The Meuse ( , , ,
; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( ,
; li, Maos or ) is a major
European river
This article lists the principal rivers of Europe with their main tributaries.
Scope
The border of Europe and Asia is here defined as from the Kara Sea, along the Ural Mountains and Ural River to the Caspian Sea. While the crest of the Caucas ...
, rising in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
and flowing through
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
and the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
before draining into the
North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the ...
from the
Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a total length of .
History
From 1301 the upper Meuse roughly marked the western border of the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars.
From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...
with the
Kingdom of France
The Kingdom of France ( fro, Reaume de France; frm, Royaulme de France; french: link=yes, Royaume de France) is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the medieval and early modern period ...
, after Count
Henry III of Bar
Henry III of Bar (french: links=no, Henri III de Bar; german: Heinrich III von Bar 1259 – Naples, September 1302) was Count of Bar from 1291 to 1302. He was the son of Theobald II, Count of Bar and Jeanne de Toucy.
Henry's introduction to mili ...
had to receive the western part of the
County of Bar
The County of Bar, later Duchy of Bar, was a principality of the Holy Roman Empire encompassing the '' pays de Barrois'' and centred on the city of Bar-le-Duc. It was held by the House of Montbéliard from the 11th century. Part of the county, t ...
(''Barrois mouvant'') as a French fief from the hands of King
Philip IV. In 1408, a Burgundian army led by
John the Fearless
John I (french: Jean sans Peur; nl, Jan zonder Vrees; 28 May 137110 September 1419) was a scion of the French royal family who ruled the Burgundian State from 1404 until his death in 1419. He played a key role in French national affairs durin ...
went to the aid of
John III against the citizens of Liège, who were in open revolt. After the
battle
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
which saw the men from Liège defeated, John ordered the drowning in the Meuse of suspicious burghers and noblemen in Liège.
The border remained stable until the annexation of the
Three Bishoprics
The Three Bishoprics (french: les Trois-Évêchés ) constituted a government of the Kingdom of France consisting of the dioceses of Metz, Verdun, and Toul within the Lorraine region. The three dioceses had been Prince-bishoprics of the ...
Metz, Toul and Verdun by King
Henry II in 1552 and the occupation of the
Duchy of Lorraine
The Duchy of Lorraine (french: Lorraine ; german: Lothringen ), originally Upper Lorraine, was a duchy now included in the larger present-day region of Lorraine in northeastern France. Its capital was Nancy.
It was founded in 959 following th ...
by the forces of King
Louis XIII
Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown ...
in 1633. Its lower Belgian (
Walloon) portion, part of the
sillon industriel, was the first fully industrialized area in continental Europe.
]
The
Afgedamde Maas was created in the late Middle Ages, when a major flood made a connection between the Maas and the
Merwede
The Merwede () etymology uncertain, possibly derived from the ancient Dutch ''Merwe'' or ''Merowe'', a word meaning "wide water") is the name of several connected stretches of river in the Netherlands, between the cities of Woudrichem, Dordrecht a ...
at the town of
Woudrichem. From that moment on, the current Afgedamde Maas was the main branch of the lower Meuse. The former main branch eventually silted up and is today called the
Oude Maasje. In the late 19th century and early 20th century the connection between the Maas and Rhine was closed off and the Maas was given a new, artificial mouth – the
Bergse Maas. The resulting separation of the rivers Rhine and Maas reduced the risk of flooding and is considered to be the greatest achievement in Dutch hydraulic engineering before the completion of the
Zuiderzee Works
The Zuiderzee Works ( nl, Zuiderzeewerken) is a man-made system of dams and dikes, land reclamation and water drainage work, in total the largest hydraulic engineering project undertaken by the Netherlands during the twentieth century. The proj ...
and
Delta Works
The Delta Works ( nl, Deltawerken) is a series of construction projects in the southwest of the Netherlands to protect a large area of land around the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta from the sea. Constructed between 1954 and 1997, the works con ...
.
The former main branch was, after the dam at its southern inlet was completed in 1904, renamed ''Afgedamde Maas'' and no longer receives water from the Maas.
The Meuse and its crossings were a key objective of the
Battle of France, the
Battle of Sedan
The Battle of Sedan was fought during the Franco-Prussian War from 1 to 2 September 1870. Resulting in the capture of Emperor Napoleon III and over a hundred thousand troops, it effectively decided the war in favour of Prussia and its allies, ...
and also for the last major German WWII counter-offensive on the
Western Front, the
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted from 16 December 1944 to 28 January 1945, towards the end of the war in ...
in December 1944 and January 1945.
