Weser · Lablypedia

The Weser begins at Hannoversch Münden through the confluence of the Werra and Fulda. It passes through the Hanseatic city of Bremen. Its mouth is 50 km (31 mi) further north opposite the ports of Bremerhaven and Nordenham. The latter is on the Butjadingen Peninsula. It then merges into the North Sea via two highly saline, estuarine mouths.

It connects to the canal network running east–west across the North German Plain.

The river, when combined with the Werra (a dialectal form of Weser), is 744 km (462 mi) long and thus, the longest river entirely situated within Germany (the Main, however, is the longest if the Weser-Werra are considered separate). The Weser itself is 452 km (281 mi) long. The Werra rises in Thuringia, the German state south of the main projection (tongue) of Lower Saxony.

Etymology

"Weser" and "Werra" are the same words in different dialects. The difference reflects the old linguistic border between Central and Low German, passing through Hannoversch Münden.

The name likely derives from the Old Germanic *waisōn "flow, ooze". It is cognate with the Wear in England and Vistula (Polish Wisła, German Weichsel) in Poland, all of which are derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *weys- "to flow", which also gives rise to Old English/Old Frisian wāse "mud, ooze", Old Norse veisa "slime, stagnant pool", Dutch waas "haze; soggy land" (see Waasland), Old Saxon waso "wet ground, mire", Old High German wasal "rain", and French vase "mud, sludge".

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Course

The Weser starts at the confluence of the Fulda and the Werra. It then runs down to the Porta Westfalica between two high hill ranges, the ⁣⁣Wiehengebirge⁣⁣ in the west and the Weserbergland in the east.

Between Minden and the North Sea, the river has been largely canalised up to a limit of 1,200-ton ships. Eight hydroelectric dams stand at the ends of adjacent weir streams that make up the river. The navigation is linked west to the Dortmund–Ems Canal via the Coastal Canal. It is linked east at Bremerhaven to the Elbe.

A large reservoir, the Edersee, on the Eder, the main tributary of the Fulda, is used to allow enough water depth for shipping year-round. The dam, built in 1914, was bombed and severely damaged by British aircraft in May 1943, causing great destruction and about 70 deaths downstream. It was rebuilt within four months. The reservoir is a major summer resort area. Turbines driven by its sluices provide electricity.

The Weser enters the North Sea in the southernmost part of the German Bight. In the sea it splits into two arms –the riverbed at the end of the last ice age. These sea arms are called Alte Weser (old Weser) and Neue Weser (new Weser). They are the waterways for ships heading for the ports of Bremerhaven, Nordenham, and Bremen. The Alte Weser Lighthouse marks the northernmost point of the Weser. This replaced the Roter Sand Lighthouse in 1964.

Weser deepening

Since the 19th century, the Weser has been deepened twelve times by humans. This caused severe ecological damage to the river.

With each deepening, the tides were altered by the faster inflow of North Sea tides. This increases the risk of flooding along the river.

Tributaries

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) are:

Modes of the list:

Listed upstream, but sides seen with the flow
Distances ("km …") from the hydrographical limit towards the sea
- "II", "III"and "IV" mark distances of secondary/tertiary tributaries from the confluence with the Weser etc.
After the names, lengths and basin sizes are given.
Lengths with longer affluents are given behind the slash lengths including an upper course with another name with "or"

List:

km 19, right: Geeste (in Bremerhaven), 42.5 km, 338 km²
km 33, right: Lune, 43 km, 383 km²
km 35.9, right: Drepte, 37.6 km, 101 km²
km 52.8, left: Hunte, 189 km, 2.785 km²
- II: km 125.7: Lake Dümmer
km 67.6, right: Lesum, 9.9 or 131.5, 2,188 km²
- II: km 9.9, right Hamme, 48.5 km, 549 km²
- ↑ main stream: Wümme, 118 / 120, 1,585 km²
km 72.5, left: Ochtum, 25.6 or 45 km, 917 km²
- II: km 25.6: left Hache, 33 km, 118 km²
km 125.6, right: Aller, 260 km, 15,744 km²
- II: km 63.6, left: Leine, 278 km, 5,617 km², stronger than river Aller above
  - III: km 112.7, right: Innerste, 99.7 km, 1,264 km²
  - III: km 192.8, right: Rhume, 44 km, 1,193 km², stronger than river Leine above
  - IV: km 15.6, right: Oder, 56 km, 385 km², headwater of the strongest waterway of Aller system
- II: km 97.3, right: Örtze, 62 / 70 km, 760 km²
- II: km 140.7, left: Oker, 218 km, 1822 km², stronger than river Aller above
km 184.6, right: Steinhuder Meerbach
- ↑ km II: 29 lake Steinhuder Meer
km 188.7, left: Große Aue, 84.5 km, 1,522 km²
km 261.3, left: Werre, 71.9 km, 1485 km²
- II: km 12.7, left: Else, 34.6 km, 416 km², branch of the Hase, an affluent of Ems
km 287.7, left: Exter, 26.1 km, 109 km²
km 323.3, left: Emmer, 61.8 km, 535 km²
km 387.5, left: Nethe, 50.4 km, 460 km²
km 406.5, left: Diemel, 110.5 km, 1,762 km²
km 451.5, left: Fulda, 220.4 km, 6.947 km²

II: km 45.3, left: Eder, 176.1 km, 3,361 km², headwater of the strongest waterway of Weser system

III: km 17.1, left: Schwalm, 97.1 km, 1.299 km²

↑ III: km 49.4–70.5: Edersee reservoir

II: 120.1, right: Haune, 66.5 km, 500 km²

↑ main stream above km 451.5: Werra, 299.6 km, 5.497 km²
km 566.5, right: Hörsel, 55.2 or 64.3, 784 km²
- km 9.8, right: Nesse, 54.5 km, 426 km²
km 513.1, left: Ulster, 57.2 km, 421 km²
km 604.4, right: Schleuse, 34.2 km, 283 km²

Notable towns

Main towns along the Weser are (from the head of the river to its mouth): Hann. Münden, Beverungen, Höxter, Holzminden, Bodenwerder, Hamelin, Hessisch Oldendorf, Rinteln, Vlotho, Bad Oeynhausen, Porta Westfalica, Minden, Petershagen, Nienburg, Achim, Bremen, Brake, Nordenham, and Bremerhaven.

Popular culture

The river features in the legend and folk tale the Pied Piper of Hamelin.