The Hönne is a left tributary river to the Ruhr, flowing through the northern Sauerland hills 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 state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inha ...

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 ...

. The spring of the Hönne is located in the west of Neuenrade at 437m above sea level. After 33 km the river ends near the town of Fröndenberg. The total

catchment area In human geography, a catchment area is the area from which a location, such as a city, service or institution, attracts a population that uses its services and economic opportunities. Catchment areas may be defined based on from where people are ...

of the river is 262 km². Most notable is the narrow valley between

Balve Balve is a town in the Märkischer Kreis district, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in ''Hönnetal'', a narrow valley created by the river Hönne, which is near the Sorpe Dam, formerly part of Balve, and at the north end of the Sau ...

and Menden, where the Hönne has carved 60m deep into Devonian

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

. Several caves are located in the valley, of which the Balver Höhle and the ''Reckenhöhle'' are accessible for visitors. When the water level in the river is low, some parts of the valley fall dry as the water flows subterraneously through the Karst rocks. Several of the tributary brooks in that valley also flow subterraneously for some parts of their course.

Caves

Many

caves A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

were formed throughout the Hönne. The biggest culture cave in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

is located in

. A cave with

flowstone Flowstones are sheetlike deposits of calcite or other carbonate minerals, formed where water flows down the walls or along the floors of a cave. They are typically found in "solution caves", in limestone, where they are the most common speleoth ...

, the Reckenhöhle, is also nearby. Some experts found signs of cannibalism in the caves (especially the Karhofhöhle) that date from 1000 to 700 BCE."Kannibalen in Westfalen?"
Stefan Enste. Retrieved October 02, 2015.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Honne Rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia Rivers of Germany