The Meuse is represented in the documentary ''The River People'' released in 2012 by Xavier Istasse.
In July 2021, the Meuse basin was one of the many regions in Europe to experience catastrophic flooding during the
2021_European_floods#Belgium, 2021 European floods.
Etymology
The name ''Meuse'' is derived from the French name of the river, derived from its Latin name, ''Mosa'', which ultimately derives from the
Celtic or
Proto-Celtic
Proto-Celtic, or Common Celtic, is the ancestral proto-language of all known Celtic languages, and a descendant of Proto-Indo-European. It is not attested in writing but has been partly reconstructed through the comparative method. Proto-Celti ...
name *''Mosā''. This probably derives from the same root as English "maze", referring to the river's twists and turns.
The Dutch name ''Maas'' descends from
Middle Dutch
Middle Dutch is a collective name for a number of closely related West Germanic dialects whose ancestor was Old Dutch. It was spoken and written between 1150 and 1500. Until the advent of Modern Dutch after 1500 or c. 1550, there was no overarc ...
''Mase'', which comes from the presumed but unattested
Old Dutch
In linguistics, Old Dutch (Dutch: Oudnederlands) or Old Low Franconian (Dutch: Oudnederfrankisch) is the set of Franconian dialects (i.e. dialects that evolved from Frankish) spoken in the Low Countries during the Early Middle Ages, from aroun ...
form *''Masa'', from
Proto-Germanic
Proto-Germanic (abbreviated PGmc; also called Common Germanic) is the reconstructed proto-language of the Germanic branch of the Indo-European languages.
Proto-Germanic eventually developed from pre-Proto-Germanic into three Germanic bran ...
*''Masō''. Modern
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
and
German ''Maas'' and
Limburgish ''Maos'' preserve this Germanic form. Despite the similarity, the Germanic name is not derived from the Celtic name, judging from the change from earlier ''o'' into ''a'', which is characteristic of the Germanic languages.
Geography
The Meuse rises in Pouilly-en-Bassigny, commune of
Le Châtelet-sur-Meuse
Le Châtelet-sur-Meuse (, literally ''Le Châtelet on Meuse'') is a commune in the Haute-Marne department in north-eastern France.
It contains the source of the River Meuse, which is very close the commune's village of Pouilly-en-Bassigny.
...
on the
Langres plateau in France from where it flows northwards past
Sedan (the head of
navigation
Navigation is a field of study that focuses on the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another.Bowditch, 2003:799. The field of navigation includes four general categories: land navigation, ...
) and
Charleville-Mézières into Belgium.
At
Namur it is joined by the
Sambre. Beyond Namur the Meuse winds eastwards, skirting the
Ardennes, and passes
Liège before turning north. The river then forms part of the Belgian-Dutch border, except that at
Maastricht
Maastricht ( , , ; li, Mestreech ; french: Maestricht ; es, Mastrique ) is a city and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital and largest city of the province of Limburg. Maastricht is located on both sides of the ...
the border lies further to the west. In the Netherlands it continues northwards through
Venlo
Venlo () is a city and municipality in the southeastern Netherlands, close to the border with Germany. It is situated in the province of Limburg, about 50 km east of the city of Eindhoven, 65 km north east of the provincial capital Maastricht, a ...
closely along the border to Germany, then turns towards the west, where it runs parallel to the
Waal
WAAL (99.1 FM "The Whale") is a commercial radio station licensed to Binghamton, New York. It airs a classic rock radio format and is owned by Townsquare Media. WAAL is the oldest FM radio station in the Binghamton metropolitan area. It is an ...
and forms part of the extensive
Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, together with the
Scheldt
The Scheldt (french: Escaut ; nl, Schelde ) is a river that flows through northern France, western Belgium, and the southwestern part of the Netherlands, with its mouth at the North Sea. Its name is derived from an adjective corresponding to ...
in its south and the
Rhine
), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source1_coordinates=
, source1_elevation =
, source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein
, source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source2_coordinates=
, so ...
in the north. The river has been divided near
Heusden into the
Afgedamde Maas on the right and the
Bergse Maas on the left. The Bergse Maas continues under the name of
Amer, which is part of
De Biesbosch
De Biesbosch National Park is one of the largest national parks of the Netherlands and one of the last extensive areas of freshwater tidal wetlands in Northwestern Europe. The Biesbosch ('forest of sedges' or 'rushwoods') consists of a large ...
