.5, left:

Ochtum The Ochtum is a river in Lower Saxony and Bremen, Germany. Roughly long, it is a left tributary of the Weser. Course The Ochtum begins in Lower Saxony only a few kilometres south of the city of Bremen near Weyhe at the confluence of the Süste ...

, 25.6 or 45 km, 917 km² ** II: km 25.6: left Hache, 33 km, 118 km² * km 125.6, right:

, 260 km, 15,744 km² ** II: km 63.6, left:

Leine The Leine (; Old Saxon ''Lagina'') is a river in Thuringia and Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a left tributary of the Aller and the Weser and is long. The river's source is located close to the town of Leinefelde in Thuringia. About downriver, t ...

, 278 km, 5,617 km², stronger than river Aller above *** III: km 112.7, right: Innerste, 99.7 km, 1,264 km² *** III: km 192.8, right: Rhume, 44 km, 1,193 km², stronger than river Leine above *** IV: km 15.6, right:

Oder The Oder ( , ; Czech, Lower Sorbian and ; ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river in total length and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows thr ...

, 56 km, 385 km², headwater of the strongest waterway of Aller system ** II: km 97.3, right:

Örtze Örtze () is a river of Lower Saxony, Germany. The Örtze rises north of Munster in the ''Große Heide'' (in the ''Raubkammer'' federal forest) and, after , joins the Aller southeast of Winsen. Source and course The Örtze valley is an old gl ...

, 62 / 70 km, 760 km² ** II: km 140.7, left: Oker, 218 km, 1822 km², stronger than river Aller above * km 184.6, right: Steinhuder Meerbach ** ↑ km II: 29 lake

Steinhuder Meer Lake Steinhude, german: Steinhuder Meer, , is a lake in Lower Saxony, Germany located northwest of Hanover. Named after the nearby village of Steinhude, it has an area of about , making it the largest lake of northwestern Germany. At the same t ...

* km 188.7, left: Große Aue, 84.5 km, 1,522 km² * km 261.3, left: Werre, 71.9 km, 1485 km² ** II: km 12.7, left: Else, 34.6 km, 416 km², branch of the

Hase The Hase is a long river of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a right tributary of the Ems, but part of its flow goes to the Else, that is part of the Weser basin. Its source is in the Teutoburg Forest, south-east of Osnabrück, on the north slope ...

, an affluent of Ems * km 287.7, left: Exter, 26.1 km, 109 km² * km 323.3, left: Emmer, 61.8 km, 535 km² * km 387.5, left:

Nethe Nethe is a river of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It flows into the Weser near Höxter. See also *List of rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia A list of rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany: A * Aa, left tributary of the Möhne * Aa, l ...

, 50.4 km, 460 km² * km 406.5, left: Diemel, 110.5 km, 1,762 km² * km 451.5, left:

, 220.4 km, 6.947 km² :: II: km 45.3, left:

, 176.1 km, 3,361 km², headwater of the strongest waterway of Weser system ::: III: km 17.1, left: Schwalm, 97.1 km, 1.299 km² ::: ↑ III: km 49.4–70.5: Edersee reservoir :: II: 120.1, right:

Haune The Haune is a 67 km long river in Hesse, Germany, right tributary of the Fulda. Its source is near Dietershausen, southeast of the town Fulda, in the Rhön Mountains. The Haune flows generally north through the towns Hünfeld, Burghaun and ...

, 66.5 km, 500 km² * ↑ main stream above km 451.5: Werra, 299.6 km, 5.497 km² * km 566.5, right:

Hörsel The Hörsel () is a long river in Thuringia, Germany, right tributary of the Werra. It is formed by the confluence of two smaller rivers in Leinatal, at the northern edge of the Thuringian Forest. The Hörsel flows generally northwest through the ...

, 55.2 or 64.3, 784 km² ** km 9.8, right: Nesse, 54.5 km, 426 km² * km 513.1, left:

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United King ...

, 57.2 km, 421 km² * km 604.4, right: Schleuse, 34.2 km, 283 km²

Notable towns

Main towns along the Weser are (from the head of the river to its mouth): Hann. Münden,

Beverungen Beverungen () is a town in Höxter district in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Location Beverungen lies in the Weser Uplands on the side of the Weser opposite Solling roughly 10 km south of Höxter. In parts of the eastern mu ...

, Höxter,

Holzminden Holzminden (; nds, Holtsminne) is a town in southern Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Holzminden. It is located on the river Weser, which at this point forms the border with the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Histor ...

