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The Ruhr is a medium-size river
River

A river is a natural stream of water, usually freshwater, flowing toward an ocean, a lake, or another stream. In some cases a river flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water....
 in western Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
 (North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia

North Rhine - Westphalia is the westernmost and - in terms of population and economic output - the largest States of Germany of Germany. North Rhine - Westphalia has over 18 million inhabitants, contributes about 22% of Germany's gross domestic product and comprises a land area of 34,083 km? ....
), a right tributary (east-side) of the Rhine
Rhine

File:Swiss Grand Canyon.jpgThe Rhine is one of the longest and most important rivers in Europe, at , with an average discharge of more than ....
.

source of the Ruhr is at an elevation of approximately 2,200 feet (670 m), near the town of Winterberg
Winterberg

Winterberg is a town in the Hochsauerland district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany....
 in the mountainous Sauerland
Sauerland

The Sauerland is a rural, hilly area spreading across most of the south-eastern part of North Rhine-Westphalia, in parts heavily forested and, apart from the major valleys, sparsely inhabited....
 region, and it flows into the lower Rhine
Rhine

File:Swiss Grand Canyon.jpgThe Rhine is one of the longest and most important rivers in Europe, at , with an average discharge of more than ....
 river at an elevation of only 56 feet (17 m) in the municipal area of Duisburg
Duisburg

Duisburg is a Germany city in the western part of the Ruhr Area in North Rhine-Westphalia. It is an independent metropolitan borough within D?sseldorf ....
. Its total length is 217 km (135 miles), its average discharge is 79 m³/s (cubic metres per second) at Mülheim
Mülheim

M?lheim an der Ruhr, also called "City on the River", is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. It is located in the Ruhr area between Duisburg and Essen, Germany, bordering to the south of the City of Oberhausen and 30 km to the north-east of D?sseldorf....
 near its mouth.






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The Ruhr is a medium-size river
River

A river is a natural stream of water, usually freshwater, flowing toward an ocean, a lake, or another stream. In some cases a river flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water....
 in western Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
 (North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia

North Rhine - Westphalia is the westernmost and - in terms of population and economic output - the largest States of Germany of Germany. North Rhine - Westphalia has over 18 million inhabitants, contributes about 22% of Germany's gross domestic product and comprises a land area of 34,083 km? ....
), a right tributary (east-side) of the Rhine
Rhine

File:Swiss Grand Canyon.jpgThe Rhine is one of the longest and most important rivers in Europe, at , with an average discharge of more than ....
.

Description

The source of the Ruhr is at an elevation of approximately 2,200 feet (670 m), near the town of Winterberg
Winterberg

Winterberg is a town in the Hochsauerland district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany....
 in the mountainous Sauerland
Sauerland

The Sauerland is a rural, hilly area spreading across most of the south-eastern part of North Rhine-Westphalia, in parts heavily forested and, apart from the major valleys, sparsely inhabited....
 region, and it flows into the lower Rhine
Rhine

File:Swiss Grand Canyon.jpgThe Rhine is one of the longest and most important rivers in Europe, at , with an average discharge of more than ....
 river at an elevation of only 56 feet (17 m) in the municipal area of Duisburg
Duisburg

Duisburg is a Germany city in the western part of the Ruhr Area in North Rhine-Westphalia. It is an independent metropolitan borough within D?sseldorf ....
. Its total length is 217 km (135 miles), its average discharge is 79 m³/s (cubic metres per second) at Mülheim
Mülheim

M?lheim an der Ruhr, also called "City on the River", is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. It is located in the Ruhr area between Duisburg and Essen, Germany, bordering to the south of the City of Oberhausen and 30 km to the north-east of D?sseldorf....
 near its mouth. Thus, its discharge is, for example, comparable to that of the Ems
Ems

The Ems is a river in northwestern Germany and northeastern Netherlands. It runs through the States of Germany of North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony it parallels the state border between the Lower Saxon area of East Friesland and the province of Groningen , on the German side of the border....
 river in Northern Germany or the Thames river in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
.

Towns

The Ruhr first passes the towns of Meschede
Meschede

Meschede is a town in the Hochsauerland district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the district Hochsauerlandkreis....
, Arnsberg
Arnsberg

Arnsberg is a town in the Hochsauerland district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the location of the Regierungsbezirk Arnsberg 's administration and one of the three local administration offices of the Hochsauerlandkreis....
, Wickede
Wickede

Wickede is a municipality in the Soest , in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany....
, Fröndenberg
Fröndenberg

Fr?ndenberg is a town in the district of Unna , in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany....
, Holzwickede
Holzwickede

Holzwickede is a municipality in the district of Unna in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany....
, Iserlohn
Iserlohn

Iserlohn is a city in the M?rkischer Kreis district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the largest city by population and area within the district and the Sauerland region....
 and Schwerte
Schwerte

Schwerte is a town in the Unna , in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany....
.