. The Afgedamde Maas joins the Waal, the main stem of the Rhine at
Woudrichem, and then flows under the name of
Boven Merwede
The Boven Merwede () is a stretch of river in the Netherlands, mainly fed by the river Rhine. The Afgedamde Maas river joins the Waal at Woudrichem to form the Boven Merwede, which at Hardinxveld-Giessendam splits into the Beneden Merwede rive ...
to
Hardinxveld-Giessendam, where it splits into
Nieuwe Merwede
The Nieuwe Merwede (; "New Merwede") is a Dutch canal, mainly fed by the river Rhine, that was constructed in 1870 to form a branch in the Rhine–Meuse delta. It was dug along the general trajectories of a number of minor Biesbosch creeks to r ...
and
Beneden Merwede
The Beneden Merwede () is a stretch of river in the Netherlands, mainly fed by the river Rhine. It starts as the continuation of the Boven Merwede after the branching-off of the Nieuwe Merwede ship canal. It flows from Hardinxveld-Giessendam to D ...
. Near
Lage Zwaluwe, the Nieuwe Merwede joins the Amer, forming the
Hollands Diep, which splits into
Grevelingen and
Haringvliet, before finally flowing into the North Sea.
The Meuse is crossed by railway bridges between the following stations (on the left and right banks respectively):
*Belgium:
**
Hasselt (Belgium) –
Maastricht
Maastricht ( , , ; li, Mestreech ; french: Maestricht ; es, Mastrique ) is a city and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital and largest city of the province of Limburg. Maastricht is located on both sides of the ...
(Netherlands)
*Netherlands:
**
Weert
Weert (; li, Wieërt ) is a municipality and city in the southeastern Netherlands located in the western part of the province of Limburg. It lies on the Eindhoven–Maastricht railway line, and is also astride the Zuid-Willemsvaart canal.
Pop ...
-
Roermond
Roermond (; li, Remunj or ) is a city, municipality, and diocese in the Limburg province of the Netherlands. Roermond is a historically important town on the lower Roer on the east bank of the river Meuse. It received town rights in 1231. Ro ...
**
Blerick
Blerick (; li, Bliërik ; ) is a city district of the Dutch municipality of Venlo. It lies on the west bank of the Meuse and its origin goes back to the Roman era as a military stronghold and settlement en route from Mosa Trajectum (Maastricht) ...
–
Venlo
Venlo () is a city and municipality in the southeastern Netherlands, close to the border with Germany. It is situated in the province of Limburg, about 50 km east of the city of Eindhoven, 65 km north east of the provincial capital Maastricht, a ...
**
Cuijk
Cuijk (; dialect: ''Kuuk'') is a town in the northeastern part of the province of North Brabant, Netherlands. It is the successor of a Roman settlement on the west bank of the Meuse, 13 km (8 mi) south of Nijmegen. Cuijk, which had a po ...
– Mook-Molenhoek
**
Ravenstein –
Wijchen
Wijchen () is a municipality and a town in the province of Gelderland, in the eastern part of the Netherlands.
Population centres
Number of residents per population centre per 12 December 2009:
Source: Statistics Netherlands
The population ce ...
**
's-Hertogenbosch
s-Hertogenbosch (), colloquially known as Den Bosch (), is a city and municipality in the Netherlands with a population of 157,486. It is the capital of the province of North Brabant and its fourth largest by population. The city is south of th ...
–
Zaltbommel
Zaltbommel (), also known, historically and colloquially, as Bommel, is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands.
History
The city of Zaltbommel
The town of Zaltbommel was first mentioned as "Bomela" in the year 850. Zaltbommel received ...
There are also numerous road bridges and around 32 ferry crossings.
The Meuse is navigable over a substantial part of its total length: In the Netherlands and Belgium, the river is part of the major inland navigation infrastructure, connecting the Rotterdam-Amsterdam-Antwerp port areas to the industrial areas upstream: 's-Hertogenbosch, Venlo, Maastricht, Liège, Namur. Between Maastricht and
Maasbracht, an unnavigable section of the Meuse is bypassed by the
Juliana Canal. South of Namur, further upstream, the river can only carry more modest vessels, although a barge as long as . can still reach the French border town of Givet.
From Givet, the river is canalized over a distance of . The canalized Meuse used to be called the "Canal de l'Est — Branche Nord" but was recently rebaptized into "Canal de la Meuse". The waterway can be used by the smallest barges that are still in use commercially almost long and just over wide. Just upstream of the town of Commercy, the Canal de la Meuse connects with the
Marne–Rhine Canal by means of a short diversion canal.