Bodenwerder The ''Münchhausenstadt'' Bodenwerder is a municipality in Holzminden district, Lower Saxony, Germany. It lies on the river Weser and is best known as the birthplace and residence of Baron von Münchhausen. Geography Bodenwerder is located in ...

Hamelin Hamelin ( ; german: Hameln ) is a town on the river Weser in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Hamelin-Pyrmont and has a population of roughly 57,000. Hamelin is best known for the tale of the Pied Piper of Hamelin. H ...

, Hessisch Oldendorf, Rinteln, Vlotho,

Bad Oeynhausen Bad Oeynhausen () is a spa town on the southern edge of the Wiehengebirge in the district of Minden-Lübbecke in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe, East-Westphalia-Lippe region of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The closest larger towns are Bielefeld (39 ki ...

, Petershagen, Nienburg, Achim,

Brake A brake is a mechanical device that inhibits motion by absorbing energy from a moving system. It is used for slowing or stopping a moving vehicle, wheel, axle, or to prevent its motion, most often accomplished by means of friction. Background ...

, Nordenham, Bremerhaven.

Popular culture

The river features in the legend and folk tale the

Pied Piper of Hamelin The Pied Piper of Hamelin (german: der Rattenfänger von Hameln, also known as the Pan Piper or the Rat-Catcher of Hamelin) is the title character of a legend from the town of Hamelin (Hameln), Lower Saxony, Germany. The legend dates back to ...

References

Etymology

* Dieter Berger: ''Geographische Namen in Deutschland''. Duden-Verlag, Mannheim 1999. * Hans Krahe: ''Sprache und Vorzeit''. Quelle & Meyer, Heidelberg 1954. (''Zur alteuropäischen Hydronomie''.) * Julius Pokorny: ''Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch''. Francke, Bern 1959.

Geology

* Karsten Meinke: ''Die Entwicklung der Weser im Nordwestdeutschen Flachland während des jüngeren Pleistozäns''. Diss., Göttingen 1992. Mit Bodenprofilen der Weserstädte. * Ludger Feldmann und Klaus-Dieter Meyer (Hrsg.): ''Quartär in Niedersachsen. Exkursionsführer zur Jubiläums-Hauptversammlung der Deutschen Quartärvereinigung in Hannover''. DEUQUA-Exkursionsführer, Hannover 1998, page 89ff. * Hans Heinrich Seedorf und Hans-Heinrich Meyer: ''Landeskunde Niedersachsen. Natur und Kulturgeschichte eines Bundeslandes''. Volume 1: ''Historische Grundlagen und naturräumliche Ausstattung''. Wachtholz, Neumünster 1992, page 105ff. * Ludger Feldmann: ''Das Quartär zwischen Harz und Allertal mit einem Beitrag zur Landschaftsgeschichte im Tertiär''. Papierflieger, Clausthal-Zellerfeld 2002, page 133ff and others.

Archaeology

* Bremer Archäologische Blätter, Beiheft 2/2000 zur gleichnamigen Ausstellung im Focke-Museum: ''Siedler, Söldner und Piraten, Chauken und Sachsen im Bremer Raum'', Der Landesarchäologe Bremen, . * Bremer Archäologische Blätter, Beiheft 3/2004 zur gleichnamigen Ausstellung im Focke-Museum: ''Gefundene Vergangenheit'', Archäologie des Mittelalters in Bremen, Der Landesarchäologe Bremen, . (wg.Geschichte des Weserarms Balge)

History

* Georg Bessell: ''Geschichte Bremerhavens''. Morisse, Bremerhaven 1927, 1989. * Heinz Conradis: ''Der Kampf um die Weservertiefung in alter Zeit''. In: ''Bremisches Jahrbuch''. Bremen 41.1944. * J. W. A. Hunichs: ''Practische Anleitung zum Deich-, Siel- und Schlengenbau''. Erster Theil, von den Sielen. Bremen 1770. * ''Die Kanalisierung der Mittelweser''. Published by the Mittelweser AG, Carl Schünemann Verlag, Bremen 1960. * Kuratorium für Forschung im Küsteningenieurswesen: ''Die Küste''. In: ''Archiv für Forschung und Technik an der Nord- und Ostsee''. Boyens, Heide 51.1991.

Description

* Karl Löbe: ''Das Weserbuch''. Niemeyer, Hameln 1968. * Nils Aschenbeck, Wolf Dietmar Stock: ''Eine Flussfahrt von der Aller bis zur Nordsee''. Atelier im Bauernhaus, Fischerhude 1998. . {{Authority control Rivers of Lower Saxony Rivers of Bremen (state) Bodies of water of the North Sea Federal waterways in Germany Rivers of Germany