thumb|50pxThe
Weser () 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.
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 is linked to 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 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 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.
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.
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