The
Lielupe River (
literally:
Large River, , ) is a river in
Latvia. Its length is 119 km (the length would reach 310 km if the
Mēmele River would be counted as part of the Lielupe). The surface area of its basin is 17,600
km².
Lielupe river near Jelgava, Latvia.
The Lielupe begins at the confluence of the Mēmele and
Mūsa Rivers near
Bauska. At its lower reaches the river flows parallel to the coast line of the
Gulf of Riga; the city of
Jūrmala stretches for almost 30 km between the river and the sea. Eventually Lielupe flows into the Baltic Sea, while Buļļupe branch () flows into the
Daugava River. The modern outfall appeared in 1755, until then the Buļļupe was the main channel.
About 50-55% of the water discharge of the river is from melted snow. The Lielupe is navigable for a range of 100 km, the longest continuous range among Latvian rivers. Municipalities along the river include
Bauska,
Mežotne,
Jelgava,
Kalnciems,
Jūrmala and
Riga.
Lielupe is also the name of a railway station and a neighbourhood in Jūrmala.
