hidden pixel

Weser Information

The Weser (German pronunciation: [ˈveːzɐ]) is a river in north-western Germany. Formed at Hann. Münden by (the confluence of) the Fulda and Werra, it flows through Lower Saxony, then reaching the historic (Hanseatic League) port city of Bremen before emptying into the North Sea 50 km further north at Bremerhaven, which is also a seaport. On the opposite (west) bank is the town of Nordenham at the foot of the Butjadingen Peninsula; thus, the mouth of the river is located in Lower Saxony. The Weser has an overall length of 452 km. Together with its Werra tributary, which originates in Thuringia, its length is 744 km.

Contents

Etymology

Linguistically, the name of both rivers, Weser and Werra, goes back to the same source, the differentiation being caused by the old linguistic border between Upper und Lower German, which touched the region of Hannoversch Münden.

The name Weser parallels the names of other rivers such as the Wear in England and the Vistula in Poland, all of which are ultimately derived from the root *weis- "to flow", which gave Old English/Old Frisian wāse "mud, ooze", Old Norse veisa "slime, stagnant pool", Dutch waas "lawn", Old Saxon waso "wet ground, mire", and Old High German wasal "rain".

Course

The Weser river is the longest German river to reach the sea the course of which lies entirely within the national territory.

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. It is linked to the Dortmund-Ems Canal via the Coastal Canal, 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 aircraft in May 1943, causing massive destruction and approximately 70 deaths downstream, but was rebuilt within four months. Today, the Edersee reservoir is a major summer resort area and provides substantial hydroelectricity.

Alte Weser Lighthouse

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.

Tributaries

The largest tributary of the Weser is the Aller, which joins south of Bremen. The tributaries of the Weser and the Werra (from source to mouth) are:

Left

Right

Notable towns

Towns along the Weser, from the confluence of Werra and Fulda to the mouth, include: Hann. Münden, Beverungen, Höxter, Holzminden, Bodenwerder, Hameln, Hessisch Oldendorf, Rinteln, Vlotho, Bad Oeynhausen, Porta Westfalica, Minden, Petershagen, Nienburg, Achim, Bremen, Brake, Nordenham, Bremerhaven.

Sources

Origin of the name

Geology

Archaeology

History

Description

Wikisource has the text of the 1905 New International Encyclopedia article Weser.

Categories: Weser drainage basin | Rivers of Lower Saxony | Geography of Bremen | North Sea | Weser

 

The above information uses material from Wikipedia and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Some facts may not have been fully verified for accuracy. [Disclaimers]
This page was last archived by our server on Sun Dec 18 13:16:52 2011.
Displaying this page or its contents does not use any Wikimedia Foundation's resources.
The owners of this site proudly support the Wikimedia Foundation.


weserstadion jpg
tobias-rahlf.de
weserstadion jpg
340px x 507px | 69.20kB

[source page]

Vor ein einigen Jahren stand dort noch eine komplett andere Kurve Das Internat die Bueros den Ostkurvensall und Co gab es damals noch nicht Nur eine riesige Stehplatzgeschichte http www tobias rahlf de auswaerts weserstadion jpg Aelter als 20 Jahre duerfte die ost auf keinen Fall sein oder

Google Images Search: weser,
Sun Dec 18 13:16:55 2011