The Yser ( , ; nl, IJzer ) is a

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the ...

that rises in

French Flanders French Flanders (french: La Flandre française) is a part of the historical County of Flanders in present-day France where a dialect of Dutch was or still is traditionally spoken. The region lies in the modern-day region of Hauts-de-France an ...

(the north of

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 ar ...

), enters the Belgian province of

West Flanders ) , settlement_type = Province of Belgium , image_flag = Flag of West Flanders.svg , flag_size = , image_shield = Wapen van West-Vlaanderen.svg , shield_size = , image_map ...

and flows through the '' Ganzepoot'' and into the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...

at the town of Nieuwpoort. The source of the Yser is in Buysscheure (''Buisscheure''), in the Nord department of northern France. It flows through Bollezeele (''Bollezele''), Esquelbecq (''Ekelsbeke''), and Bambecque (''Bambeke''). After approximately of its course, it leaves France and enters Belgium. It then flows through

Diksmuide (; french: Dixmude, ; vls, Diksmude) is a Belgian city and municipality in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of proper and the former communes of Beerst, Esen, Kaaskerke, Keiem, Lampernisse, Leke, ...

and out into the North Sea at Nieuwpoort. During the

Battle of the Yser The Battle of the Yser (french: Bataille de l'Yser, nl, Slag om de IJzer) was a battle of the First World War that took place in October 1914 between the towns of Nieuwpoort and Diksmuide, along a stretch of the Yser River and the Yperlee ...

in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...

, by opening the sluices, part of the

polder A polder () is a low-lying tract of land that forms an artificial hydrological entity, enclosed by embankments known as dikes. The three types of polder are: # Land reclaimed from a body of water, such as a lake or the seabed # Flood plain ...

west of the Yser was flooded with seawater between Nieuwpoort and Diksmuide to provide an obstacle to the advancing German Army and keep westernmost Belgium safe from German occupation. The Yser river itself never overflowed its banks.Leper, J., Kunstmatige inundaties in Maritiem Vlaanderen 1316-1945, Michiels, Tongeren, 1957 (327 p.), p.205

Basin

The basin covers 1101 km² and is two-thirds located in Belgium. A ridge in France forms the watershed line with the Aa basin in the west; in the south and east, the West Flemish Hills and the Central West Flemish Hills form the boundary with the Lys basin; in the north, a line of dunes is the boundary with the North Sea coast. The Yser rises west of Cassel in northern France and has two official sources, at Buisscheure and Lederzele. It is fed there by the Penebeek (Peene Becque), the Vuilebeek (Sale Becque) and the Herzele (Herzeele). The Zwijnebeek (Zwyne Becque) on the left bank and the Heidebeek (Ey Becque) on the right bank form the border between France and Belgium for a long time. In Belgium, the Poperinge canal, Kemmelbeek, Lovaart, Ieperlee and Handzamevaart join the river. The Yser flows into the North Sea at Nieuwpoort (B) via the Ganzepoot lock complex.

History

The area between the Yser and the coast was Veurne-Ambacht in the Middle Ages. At the end of the 16th century this came into Spanish hands and a few settlements/forts were erected along the Yser against plundering by reformers from Ostend. These largely lost their function after the fall of Ostend in 1604. After the Peace of Aachen, Veurne came into French hands and the Yser formed a northern border of the French empire. Fortifications were built again, such as Fort Knokke. After the Treaty of Utrecht, the area belonged to the Austrian Netherlands. There were still some barrier towns in the area, but the Yser eventually lost its border function. The river was part of the front line during World War I and was the scene of trench warfare, with the Belgian and German armies dug in along both sides of the river. The Belgian army was able to hold out here for the rest of the war after the Battle of the Yser in 1914 following the inundation of part of the Yser plain, at the suggestion of the Veurn investigating judge and with the cooperation of Karel Cogge and Hendrik Geeraert. Further inland, the Allied lines were manned by British and French troops. As in other places in the region, terrible scenes took place in which each other's positions were taken and recaptured again and again at a high price in human lives. Along the Yser, several monuments and sites recall the war, including the Yser Tower and the Death March in Diksmuide. In May 1940, the French and English allies blew up all the bridges and locks again.

Etymology

Like some other names in

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 ...

, the name IJzer is of Celtic origin, as the Celtic

Menapii The Menapii were a Belgic tribe dwelling near the North Sea, around present-day Cassel, during the Iron Age and the Roman period. Name Attestations They are mentioned as ''Menapii'' by Caesar (mid-1st c. BC) and Orosius (early 5th c. AD), ...

lived in the area before the Roman times (see also the

Isar The Isar is a river in Tyrol, Austria, and Bavaria, Germany, which is not navigable for watercraft above raft size. Its source is in the Karwendel range of the Alps in Tyrol; it enters Germany near Mittenwald and flows through Bad Tölz, ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

, the Jizera in Bohemia and the Isère in

) before assimilation by the

Franks The Franks ( la, Franci or ) were a group of Germanic peoples whose name was first mentioned in 3rd-century Roman sources, and associated with tribes between the Lower Rhine and the Ems River, on the edge of the Roman Empire.H. Schutz: Tools, ...

Tributaries

The main tributaries of the Yser are:, see tab "Affluents" * Peene Becque (''Penebeek'') * Sale Becque (''Vuilebeek'') * Ey Becque (''Heidebeek'') * Zwyne Becque (''Zwijnebeek'') * Vleeterbeek

References

External links

Image of the basin of the Yser
Rivers of Belgium Rivers of France International rivers of Europe Rivers of Nord (French department) Rivers of Hauts-de-France Rivers of West Flanders 0Yser Nieuwpoort, Belgium {{France-river-stub