The Cretaceous sea reptile
Mosasaur
Mosasaurs (from Latin ''Mosa'' meaning the 'Meuse', and Greek ' meaning 'lizard') comprise a group of extinct, large marine reptiles from the Late Cretaceous. Their first fossil remains were discovered in a limestone quarry at Maastricht on ...
is named after the river Meuse. The first fossils of it were discovered outside Maastricht in 1780.
Basin area
An international agreement was signed in 2002 in
Ghent
Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded i ...
, Belgium, about the management of the river amongst France, Germany,
Luxembourg
Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...
, the Netherlands, and Belgium. Also participating in the agreement were the Belgian regional governments of
Flanders
Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...
,
Wallonia
Wallonia (; french: Wallonie ), or ; nl, Wallonië ; wa, Waloneye or officially the Walloon Region (french: link=no, Région wallonne),; nl, link=no, Waals gewest; wa, link=no, Redjon walone is one of the three regions of Belgium—alo ...
, and
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
(which is not in the basin of the Meuse but pumps running water into the Meuse).
Most of the basin area (approximately 36,000 km
2) is in Wallonia (12,000 km
2), followed by France (9,000 km
2), the Netherlands (8,000 km
2), Germany (2,000 km
2), Flanders (2,000 km
2) and Luxembourg (a few km
2).
An International Commission on the Meuse has the responsibility of the implementation of the treaty.
The costs of this Commission are met by all these countries, in proportion of their own territory in the basin of the Meuse: Netherlands 30%, Wallonia 30%, France 15%, Germany 14.5%, Flanders 5%, Brussels 4.5%, Kingdom of Belgium 0.5%, and Luxembourg 0.5%.
The map of the basin area of Meuse was joined to the text of the treaty.
As for culture, as a major communication route the River Meuse is the origin of
Mosan art
Mosan art is a regional style of art from the valley of the Meuse in present-day Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany. Although in a broader sense the term applies to art from this region from all periods, it generally refers to Romanesque ar ...
, principally (Wallonia and France).
The first landscape painted in the Renaissance was the landscape of Meuse by
Joachim Patinir
Joachim Patinir, also called Patenier (c. 1480 – 5 October 1524), was a Flemish Renaissance painter of history and landscape subjects. He was Flemish, from the area of modern Wallonia, but worked in Antwerp, then the centre of the art market ...
. He was likely the uncle of
Henri Blès, who is sometimes defined as a Mosan landscape painter active during the second third of the 16th century (i.e. second generation of landscape painters).
Tributaries
The main tributaries of the Meuse are listed below in downstream-upstream order, with the town where the tributary meets the river:
*
Dieze
The Dieze is a short river in North Brabant, the Netherlands, tributary of the Meuse (). It is formed by the confluence of the rivers Aa and Dommel in 's-Hertogenbosch. The part of the Dieze in the centre of 's-Hertogenbosch is called Binnendiez ...
(near
's-Hertogenbosch
s-Hertogenbosch (), colloquially known as Den Bosch (), is a city and municipality in the Netherlands with a population of 157,486. It is the capital of the province of North Brabant and its fourth largest by population. The city is south of th ...
)
**
Aa (in 's-Hertogenbosch)
**
Binnendieze
Binnendieze is the common name for all rivers and canals inside the city walls of 's-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands. It is a major tourist attraction. Near the north-west tip of the city walls, the confluence of the Binnendieze with the rivers ...
(in 's-Hertogenbosch)
**
Dommel
The Dommel is a small river in Belgium and the Netherlands, left tributary of the Dieze. It is 120 km long, of which 85 km in the Netherlands. The Dommel takes in water from the Keersop, Tongelreep, Run, Gender and Kleine Dommel streams and merg ...
(in
's-Hertogenbosch
s-Hertogenbosch (), colloquially known as Den Bosch (), is a city and municipality in the Netherlands with a population of 157,486. It is the capital of the province of North Brabant and its fourth largest by population. The city is south of th ...
)
***
Gender
Gender is the range of characteristics pertaining to femininity and masculinity and differentiating between them. Depending on the context, this may include sex-based social structures (i.e. gender roles) and gender identity. Most cultures ...
(in
Eindhoven)
*
Raam (in
Grave)
*
Niers (in
Gennep)
*
Swalm (in
Swalmen)
*
Rur/Roer (in
Roermond
Roermond (; li, Remunj or ) is a city, municipality, and diocese in the Limburg province of the Netherlands. Roermond is a historically important town on the lower Roer on the east bank of the river Meuse. It received town rights in 1231. Ro ...
