Weser

The Weser is the longest river that flows completely within Germany. It starts in the Thuringian Forest and travels all the way to the North Sea, where it reaches the ocean near Bremerhaven.

The river begins at Hannoversch Münden where two smaller rivers, the Werra and the Fulda, join together. As it flows, the Weser passes by the important Hanseatic city of Bremen. The river ends about 50 kilometers north of Bremen, close to the ports of Bremerhaven and Nordenham. Nordenham lies on the Butjadingen Peninsula, and the Weser then spreads out into the North Sea through two salty, wide openings.

Together with the Werra, the Weser measures 744 kilometers, making it the longest river completely inside Germany. By itself, the Weser is 452 kilometers long. The Werra starts in the German state of Thuringia, just south of the main part of Lower Saxony.

Etymology

The names "Weser" and "Werra" come from different dialects and show an old language border between Central and Low German, near the town of Hannoversch Münden.

The name likely comes from an old Germanic word meaning "flow" or "ooze". It is related to river names in other places, like the Wear in England and the Vistula in Poland. All these names share a common root meaning "to flow".

Course

The Weser starts where the Fulda and the Werra rivers meet. It then flows down to the Porta Westfalica, which lies between two high hill ranges, the ⁣⁣Wiehengebirge⁣⁣ in the west and the Weserbergland in the east.

Between Minden and the North Sea, people have made the river mostly straight for big ships. There are eight places where the river is held back to create power and control the water. The river connects to other waterways, going west to the Dortmund–Ems Canal through the Coastal Canal, and east to the Elbe near Bremerhaven.

A big lake called the Edersee helps keep enough water in the river for ships all year. The dam there was damaged long ago but was fixed quickly. This lake is also a popular place to visit in the summer, and it helps make electricity.

The Weser flows into the North Sea at the southern part of the German Bight. In the sea, it splits into two parts called Alte Weser (old Weser) and Neue Weser (new Weser). These are the paths ships use to reach the ports of Bremerhaven, Nordenham, and Bremen. The Alte Weser Lighthouse shows the northernmost point of the Weser. It replaced the Roter Sand Lighthouse in 1964.

Weser deepening

Since the 1800s, people have made the Weser River deeper twelve times. This has hurt the river's plants and animals a lot.

Making the river deeper also changed the tides, letting the North Sea tides flow in faster. This makes flooding more likely along the river.

Tributaries

The Weser River has many smaller rivers that flow into it, called tributaries. The largest one is the Aller, which joins the Weser south of Bremen. Other important tributaries include the Hunte, Lesum, Ochtum, and Fulda.

Notable towns

Main towns along the Weser, from the start of the river to where it meets the sea, are 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 Weser River plays a part in the famous story and folk tale called the Pied Piper of Hamelin. This tale is well-known and has been told for many years.