The Volme is a river in

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

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 ...

, and is a tributary of the river

Ruhr 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/km ...

. It is long,Steckbrief Volme
/ref> of which about lie within the city limits of

Hagen Hagen () is the Largest cities in Germany, 41st-largest List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Germany. The municipality is located in the States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located on the south eastern edge of the R ...

. Its largest tributary is the

Ennepe The Ennepe is a river, and a left tributary of the Volme in Northern Sauerland, Germany. It gave its name to the town Ennepetal, and the district Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis. Course of River The Ennepe begins in the Märkischer Kreis southeast of Halver ...

. The Volme rises at above sea level in the southeastern part of the

Ruhr region 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/km ...

, southeast of the town

Meinerzhagen Meinerzhagen (sometimes spelled Meinertzhagen; ) is a town in the Märkischer Kreis, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Meinerzhagen is located in the hills of the Sauerland. The highest elevation is the Nordhelle with 652 m above sea le ...

. It flows through the municipalities of Meinerzhagen,

Kierspe Kierspe () is a town in the district Märkischer Kreis, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located at the western edge of the Sauerland on Volme River. History The first mention of Kierspe was in 1003, when the castle 'Haus Rhade' was fi ...

Halver Halver is a town in Germany. History Around 950 the ''Oberhof Halvara'' was first mentioned in the ''Werdener Probsteiregister''. For more than 500 years Halver was the seat of a Fehmic court, the earliest definite evidence of which is in 1243; ...

(Oberbrügge),

Lüdenscheid Lüdenscheid () is a city in the Märkischer Kreis district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the Sauerland region. Geography Lüdenscheid is located on the saddle of the watershed between the Lenne and Volme rivers which b ...

(Brügge),

Schalksmühle Schalksmühle is a municipality in district Märkischer Kreis, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the town with the highest rate of millionaires relating to the population in North Rhine-Westphalia(2004). Geography Schalksmühle is located ...

and

and empties into the Ruhr at above sea level. In the city of Hagen, the Volme is predominantly canalised, and since 2004 has been under restoration. Tributaries of the Volme are, from the mouth upstream: *

(in

centre) *Sterbecke (in Hagen-

Rummenohl Rummenohl, now officially Hagen-Rummenohl, is a locality within the independent city of Hagen in the eastern part of the Ruhr region, in Germany. It lies in the valley of the river Volme, about 13 km upstream (south) of the city centre of Hagen. H ...

) *Hälver (in

) * Elspe (in

-Brügge) *

Wiebelsaat Wiebelsaat is a river of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It flows into the Volme near Meinerzhagen. See also *List of rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia A list of rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany: A * Aa, left tributary of the Möhn ...

(in

)

Industrial development

In the pre-industrial age, numerous mills, smithies and foundries arose along the Volme, from which the iron industry developed during the 19th and the 20th centuries. The

Hagen–Dieringhausen railway The Hagen–Dieringhausen railway (also called the ''Volmetalbahn'': Volme Valley Railway) is a mostly single-track (continuously double track as far as Lüdenscheid-Brügge) and non-electrified railway line from Hagen Hauptbahnhof via Lüdensche ...

runs through the valley.

References

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