)
**
Wurm (in
Heinsberg
Heinsberg (; li, Hinsberg ) is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the seat of the district Heinsberg. It is situated near the border with the Netherlands, on the river Wurm, approx. 20 km north-east of Sittard and 30 km ...
, Germany)
**
Merzbach (in
Linnich
Linnich is a town in the district of Düren in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the River Rur (Roer river), approx. 10 km north-west of Jülich.
Economy
Linnich is the home of SIG Combibloc, the specialist fo ...
, Germany)
**
Inde
Indian English (IE) is a group of English dialects spoken in the republic of India and among the Indian diaspora. English is used by the Indian government for communication, along with Hindi, as enshrined in the Constitution of India ...
(in
Jülich, Germany)
*
Geleenbeek
The Geleenbeek (; li, Gelaenbaek ) is a river in Limburg, the Netherlands. Its source is near the village Benzenrade, part of the city of Heerlen. It flows generally northwest, along Nuth, Schinnen, Spaubeek, turns north at Geleen, flows throu ...
(near
Maasbracht)
*
Geul
, french: la Gueule
, image = Geul river valley in Plombières, Belgium 100 0278.jpg
, image_caption = The Geul valley in Plombières, Belgium
, source1_location = near Lichtenbusch
, mouth_location = Meuse near Bunde
, m ...
(near
Meerssen
Meerssen (; li, Meersje ) is a town and a municipality in southeastern Netherlands.
History
The Treaty of Meerssen was signed in Meerssen in 870. The Treaty of Meerssen was an agreement of the division of the Carolingian Empire by the surviving ...
)
*
Geer/Jeker (in
Maastricht
Maastricht ( , , ; li, Mestreech ; french: Maestricht ; es, Mastrique ) is a city and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital and largest city of the province of Limburg. Maastricht is located on both sides of the ...
)
*
Voer/Fouron (in
Eijsden)
*
Berwinne/Berwijn (near
Moelingen, part of
Voeren)
*
Ourthe
The Ourthe (; Walloon: ''Aiwe d' Oûte'') is a long river in the Ardennes in Wallonia (Belgium). It is a right tributary to the river Meuse. The Ourthe is formed at the confluence of the ''Ourthe Occidentale'' (Western Ourthe) and the ''Ourthe ...
(in
Liège)
**
Weser/Vesdre (near
Liège)
**
Amel/Amblève (in
Comblain-au-Pont
Comblain-au-Pont (; wa, Comblin-å-Pont) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium.
As of 1 January 2014 Comblain-au-Pont had a total population of 6,754. The total area is 22.68 km² which gives a populati ...
)
***
Salm
Salm may refer to
People
* Constance de Salm (1767–1845), poet and miscellaneous writer; through her second marriage, she became Princess of Salm-Dyck
* Salm ibn Ziyad, an Umayyad governor of Khurasan and Sijistan
* House of Salm, a European ...
(in
Trois-Ponts
Trois-Ponts (; wa, Treûs-Ponts; both literally ''Three Bridges'') is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium.
On January 1, 2006, Trois-Ponts had a total population of 2,445. The total area is 68.90 km² whic ...
)
***
Warche
The Warche is a river in eastern Belgium (province of Liège).
From its source at Losheimergraben on the Belgian-German border, it flows roughly west about , across the south of the Hautes Fagnes region.
It passes through the town of Malmedy, a ...
(near
Malmedy)
*
Hoyoux
The Hoyoux () is a river of Belgium, a right tributary of the Meuse. It flows for through the province of Liège in the northern-central part of the country. It flows into the Meuse in Huy
Huy ( or ; nl, Hoei, ; wa, Hu) is a city and muni ...
(in
Huy
Huy ( or ; nl, Hoei, ; wa, Hu) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. Huy lies along the river Meuse, at the mouth of the small river Hoyoux. It is in the ''sillon industriel'', the former industrial ...
)
*
Mehaigne
The Mehaigne () is a river in Belgium. It is a left tributary to the Meuse. Its source is at Saint-Denis ( La Bruyère), in the province of Namur, at an elevation of .
The Mehaigne flows in a roughly eastern direction through a region called He ...
(in
Wanze
Wanze (; wa, Wônse) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium.
The municipality consists of the following districts: Antheit, Bas-Oha, Huccorgne, Moha, Vinalmont, and Wanze.
Notable residents
* Paul Delvau ...
