What is Ruhr?

Information about Ruhr

For the conurbation see Ruhr Area. This river is not to be confused with the river Rur, in western North Rhine-Westphalia, Belgium and Netherlands.


Ruhr
Enlarge picture
The Ruhr in Essen-Kettwig.
The Ruhr in Essen-Kettwig.
OriginSauerland
MouthRhine
Basin countriesGermany
Length217 km
Source elevation674 m
Avg. discharge79 m³/s
Basin area4,485 km²
Enlarge picture
In the Ruhr area, the Ruhr River (lower map) runs west to east, roughly parallel the Lippe River, north.


The Ruhr is a medium-size river in western Germany (North Rhine-Westphalia), a right tributary (east-side) of the Rhine. Its source is at an elevation of approximately 2,200 feet (670 m), near the town of Winterberg in the mountainous Sauerland region, and it flows into the lower Rhine river at an elevation of only 56 feet (17 m) in the municipal area of Duisburg. Its total length is 217 km (135 miles), its average discharge is 79 m³/s (cubic metres per second) at Mülheim near its mouth. Thus its discharge is comparable to that of the Thames river.

Towns

The Ruhr first passes the towns of Meschede, Arnsberg, Wickede, Fröndenberg, Holzwickede, Iserlohn and Schwerte.

Then the river marks the southern limit of the Ruhr area, passing Hagen, Dortmund, Herdecke, Wetter, Witten, Bochum, Hattingen, Essen, Mülheim and Duisburg.

Lakes

There are five Ruhr reservoirs on the river, often used for leisure activities.
  • Hengsteysee between Dortmund and Hagen, Area of the surface: 1.36km² height of the weir 4.5m
  • Harkortsee between Hagen Herdecke and Wetter; Area of the surface: 1.37km², height of the weir 7.8m
  • Kemnader See between Witten and Bochum; Area of the surface: 1.25 km², height of the weir 2m
  • Baldeneysee in Essen-Werden; Area of the surface: 2.64 km², height of the weir 8.5m
  • Kettwiger See in Essen-Kettwig; Area of the surface: 0.55 km², height of the weir 6m
The adjacent major industrial region adopted its name from this river.

The Ruhr is used for the preparation of drinking water and has a good water quality, which is ironic, since the word "Ruhr" means dysentery in the German language. Its riversides are largely used as recreation areas.

Enlarge picture
The Ruhr valley near Bochum during a flooding

See also

Tributaries of the Rhine
From the left: Vorderrhein | Thur | Tss | Glatt | Aare | Birs | Birsig | Ill | Sauer | Lauter (Wieslauter) | Queich | Speyerbach | Rehbach | Isenach | Eckbach | Eisbach | Pfrimm | Selz | Nahe | Moselle | Nette | Brohlbach | Ahr | Erft | From the right: Hinterrhein | Landquart | Ill | Dornbirner Ach | Bregenzer Ach | Argen | Schussen | Radolfzeller Aach | Wutach | Murg | Wehra | Wiese | Elz | Kinzig | Rench | Acher | Murg | Federbach | Alb | Pfinz | Kraichbach | Saalbach | Neckar | Weschnitz | Modau | Main | Wisper | Lahn | Wied | Sieg | Wupper | Dssel | Ruhr | Emscher | Lippe | Oude IJssel/Issel | Berkel | Schipbeek
 
Ruhr Area, also called simply Ruhr, (German Ruhrgebiet, colloquial Ruhrpott, Kohlenpott or Pott) is an urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, consisting of a number of large formerly industrial cities bordered by the rivers Ruhr to
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RUR can refer to:
  • Rur river in eastern Belgium, western Germany and southern Netherlands (not the Ruhr)
  • R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots), a science fiction play by Karel Čapek
  • Russian ruble before 1997 (currency code RUR, today's ruble is RUB)

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Nordrhein-Westfalen
North Rhine-Westphalia
Flag Coat of arms

Details
Location

Coordinates
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Administration
Country
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Motto
Eendracht maakt macht   (Dutch)
L'union fait la force"   (French)
Einigkeit macht stark
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Motto
"Je maintiendrai"   (French)
"Ik zal handhaven"   (Dutch)
"I shall stand fast"1
Anthem
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Headstream is the origin of water flow that initiates the subject watercourse. It is the start of the river or stream.

