The Lude is an long stream 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 ...

, in the

Harz Mountains The Harz () is a highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The name ''Harz'' derives from the Middle High German ...

of central

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 is the strongest and – besides an affluent of itself – longest headwater of the Thyra and therefore hydrographically defined as its upper course.

Course

The Lude rises northwest of Stolberg, about one kilometre west of Breitenstein. Only about separates the southern source stream of the

Katzsohlbach Katzsohlbach is a stream in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It flows through Katzsohlteich Pond, and joins the Selke River in Güntersberge. See also *List of rivers of Saxony-Anhalt A list of rivers of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany: A * Aland * Aller * ...

from the sources of the Lude and about from the source of the

Wahnborn Wahnborn is a small river of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It flows into the Katzsohlbach near Breitenstein. See also *List of rivers of Saxony-Anhalt A list of rivers of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany: A * Aland *Aller * Allerbach, tributary of the Rap ...

. From 1745 to 1910 the ''Rieschengraben'' ditch channelled water from the Lude and

Schmale Lude Schmale is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Antonia Schmale (born 1980), German former footballer *Jamie Schmale, Canadian politician * Julia Schmale, German environmental scientist See also *Schmale Heide, is a 9.5-kilome ...

into the

Lower Harz Pond and Ditch System Within the Lower Harz region (in the counties of Harz and Mansfeld-Südharz in central Germany) are still many traces of the historical water management facilities used by the mining industry. In addition to water-carrying ditches and ponds, there ...

, where the water of the Lude was impounded by the reservoir . At the foot of the ''Lindischberg'' (orographic right) and ''Kießlingskopf'' (orographic left) hills the ''Klippenwasser'' empties into the upper Lude. Only {{convert, 500, m, ft downstream the ''Hellbach'' joins from the right. Just 500 metres further downstream the Lude has another, right-hand tributary. The stream is considerably longer than the Hellbach, has a significantly greater catchment area, its own tributaries and is impounded in its lower reaches. The name of this stream is not known. The Thyra is formed by the confluence of the three mountain streams of the Lude, ''Kleine Wilde'' and ''

Große Wilde Große Wilde is a river of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. At its confluence with the Lude in Stolberg (Harz), the Thyra is formed. See also *List of rivers of Saxony-Anhalt A list of rivers of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany: A * Aland *Aller * Allerbach, ...

'' (whose upper three thirds are called the ''Schmale Lude'' = "Narrow Lude") in the old town area of Stolberg.Harzlive - Thyra
/ref> The Thyra then continues through Stolberg flowing in a southerly direction.

References

Mansfeld-Südharz Rivers of Saxony-Anhalt Rivers of Germany