)
*
Sambre (in
Namur)
*
Houyoux (in Namur)
*
Bocq (in
Yvoir)
*
Molignée (in
Anhée)
*
Lesse (in
Anseremme, part of
Dinant)
*
Viroin (in
Vireux-Molhain)
*
Faux (in
Revin
Revin () is a commune in the Ardennes department in the Grand Est region in northern France.
Revin is situated on the banks of the Meuse. The Revin Pumped Storage Power Plant is near Revin.
Population
Personalities
Yazid Mansouri, the Al ...
)
*
Semois or Semoy (in
Monthermé
Monthermé () is a commune in the Ardennes department in northern France.
Geography
The river Semois (or Semoy) joins the river Meuse
The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in ...
)
*
Sormonne
Sormonne () is a commune in the Ardennes department and Grand Est region of north-eastern France.
Geography
The river Sormonne, a left tributary of the Meuse, flows through the commune.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Ardennes depart ...
(in
Warcq)
*
Bar (near
Dom-le-Mesnil)
*
Chiers
The Chiers (; lb, Kuer, german: Korn) is a river in Luxembourg, Belgium and France. It is a right tributary of the Meuse. The total length of the Chiers is aproxamately , of which in France.
The source of the Chiers is near Differdange, i ...
(in
Bazeilles)
**
Othain
The Othain () is a long river in the Meurthe-et-Moselle and Meuse '' départements'', northeastern France. Its source is at Gondrecourt-Aix, in the Woëvre. It flows generally northwest. It is a left tributary of the Chiers into which it flow ...
(in
Montmédy)
*
Vair
Vair (; from Latin ''varius'' "variegated"), originating as a processed form of squirrel fur, gave its name to a set of different patterns used in heraldry. Heraldic vair represents a kind of fur common in the Middle Ages, made from pieces of ...
(in
Maxey-sur-Meuse)
*
Mouzon (in
Neufchâteau, Vosges)
*Saônelle (in
Coussey
Coussey () is a commune in the Vosges department in Grand Est in northeastern France.
Sights
The twelfth-century church of Notre Dame (Our Lady) has a romanesque exterior while the interior is primarily in the Gothic style.
Coussey the origins o ...
)
Distributaries
The mean annual discharge rate of the Meuse has been relatively stable over the last few thousand years. One recent study estimates that average flow has increased by about 10% since 2000 BC. The hydrological distribution of the Meuse changed during the later Middle Ages, when a major flood forced it to shift its main course northwards towards the river
Merwede
The Merwede () etymology uncertain, possibly derived from the ancient Dutch ''Merwe'' or ''Merowe'', a word meaning "wide water") is the name of several connected stretches of river in the Netherlands, between the cities of Woudrichem, Dordrecht a ...
. From then on several stretches of the original Merwede were renamed "Maas" (i.e. Meuse) and served as the primary outflow of that river. Those branches are currently known as the Nieuwe Maas and Oude Maas.
However during another series of severe floods the Meuse found an additional path towards the sea, resulting in the creation of the
Biesbosch
De Biesbosch National Park is one of the largest national parks of the Netherlands and one of the last extensive areas of freshwater tidal wetlands in Northwestern Europe. The Biesbosch ('forest of sedges' or 'rushwoods') consists of a large ...
wetlands and
Hollands Diep estuaries. Thereafter the Meuse split near
Heusden into two main distributaries, one flowing north to join the Merwede and one flowing direct to the sea. The branch of the Meuse leading direct to the sea eventually silted up (and now forms the
Oude Maasje stream), but in 1904 the canalised
Bergse Maas was dug to take over the functions of the silted-up branch. At the same time the branch leading to the Merwede was dammed at Heusden (and has since been known as the
Afgedamde Maas) so that little water from the Meuse entered the old Maas courses or the Rhine distributaries. The resulting separation of the rivers Rhine and Meuse is considered to be the greatest achievement in Dutch hydraulic engineering before the completion of the
Zuiderzee Works
The Zuiderzee Works ( nl, Zuiderzeewerken) is a man-made system of dams and dikes, land reclamation and water drainage work, in total the largest hydraulic engineering project undertaken by the Netherlands during the twentieth century. The proj ...
and
Delta Works
The Delta Works ( nl, Deltawerken) is a series of construction projects in the southwest of the Netherlands to protect a large area of land around the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta from the sea. Constructed between 1954 and 1997, the works con ...
.
