- Ruhr
Infobox River | river_name = Ruhr
caption = The Ruhr inEssen-Kettwig .
origin =Sauerland
mouth =Rhine
basin_countries =Germany
length = 217 km
elevation = 674 m
discharge = 79 m³/s
watershed = 4,485 km²The Ruhr is a medium-size
river in westernGermany (North Rhine-Westphalia ), a right tributary (east-side) of theRhine . Its source is at an elevation of approximately 2,200 feet (670 m), near the town ofWinterberg in the mountainousSauerland region, and it flows into the lowerRhine river at an elevation of only 56 feet (17 m) in the municipal area ofDuisburg . Its total length is 217 km (135 miles), its average discharge is 79 m³/s (cubic metres per second) atMülheim near its mouth. Thus, its discharge is, for example, comparable to that of theEms river in Northern Germany or theThames river in theUnited Kingdom .Towns
The Ruhr first passes the towns of
Meschede ,Arnsberg ,Wickede ,Fröndenberg ,Holzwickede ,Iserlohn andSchwerte .Then the river marks the southern limit of the
Ruhr area , passingHagen ,Dortmund ,Herdecke , Wetter, Witten,Bochum ,Hattingen ,Essen ,Mülheim andDuisburg .The Ruhr was Germany's main industrial zone during the early 1900s. Most factories were located there. Occupation of the Ruhr in the 1920s by French forces caused
Passive Resistance , which saw production in the factories grind to a halt. As a result, thehyperinflation crisis grew even worse.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 inEssen-Werden ; Area of the surface: 2.64 km², height of the weir 8.5m
* Kettwiger See inEssen-Kettwig ; Area of the surface: 0.55 km², height of the weir 6mThe 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 contains a certain linguistic irony, since the word "Ruhr" means
dysentery in the German language. Its riversides are largely characterized by open spaces and parkland, thus being used as recreation areas.ee also
*
Ruhr Area
*Occupation of the Ruhr (1923–1924)
*Nearby rivers:Rhine ,Lippe River ,Emscher .
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.