__NOTOC__ The Ruhr is a

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the ...

in western

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

(

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhab ...

), a right tributary (east-side) of the

Rhine The Rhine ; french: Rhin ; nl, Rijn ; wa, Rén ; li, Rien; rm, label=Sursilvan, Rein, rm, label=Sutsilvan and Surmiran, Ragn, rm, label=Rumantsch Grischun, Vallader and Puter, Rain; it, Reno ; gsw, Rhi(n), including in Alsatian dialect, Al ...

Description and history

The source of the Ruhr is near the town of Winterberg in the mountainous Sauerland region, at an elevation of approximately . It flows into the lower

at an elevation of only in the municipal area of

Duisburg Duisburg () is a city in the Ruhr metropolitan area of the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Lying on the confluence of the Rhine and the Ruhr rivers in the center of the Rhine-Ruhr Region, Duisburg is the 5th largest city in No ...

. Its total length is , its average discharge is at

Mülheim Mülheim, officially Mülheim an der Ruhr () and also described as ''"City on the River"'', is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. It is located in the Ruhr Area between Duisburg, Essen, Oberhausen and Ratingen. It is home to many co ...

near its mouth. Thus, its discharge is, for example, comparable to that of the river Ems in Northern Germany or the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. The Ruhr first passes the towns of Meschede, Arnsberg, Wickede, Fröndenberg, Holzwickede, Iserlohn, and Schwerte. Then the river marks the southern limit of the

Ruhr area The Ruhr ( ; german: Ruhrgebiet , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr area, sometimes Ruhr district, Ruhr region, or Ruhr valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 2,800/k ...

, passing

Hagen Hagen () is the 41st-largest city in Germany. The municipality is located in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located on the south eastern edge of the Ruhr area, 15 km south of Dortmund, where the rivers Lenne and Volme (met by t ...

, Dortmund, Herdecke, Wetter,

Witten Witten () is a city with almost 100,000 inhabitants in the Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis (district) in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Witten is situated in the Ruhr valley, in the southern Ruhr area. Bordering municipalities * Bochum * Dort ...

, Bochum, Hattingen,

Essen Essen (; Latin: ''Assindia'') is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and ...

, and

. The

was Germany's primary industrial area during the early- to mid-20th century. Most factories were located there. The occupation of the Ruhr from 1923-24 by French forces, due to the

Weimar Republic The German Reich, commonly referred to as the Weimar Republic,, was a historical period of Germany from 9 November 1918 to 23 March 1933, during which it was a constitutional federal republic for the first time in history; hence it is also r ...

's failure to continue paying reparations from

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, provoked passive resistance, which saw production in the factories grind to a halt. As a result, the German hyperinflation crisis grew even worse. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, two of the dams on the Ruhr, the Möhne Dam and the Sorpe Dam were targets for Operation Chastise, in which special "bouncing bombs" were developed to take out the dams and flood the valley, with the hope of seriously affecting the German industries there. The story was told in a 1951

book A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this phys ...

and the popular 1955 film made from it, '' The Dam Busters''.

Lakes

There are five Ruhr reservoirs on the river, often used for leisure activities. * Hengsteysee between Dortmund and Hagen, surface area: 1.36 km² height of the

weir A weir or low head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the river level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...

4.5m * Harkortsee between Herdecke and Wetter; surface area: 1.37 km², height of the weir 7.8m * Kemnader See between Witten and Bochum; surface area: 1.25 km², height of the weir 2m * Baldeneysee in Essen-Werden; surface area: 2.64 km², height of the weir 8.5m * Kettwiger See in Essen-Kettwig; surface area: 0.55 km², height of the weir 6m

Tributaries

The main tributaries of the Ruhr are (from source to mouth): *Left: Berkelbach,

Voßmecke Voßmecke is a small river of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It flows into the Ruhr near Winterberg. See also *List of rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia A list of rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany: A * Aa, left tributary of the Mö ...

, Neger, Elpe,

Valme Valme is a river of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It flows into the Ruhr in Bestwig. 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, left ...

Nierbach Nierbach (in its upper course also: ''Neismecke'') is a river of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It flows into the Ruhr in Wehrstapel. See also *List of rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia A list of rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany: ...

, Henne,

Kelbke Kelbke is a small river of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It flows into the Ruhr near Meschede. 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 ...

Wenne Wenne is a river of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The river springs in a forest area near Obringhausen. It flows through the villages of Niederberndorf, Menkhausen, Grimminghausen (Schmallenberg), Lochtrop, Frielinghausen, Bremke, Wenh ...

, Mühlenbach, Röhr,

Bachumer Bach Bachumer Bach is a small river of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It flows into the Ruhr near Neheim. See also *List of rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia A list of rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany: A * Aa, left tributary of the M� ...

, Haßbach, Scheebach,

Wimberbach Wimberbach (in its lower course: Mühlenbach) is a small river of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It flows into the Ruhr in Wickede. See also *List of rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia A list of rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany: A ...

, Hönne,

Abbabach Abbabach is a river of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, tributary of the Ruhr. 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, left tributary ...

, Baarbach, Elsebach, Wannebach (Ergste), Lenne, Volme,

Sprockhöveler Bach Sprockhöveler Bach is a river of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It flows into the Ruhr (river), Ruhr in Hattingen. See also *List of rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia Rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia Rivers of Germany References

{{Nor ...

Deilbach Deilbach is a river of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It flows into the Ruhr in Essen Essen (; Latin: ''Assindia'') is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of ...

Oefter Bach Oefter Bach is a small river of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It flows into the Ruhr in Kettwig. 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 ...

, Rinderbach *Right:

Hillebach Hillebach is a small river of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It flows into the Ruhr near Winterberg. The brook flows - by source-level leaving the Natural Park Sauerland Rothaar - in predominantly north-westerly direction. Then it flows - af ...

Gierskoppbach Gierskoppbach is a river of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It flows into the Ruhr in Olsberg. 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 * A ...

Gebke (Meschede) Gebke (also: ''Kohlwedder Bach'') is a river of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is right tributary of the Ruhr in Meschede. See also *List of rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia A list of rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany: A * Aa, ...

Kleine Gebke Kleine Gebke is a river of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is right tributary of the Ruhr in Meschede. See also *List of rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia A list of rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany: A * Aa, left tributary of the ...

Gebke (Wennemen) Gebke is a river of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is right tributary of the Ruhr in Wennemen, district of Meschede. See also *List of rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia A list of rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany: A * Aa, left t ...

, Wanne, Möhne, Wannebach (Westhofen), Borbach,

Wannenbach Wannenbach (also: ''Pferdebach'') is a small river of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It flows into the Ruhr near Witten. See also *List of rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia A list of rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany: A * Aa, left ...

, Hörsterholzer Bach,

Knöselsbach Knöselsbach is a small river of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It flows into the Ruhr in Hattingen-Welper. See also *List of rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia A list of rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany: A * Aa, left tributary of ...

, Rumbach

References

Notes Sources *

External links

* {{Authority control Rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia Rivers of Germany