In 1970 the
Haringvlietdam has been finished. Since then the reunited Rhine and Meuse waters have reached the North Sea either at this site or, during times of lower discharges of the Rhine, at
Hook of Holland
Hook of Holland ( nl, Hoek van Holland, ) is a town in the southwestern corner of Holland, hence the name; ''hoek'' means "corner" and was the word in use before the word ''kaap'' – "cape", from Portuguese ''cabo'' – became Dutch. The English t ...
.
A 2008 study
[Ward ''et al.'', 2008] notes that the difference between summer and winter flow volumes has increased significantly in the last 100–200 years. It points out that the frequency of serious floods (''i.e.'' flows > 1000% of normal) has increased markedly. They predict that winter flooding of the Meuse may become a recurring problem in the coming decades.
Départements, provinces and towns
The Meuse flows through the following
departments of France
In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. Ninety ...
,
provinces of Belgium,
provinces of the Netherlands
There are twelve provinces of the Netherlands (), representing the administrative layer between the national government and the local municipalities, with responsibility for matters of subnational or regional importance.
The most populous prov ...
and towns:
*
Haute-Marne
*
Vosges
The Vosges ( , ; german: Vogesen ; Franconian and gsw, Vogese) are a range of low mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a single ...
:
Neufchâteau
*
Meuse
The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a t ...
:
Commercy
Commercy () is a commune in the Meuse department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. The 18th-century Lorraine historian Nicolas Luton Durival (1713–1795) was born in Commercy.
History
Commercy dates back to the 9th century, and at that tim ...
,
Saint-Mihiel
Saint-Mihiel () is a commune in the Meuse department in Grand Est in north-eastern France.
Geography
Saint-Mihiel lies on the banks of the river Meuse.
History
A Benedictine abbey was established here in 708 or 709 by Count Wulfoalde and his wif ...
,
Verdun
Verdun (, , , ; official name before 1970 ''Verdun-sur-Meuse'') is a large city in the Meuse department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department.
Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital ...
,
Stenay
*
Ardennes:
Sedan,
Charleville-Mézières,
Givet
Givet () (german: Gibet Walloon: ''Djivet'') is a commune in the Ardennes department in northern France surrounded on three sides by the Belgian border.
It lies on the river Meuse where Emperor Charles V built the fortress of Charlemont. It ...
*
Namur:
Dinant,
Namur
*
Liège:
Huy
Huy ( or ; nl, Hoei, ; wa, Hu) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. Huy lies along the river Meuse, at the mouth of the small river Hoyoux. It is in the ''sillon industriel'', the former industrial ...
,
Liège,
Visé
*
Limburg
Limburg or Limbourg may refer to:
Regions
* Limburg (Belgium), a province since 1839 in the Flanders region of Belgium
* Limburg (Netherlands), a province since 1839 in the south of the Netherlands
* Diocese of Limburg, Roman Catholic Diocese in ...
:
Eijsden,
Maastricht
Maastricht ( , , ; li, Mestreech ; french: Maestricht ; es, Mastrique ) is a city and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital and largest city of the province of Limburg. Maastricht is located on both sides of the ...
,
Stein
Stein is a German, Yiddish and Norwegian word meaning "stone" and "pip" or "kernel". It stems from the same Germanic root as the English word stone. It may refer to:
Places In Austria
* Stein, a neighbourhood of Krems an der Donau, Lower Aust ...
,
Maasbracht,
Roermond
Roermond (; li, Remunj or ) is a city, municipality, and diocese in the Limburg province of the Netherlands. Roermond is a historically important town on the lower Roer on the east bank of the river Meuse. It received town rights in 1231. Ro ...
,
Venlo
Venlo () is a city and municipality in the southeastern Netherlands, close to the border with Germany. It is situated in the province of Limburg, about 50 km east of the city of Eindhoven, 65 km north east of the provincial capital Maastricht, a ...
,
Gennep
*
Limburg
Limburg or Limbourg may refer to:
Regions
* Limburg (Belgium), a province since 1839 in the Flanders region of Belgium
* Limburg (Netherlands), a province since 1839 in the south of the Netherlands
* Diocese of Limburg, Roman Catholic Diocese in ...
:
Maaseik
Maaseik (; li, Mezeik) is a city and municipality in the Belgian province of Limburg. Both in size (close to 77 km2) and in population (approx. 25,000 inhabitants, of whom some 3,000 non-Belgian), it is the 8th largest municipality in Limb ...
