The Werse [] (river no. 32) is a , left-hand tributary of the Ems (river), River Ems in Münsterland, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. The Drainage basin, catchment area of the Werse is 762.47 km². Its name may be derived from a pre-Indo-European language,

Vasconic The Vasconic languages (from Latin 'Basque') are a putative family of languages that includes Basque and the extinct Aquitanian language. The extinct Iberian language is sometimes putatively included. The concept of the Vasconic languages is ...

, from which the Basque language developed. Its

water quality Water quality refers to the chemical, physical, and biological characteristics of water based on the standards of its usage. It is most frequently used by reference to a set of standards against which compliance, generally achieved through tr ...

is Class II-III and, in places, Class II. Contamination from communal sewage farms, fish ponds, but especially diffuse contamination from agriculture pollutes the mass balance of the Werse and leads to

eutrophication Eutrophication is the process by which an entire body of water, or parts of it, becomes progressively enriched with minerals and nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus. It has also been defined as "nutrient-induced increase in phytopla ...

along the entire river course, especially in the retention basin areas.

Course

The Werse rises in the

Beckum Hills The Beckum Hills (german: Beckumer Berge), named after the town of Beckum, are a range of low hills, up to , in the region of Münsterland in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany). Along with the Baumberge and its foothills and ...

near Beckum from three headstreams: the ''Lippbach'', ''

Kollenbach Kollenbach is a river in Beckum, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is a headwater of the Werse. 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 * ...

'' and '' Siechenbach''. The name ''Werse'' is used from the Osttor and above the Kollenbach. From Beckum the Werse flows westwards. Shortly before

Ahlen Ahlen (; Westphalian: ''Aulen'') is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, 30 km southeast of Münster. Ahlen is part of the District of Warendorf and is economically the most important town in that district. Ahlen is part of the larger ...

it turns northwest and, near

Drensteinfurt Drensteinfurt (in low German ''Stewwert'') is a town in the district of Warendorf, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated approximately 15 km north of Hamm and 20 km south of Münster. The villages Rinkerode in the north an ...

, then via Albersloh it flows northwards. Near Münster-Gelmer near the Haskenau it finally discharges into the Ems. The river is regulated by several overflow

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 ...

Fauna

The Werse is a popular destination for anglers because of its rich fish stock.

Perch Perch is a common name for fish of the genus ''Perca'', freshwater gamefish belonging to the family Percidae. The perch, of which three species occur in different geographical areas, lend their name to a large order of vertebrates: the Percif ...

Pike Pike, Pikes or The Pike may refer to: Fish * Blue pike or blue walleye, an extinct color morph of the yellow walleye ''Sander vitreus'' * Ctenoluciidae, the "pike characins", some species of which are commonly known as pikes * ''Esox'', genus of ...

Catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive, ...

Pikeperch ''Sander'' (formerly known as ''Stizostedion'') is a genus of predatory ray-finned fish in the family Percidae, which also includes the perches, ruffes, and darters. They are also known as "pike-perch" because of their resemblance to fish in th ...

and white fish species such as

Carp Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish from the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. While carp is consumed in many parts of the world, they are generally considered an invasive species in parts of ...

Tench The tench or doctor fish (''Tinca tinca'') is a fresh- and brackish-water fish of the order Cypriniformes found throughout Eurasia from Western Europe including the British Isles east into Asia as far as the Ob and Yenisei Rivers. It is also ...

Bream Bream ( ) are species of freshwater and marine fish belonging to a variety of genera including ''Abramis'' (e.g., ''A. brama'', the common bream), ''Acanthopagrus'', '' Argyrops'', ''Blicca'', '' Brama'', ''Chilotilapia'', '' Etelis'', ''Lepo ...

occur here. Moreover, rare animals like the

Kingfisher Kingfishers are a family, the Alcedinidae, of small to medium-sized, brightly colored birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species found in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania, ...

and

Grass Snake The grass snake (''Natrix natrix''), sometimes called the ringed snake or water snake, is a Eurasian non-venomous colubrid snake. It is often found near water and feeds almost exclusively on amphibians. Subspecies Many subspecies are recogniz ...

may also be observed along the river.

Sport and tourism

The Werse is the home river of the Alberslohe Canoe Club (''Albersloher Kanu Club 1989''), canoe section of TG Münster, the Münster Canoe Club 1923 (''Paddelsport Münster von 1923'') and Münster Canoe Club 1922 ( ''Kanuverein Münster 1922'') There are also many boat houses belonging to ''

Studentenverbindung (; often referred to as Verbindung) is the umbrella term for many different kinds of fraternity-type associations in German-speaking countries, including Corps, , , , and Catholic fraternities. Worldwide, there are over 1,600 , about a thousa ...

en'' on the river. Especially in summer the river is heavily used by commercial boat hire organisations.. In April 2007 the Werse Cycleway (''Werseradweg'') was opened. It starts in

Rheda-Wiedenbrück Rheda-Wiedenbrück (; Westphalian: ''Raie-Wienbrügge'') is a city in the district of Gütersloh, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography The twin community lies within the valley of the river Ems in the Westphalian Lowland south of the ...

and runs along the Werse and its surrounding countryside for 122 km. The cycleway ends near the confluence with the Ems near Münster-Gelmer.

Stadium

*The Werse is widely known because a football stadium, the

Wersestadion :''Not to be confused for the Weserstadion, in Bremen.'' The Wersestadion is a multi-use stadium in Ahlen, Germany. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Rot Weiss Ahlen Rot Weiss Ahlen is a German foo ...

, is named after it. The stadium is the home of the

Rot Weiss Ahlen Rot Weiss Ahlen is a German football club based in Ahlen, North Rhine-Westphalia. Until 2006 the club was known as ''LR Ahlen'' for its major sponsor, but underwent a name change when the sponsor withdrew its support after the team was relegated ...

football club which plays in the German 3rd Division.

Tributaries

*Rüenkolk *Rattbach *Stelterbach *Elkerbach * Olfe *Kälberbach (Werse) *Erlebach *Suerbach *Umlaufbach *Flaggenbach *Ahrenhorster Bach *Westerbach (Werse) *

Emmerbach Emmerbach is a river of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It flows into the Werse in Münster Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the sta ...

Angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...

* Honebach *Kreuzbach (Werse)

Mills

* Werse Mill * Verings Mill * Pleister Mill (''Pleistermühle'') * Sud Mill (''Sudmühle'') * Havichhorst Mill

Navigation

A small steamer plied the section of river between the Sud and Pleister mills in the 19th century during the summer months several times a day.''Mittel- und Norddeutschland: Handbuch für Reisende.'' Ausgabe 14 (1885) p. 32

/ref>

References

External links

Hochwasser-Aktionsplan Werse
*Ergebnisse des Forschungsprojekts ''Kanusport und Naturschutz'' der Universität Münste
www.lanuv.nrw (.pdf)
Information about Warendorf district {{Authority control Rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia Münster (region) Rivers of Germany