Weser River
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Orthographic projection centred over Bremen |
The
Weser is a
river in north-western
Germany. Formed at
Hannoversch Münden by the confluence of the
Fulda and
Werra, it flows through the historic (
Hanseatic League) port city of
Bremen and 50 km later it enters the
North Sea at
Bremerhaven, which is also a
seaport. On the opposite (west) bank is the town of
Nordenham at the foot of the
Butjadingen Peninsula, which places the rivers mouth in
Lower Saxony. It has an overall length of 452 km. Together with its
Werra tributary, which originates in
Thuringia, its length is 744 km.
The top section of its course leads through a hilly region called the
Weserbergland. It extends from the confluence of the Fulda and the Werra to the
Porta Westfalica, where it runs through a gorge between two mountain chains, the
Wiehengebirge in the west and the
Weserbergland in the east.
Between
Minden and the North Sea, it has largely been
canalised, permitting ships of up to 1,200 tons to navigate it. Eight hydroelectric dams are located along its length. Further downstream, it is linked to the Dortmund-Ems canal via the Küstenkanal, and another canal links it at
Bremerhaven to the
Elbe River. A large reservoir on the
Eder river, the main tributary of the Fulda, is used to regulate water levels on the Weser so as to ensure adequate depth for shipping throughout the year. The dam, built in 1914, was bombed and destroyed by British planes in February 1943, causing massive loss of life and destruction downstream, but was rebuilt within four months. Today, the
Edersee reservoir is a major summer resort area and provides substantial hydroelectricity.
Towns along the Weser, from the confluence of Werra and Fulda to the mouth, are:
Hannoversch Münden,
Beverungen,
Höxter,
Holzminden,
Bodenwerder,
Hamelin,
Hessisch Oldendorf,
Rinteln,
Vlotho,
Bad Oeynhausen,
Porta Westfalica,
Minden,
Petershagen,
Nienburg,
Achim,
Bremen,
Brake,
Nordenham,
Bremerhaven.
The largest tributary of the Weser is the
Aller, which joins south of Bremen.
Tributaries of the Weser and the Werra (from source to mouth):
* Left
**
Ulster**
Fulda, with
Eder**
Diemel**
Große Aue**
Hunte* Right
**
Nesse**
Aller**
Lesum (Wümme)The Weser enters the
North Sea in the southernmost part of the
German Bight. In the North Sea it splits up into two arms representing the ancient riverbed at the end of the last
ice age. These sea-arms are called
Alte Weser (old Weser) and
Neue Weser (new Weser). They represent the major waterways for ships heading for the harbors of
Bremerhaven,
Nordenham and
Bremen. The northernmost point of the Weser is marked by the
Alte Weser lighthouse. This lighthouse replaced the historic and famous
Roter Sand lighthouse in 1964.
*
Pictures of the Weser