The source of a river or stream may be a lake, a marsh, a spring, glacier, or a collection of headwaters.
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The Sauerland is a rural, hilly area spreading across most of the eastern part of North Rhine-Westphalia, heavily forested and sparsely inhabited. It has been chosen as the first place in Germany where the Wisent or European bison will be reintroduced mainly because of its large
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Origin Grisons, Switzerland

Basin countries Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, France, Netherlands
Length 1,320 km (820 mi)
Source elevation Vorderrhein: approx. 2,600 m (8,500 ft)
Hinterrhein: approx. 2,500 m (8,200 ft)

Avg.
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A drainage basin is a region of land where water from rain or snow melt drains downhill into a body of water, such as a river, lake, dam, estuary, wetland, sea or ocean. The drainage basin includes both the streams and rivers that convey the water as well as the land surfaces from
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Anthem
"Das Lied der Deutschen" (third stanza)
also called "Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit"
..... Read more.
Headstream is the origin of water flow that initiates the subject watercourse. It is the start of the river or stream.

The source of a river or stream may be a lake, a marsh, a spring, glacier, or a collection of headwaters.
..... Read more.
In hydrology, the discharge of a river is the volume of water transported by it in a certain amount of time. The unit used is usually m³/s (cubic meters per second, or cumecs). For example, the average discharge of the Rhine river is 2200 m³/s.
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river is a natural waterway that transits water through a landscape from higher to lower elevations. It is an integral component of the water cycle. The water within a river is generally collected from precipitation through surface runoff, groundwater recharge (as seen at baseflow
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Anthem
"Das Lied der Deutschen" (third stanza)
also called "Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit"
..... Read more.
Nordrhein-Westfalen
North Rhine-Westphalia
Flag Coat of arms

Details
Location

Coordinates
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Administration
Country
..... Read more.
Origin Grisons, Switzerland

Basin countries Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, France, Netherlands
Length 1,320 km (820 mi)
Source elevation Vorderrhein: approx. 2,600 m (8,500 ft)
Hinterrhein: approx. 2,500 m (8,200 ft)

Avg.
..... Read more.
Winterberg
Winterberg
Coat of arms Location

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The Sauerland is a rural, hilly area spreading across most of the eastern part of North Rhine-Westphalia, heavily forested and sparsely inhabited. It has been chosen as the first place in Germany where the Wisent or European bison will be reintroduced mainly because of its large
..... Read more.
Origin Grisons, Switzerland

Basin countries Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, France, Netherlands
Length 1,320 km (820 mi)
Source elevation Vorderrhein: approx. 2,600 m (8,500 ft)
Hinterrhein: approx. 2,500 m (8,200 ft)

Avg.
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Duisburg
Schwanentor Bridge
Coat of arms Location

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Muelheim.

Mülheim
Castle Broich in Mülheim
Coat of arms Location

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Thames

The Thames in London


Country | England
Regions | Gloucestershire,Oxfordshire,Berkshire,Buckinghamshire,Surrey,Greater London,Kent

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Meschede
View over Meschede
Coat of arms Location

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Arnsberg
Arnsberg
Coat of arms Location

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Wickede

Coat of arms Location

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Froendenberg.

Fröndenberg

Coat of arms Location

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Holzwickede

Coat of arms Location

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Iserlohn
Bauernkirche

Coat of arms Location

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Schwerte
The church of st. Victor in Schwerte
Coat of arms Location

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Ruhr Area, also called simply Ruhr, (German Ruhrgebiet, colloquial Ruhrpott, Kohlenpott or Pott) is an urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, consisting of a number of large formerly industrial cities bordered by the rivers Ruhr to
..... Read more.