(between Stein and Maasbracht)
*
North Brabant
North Brabant ( nl, Noord-Brabant ; Brabantian: ; ), also unofficially called Brabant, is a province in the south of the Netherlands. It borders the provinces of South Holland and Gelderland to the north, Limburg to the east, Zeeland to the w ...
:
Boxmeer
Boxmeer () is a town and former municipality in upper southeastern Netherlands. Boxmeer as a municipality incorporated the former municipality of Beugen en Rijkevoort and that of Vierlingsbeek. In Overloon is the Overloon War Museum.
Boxmeer, ...
,
Cuijk
Cuijk (; dialect: ''Kuuk'') is a town in the northeastern part of the province of North Brabant, Netherlands. It is the successor of a Roman settlement on the west bank of the Meuse, 13 km (8 mi) south of Nijmegen. Cuijk, which had a po ...
,
Grave,
Ravenstein,
Lith,
Heusden,
Aalburg,
Woudrichem
*
Gelderland
Gelderland (), also known as Guelders () in English, is a province of the Netherlands, occupying the centre-east of the country. With a total area of of which is water, it is the largest province of the Netherlands by land area, and second by ...
:
Maasdriel
Maasdriel () is a municipality in the province of Gelderland, in the eastern Netherlands.
Maasdriel was formed on 1 January, 1999 by the merger of the former municipalities of Ammerzoden (including Well, Wellseind en Wordragen), Hedel, Heerewaarde ...
*
South Holland:
Dordrecht
Dordrecht (), historically known in English as Dordt (still colloquially used in Dutch, ) or Dort, is a city and municipality in the Western Netherlands, located in the province of South Holland. It is the province's fifth-largest city after R ...
,
Maassluis,
Rotterdam
Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"Ne ...
Mention in patriotic songs
The Meuse (''Maas'') is mentioned in the first stanza of Germany's old national anthem, the ''
Deutschlandlied''. However, since its
re-adoption as national anthem in 1952, only the third stanza of the ''Deutschlandlied'' has been sung as the German national anthem, the first and second stanzas being omitted. This was confirmed after German reunification in 1991 when only the third stanza was defined as the official anthem. The lyrics written in 1841 describe a then–disunited Germany with the river as its western boundary, where King
William I of the Netherlands
William I (Willem Frederik, Prince of Orange-Nassau; 24 August 1772 – 12 December 1843) was a Prince of Orange, the King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg.
He was the son of the last Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic, who went ...
had joined the
German Confederation with his
Duchy of Limburg
The Duchy of Limburg or Limbourg was an imperial estate of the Holy Roman Empire. Much of the area of the duchy is today located within Liège Province of Belgium, with a small portion in the municipality of Voeren, an exclave of the neighbourin ...
in 1839. Though the duchy's territory officially became an integral part of the Netherlands by the 1867
Treaty of London, the text passage remained unchanged when the ''Deutschlandlied'' was declared the national anthem of the
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic (german: link=no, Weimarer Republik ), officially named the German Reich, was the government of Germany from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional federal republic for the first time in history; hence it is ...
in 1922.
The name of the rivers also forms part of the title of "
Le Régiment de Sambre et Meuse", written after the French defeat in the
Franco-Prussian War of 1870, and a popular patriotic song for the rest of the 19th century and into the 20th.
See also
*
1930 Meuse Valley fog
The 1930 Meuse Valley fog between December 1st and December 5th, killed 63 people in Belgium owing to a combination of industrial air pollution and a localized weather inversion.
The River Meuse flows from France through Belgium and the Netherland ...
References
External links
Peace Palace Library's Bibliography on Water Resources and International Law regarding ''Meuse River''Peace Palace Library's Bibliography on Water Resources and International Law regarding ''Meuse River''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Meuse (River)
Belgium–Netherlands border
International rivers of Europe
Rivers of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta
Rivers of France
Rivers of Belgium
Rivers of the Netherlands
Rivers of Flanders
Rivers of Wallonia
Rivers of Grand Est
Rivers of Ardennes (department)
Rivers of Haute-Marne
Rivers of Meuse (department)
Rivers of Vosges (department)
Rivers of Liège Province
Rivers of Namur (province)
Rivers of Gelderland
Rivers of Limburg (Netherlands)
Rivers of North Brabant
Rivers of South Limburg (Netherlands)
Rivers of the Ardennes (Belgium)
Rivers of the Ardennes (France)
Transport in 's-Hertogenbosch
Transport in Maastricht
Transport in Roermond
Transport in Sittard-Geleen
Transport in Venlo
Geography of Liège
Geography of Namur (city)
Border rivers