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, from which the

Basque language Basque ( ; ) is a language spoken by Basques and other residents of the Basque Country (greater region), Basque Country, a region that straddles the westernmost Pyrenees in adjacent parts of northern Spain and southwestern France. Basque ...

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 a general term describing a process in which nutrients accumulate in a body of water, resulting in an increased growth of organisms that may deplete the oxygen in the water; ie. the process of too many plants growing on the s ...

along the entire river course, especially in the

retention basin A retention basin, sometimes called a retention pond, wet detention basin, or storm water management pond (SWMP), is an artificial pond with vegetation around the perimeter and a permanent pool of water in its design. It is used to manage ...

areas.

Course

The Werse rises in the Beckum Hills near Beckum from three headstreams: the ''Lippbach'', '' Kollenbach'' 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 language, Westphalian: ''Aulen'') is a Town#Germany, town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, 30 km southeast of Münster. Ahlen is part of the Warendorf (district), District of Warendorf and is economically the most impo ...

it turns northwest and, near Drensteinfurt, 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 water 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 freshwater fish from the genus ''Perca'', which belongs to the family Percidae of the large order Perciformes. The name comes from , meaning the type species of this genus, the European perch (''P. fluviatilis'') ...

, Pike,

Catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order (biology), order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Catfish are common name, named for their prominent barbel (anatomy), barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, though not ...

, Pikeperch and white fish species such as

Carp The term carp (: carp) is a generic common name for numerous species of freshwater fish from the family (biology), family Cyprinidae, a very large clade of ray-finned fish mostly native to Eurasia. While carp are prized game fish, quarries and a ...

Tench The tench or doctor fish (''Tinca tinca'') is a freshwater, fresh- and brackish water, brackish-water fish of the order Cypriniformes found throughout Eurasia from Western Europe including Great Britain, Britain and Ireland east into Asia as far ...

Bream Bream (, ) are species of freshwater fish belonging to a variety of genera including '' Abramis'' (e.g., ''A. brama'', the common bream), '' Ballerus'', '' Blicca'', '' Brama'', '' Chilotilapia'', '' Etelis'', '' Lepomis'', '' Gymnocranius'', ...

occur here. Moreover, rare animals like the

Kingfisher Kingfishers are a family, the Alcedinidae, of small to medium-sized, brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species living 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 semi-aquatic non- venomous colubrid snake. It is often found near water and feeds almost exclusively on amphibians. Subspecies Many subspecie ...

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 () or , often referred to as , 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 thousand in ...

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 language, Westphalian: ''Raie-Wienbrügge'') is a city in the Gütersloh (district), district of Gütersloh, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography The twin community lies within the valley of the river E ...

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, is named after it. The stadium is the home of the Rot Weiss Ahlen 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 *

Angel An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...

* 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

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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