Radau 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 ...

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 right tributary of the

Oker The Oker is a river in Lower Saxony, Germany, that has historically formed an important political boundary. It is a left tributary of the River Aller, in length and runs in a generally northerly direction. Origin and meaning of the name The ...

. It rises in the

Harz 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 ...

range, leaves the mountains at

Bad Harzburg Bad Harzburg (; Eastphalian: ''Bad Harzborch'') is a spa town in central Germany, in the Goslar district of Lower Saxony. It lies on the northern edge of the Harz mountains and is a recognised saltwater spa and climatic health resort. Geograph ...

, and discharges into the Oker near

Vienenburg Vienenburg is a borough of Goslar, capital of the Goslar (district), Goslar district, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The former independent municipality was incorporated in Goslar on 1 January 2014. Geography It is situated in the north of the Harz mou ...

Course

The river rises at around in the

Upper Harz The Upper Harz (german: Oberharz, ) refers to the northwestern and higher part of the Harz mountain range in Germany. The exact boundaries of this geographical region may be defined differently depending on the context. In its traditional sense, th ...

region, in a

bog A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and muskeg; a ...

known as ''Torfhausmoor'' or ''Radaubornmoor''. The raised bog stretches from

Torfhaus Torfhaus is a village in the borough of the mining town of Altenau in the Harz mountains of Germany and lies at a height of about . It is the highest settlement in Lower Saxony. This small settlement consists mainly of restaurants, youth hostels, ...

, a hamlet belonging to the

Clausthal-Zellerfeld Clausthal-Zellerfeld is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located in the southwestern part of the Harz mountains. Its population is approximately 15,000. The City is the location of the Clausthal University of Technology. The health resort ...

municipality, to the

Brocken The Brocken, also sometimes referred to as the Blocksberg, is the highest peak in the Harz mountain range and also the highest peak in Northern Germany; it is near Schierke in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt between the rivers Weser and Elbe. ...

massif in the east. The historic

peat Peat (), also known as turf (), is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem covers and is the most efficien ...

cutting area today is part of the

Harz National Park Harz National Park is a nature reserve in the German federal states of Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. It comprises portions of the western Harz mountain range, extending from Herzberg and Bad Lauterberg at the southern edge to Bad Harzburg and I ...

and can be reached via the scenic trail

Goethe Way Goethe Way (german: Goetheweg) is the name given to a number of footpaths or trails that run through various regions in Germany and the Alps (e.g. through the Harz mountains, Thuringian Forest, Alps) as well as a railway station ( Goetheweg station) ...

. From its source, the mountain stream flows northwards through the Radau valley that it has carved out and feeds the high waterfall ''Radauwasserfall'' south of Bad Harzburg, immediately next to the

Bundesstraße 4 The Bundesstraße 4 (abbr. B4) is a German federal highway running in a northwesterly to southly direction from the state of Schleswig-Holstein to Bavaria. It provides a direct route for motorists traveling between Hamburg and Nuremberg. The sec ...

federal highway. The

artificial waterfall An artificial waterfall is a water feature or fountain which imitates a natural waterfall. Artificial waterfalls have long been featured in traditional Japanese gardens, where they can serve to highlight a scene or to provide focus. The classic ...

was constructed as a tourist attraction in 1859 on behalf of the

Duchy of Brunswick State Railway The Duchy of Brunswick State Railway (''Herzoglich Braunschweigische Staatseisenbahn'') was the first Länderbahnen, state railway in German Confederation, Germany. The first section of its Brunswick–Bad Harzburg railway line between Braunschweig ...

company, which had operated the

Brunswick–Bad Harzburg railway The Brunswick–Bad Harzburg railway is a 47 km long German main line railway in the northern foothills of the Harz. It is one of the oldest lines in Germany and the first government-owned railway in Germany. History On 1 December 1838 t ...

line since 1841. Beneath the waterfall is a restaurant and a

miniature railway A ridable miniature railway (US: riding railroad or grand scale railroad) is a large scale, usually ground-level railway that hauls passengers using locomotives that are often models of full-sized railway locomotives (powered by diesel or petrol ...

integrated into the landscape. Passing west of the

Großer Burgberg The Großer Burgberg is a ca. high hill on the northern rim of the Harz mountains range, right on the edge of Bad Harzburg in Lower Saxony. Geography It is situated east of the valley of the Radau (river), Radau River, where it leaves the Harz r ...

mountain, the river flows through the Bad Harzburg and Vienenburg urban areas. The Radau discharges into the Oker river northeast of Vienenburg, near the village of Wiedelah at the eastern rim of the

Harly Forest The Harly Forest (german: Harly-Wald, also ''Harlywald'' or just ''Harly'') is a hill range up to above NN in the district of Goslar in southeastern Lower Saxony, Germany. Geography The low ridge is situated in the northern foothills of the H ...

Water management

Bad Harzburg Radau Herzog-Wilhelm-Str (2)

Since 1981, shares of the Radau waters are discharged to the

Oker Dam The Oker Dam (german: Okertalsperre) is a dam in the Harz mountains in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is fed by the River Oker. Technology The dam is in the shape of an arch (see arch-gravity dam). It is 75 m high, 260 m long, can impound ...

and the

Romkerhall Romkerhall (also frequently called ''Romkerhalle'') is a popular tourist destination on the River Oker in the Harz Mountains of Germany. There is a public car park here as well as a hotel and restaurant opposite the Romkerhall Waterfall. Romkerh ...

hydroelectric plant run by the

Harzwasserwerke The Harzwasserwerke GmbH (; English: Harz Water Works Limited) is a major German water company and dam operator based in Hildesheim, located within the German federal state of Lower Saxony. Founded in 1928, the Harzwasserwerke were tasked with sup ...

company, as well as for drinking water treatment at the

Grane Dam The Grane Dam (german: Granetalsperre) is a dam above the village of Astfeld/Herzog-Juliushütte in the borough of Langelsheim in the Lower Saxon part of the Harz mountains. Dam system It is the newest dam in the Harz, built in 1969 in the ...

. While the upper current is almost left in its natural state, the lower sections are more obstructed; recently,

fish ladders A fish ladder, also known as a fishway, fish pass, fish steps, or fish cannon is a structure on or around artificial and natural barriers (such as dams, Lock (water transport), locks and waterfalls) to facilitate Fish migration#Classification, ...

have been built to facilitate natural migration.

History

In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

the ''Radowe'' was used for the

rafting Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...

of logs and wooden palettes stacked with peat. To that end the river was dammed by 6 raft locks. The goods to be rafted, that had previously been dropped in the river, were transported downstream with the additional weight of water.

Remarks on pronunciation

* Radau (river): stress on the first syllable * ''Radau'' (German for noise, din, cf. "row"): stress on the last syllable

References

{{reflist Rivers of Lower Saxony Rivers of the Harz Waterfalls of Germany Rivers of Germany

Course

Water management

History

Remarks on pronunciation

See also

References