Then the river marks the southern limit of the Ruhr area
Ruhr Area

The Ruhr Area, is an urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With 4435 km? and a population of some 5.3 million, it is the largest urban agglomeration in Germany....
, passing Hagen
Hagen

Hagen is the 37th-largest city in Germany, located in the States of Germany of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located on the eastern edge of the Ruhr area, 15 km south of Dortmund, where the rivers Lenne, Volme and Ennepe meet the river Ruhr....
, Dortmund
Dortmund

Dortmund is a city in Germany, located in the States of Germany of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 587,830 makes it the largest city in the region, 7th-largest in Germany, and 34th-largest in the European Union....
, Herdecke
Herdecke

Herdecke is a town in the district of Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. Its located south of Dortmund in the Ruhr Area and is known as Die Stadt zwischen den Ruhrseen ....
, Wetter
Wetter (Ruhr)

Wetter is a town in western Germany and belongs to the area of Ruhr area and the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Wetter belongs to the district of Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis....
, Witten, Bochum
Bochum

Bochum is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, western Germany. It is located in the Ruhr area and surrounded by the cities of Essen, Germany, Gelsenkirchen, Herne, Castrop-Rauxel, Dortmund, Witten and Hattingen....
, Hattingen
Hattingen

Hattingen is a Germany town located in northern part of the Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis district, in North Rhine-Westphalia....
, Essen
Essen

Essen is a city in the center of the Ruhr Area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Located on the Ruhr River, its population of approximately 579,000 makes it the 7th- or 8th-largest-city in Germany....
, Mülheim
Mülheim

M?lheim an der Ruhr, also called "City on the River", is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. It is located in the Ruhr area between Duisburg and Essen, Germany, bordering to the south of the City of Oberhausen and 30 km to the north-east of D?sseldorf....
 and Duisburg
Duisburg

Duisburg is a Germany city in the western part of the Ruhr Area in North Rhine-Westphalia. It is an independent metropolitan borough within D?sseldorf ....
.

The Ruhr Area
Ruhr Area

The Ruhr Area, is an urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With 4435 km? and a population of some 5.3 million, it is the largest urban agglomeration in Germany....
 was Germany's main industrial zone during the early 1900s. Most factories were located there. Occupation of the Ruhr in the 1920s by French forces caused Passive Resistance, which saw production in the factories grind to a halt. As a result, the hyperinflation
Hyperinflation

File:Bundesarchiv Bild 102-00104, Inflation, Tapezieren mit Geldscheinen.jpgIn economics, hyperinflation is inflation that is very high or "out of control", a condition in which prices increase rapidly as a currency loses its value....
 crisis grew even worse.

Lakes

There are five Ruhr reservoirs on the river, often used for leisure activities.

  • Hengsteysee
    Hengsteysee

    The Hengsteysee is a Reservoir on the Ruhr river between the cities of Hagen, Dortmund and Herdecke, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was built in 1929 and is one of five reservoirs on the Ruhr....
     between Dortmund and Hagen, Area of the surface: 1.36km² height of the weir 4.5m
  • Harkortsee between Hagen Herdecke and Wetter; Area of the surface: 1.37km², height of the weir 7.8m
  • Kemnader See between Witten and Bochum; Area of the surface: 1.25 km², height of the weir 2m
  • Baldeneysee in Essen-Werden
    Essen-Werden

    Werden is a borough of the city of Essen in Germany. It belongs to the city district IX Werden/Kettwig/Bredeney and has 9,998 inhabitants as of June 30, 2006....
    ; Area of the surface: 2.64 km², height of the weir 8.5m
  • Kettwiger See in Essen-Kettwig; Area of the surface: 0.55 km², height of the weir 6m


The adjacent major industrial region adopted its name from this river.

The Ruhr is used for the preparation of drinking water and has a good water quality, which contains a certain linguistic irony, since the word "Ruhr" means dysentery
Dysentery

Dysentery is a disorder of the digestive system that results in severe diarrhea containing mucus and/or blood in the feces. If untreated, Dysentery can be fatal....
 in the German language. Its riversides are largely characterized by open spaces and parkland, thus being used as recreation areas.

Ruhr Flut

See also

  • Ruhr Area
    Ruhr Area

    The Ruhr Area, is an urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With 4435 km? and a population of some 5.3 million, it is the largest urban agglomeration in Germany....
  • Occupation of the Ruhr
    Occupation of the Ruhr

    The Occupation of the Rhineland gave the French and Belgian armies the springboard from which it was easy to undertake the occupation of the Ruhr Area....
     (1923–1924)
  • Nearby rivers: Rhine
    Rhine

    File:Swiss Grand Canyon.jpgThe Rhine is one of the longest and most important rivers in Europe, at , with an average discharge of more than ....
    , Lippe River
    Lippe River

    The Lippe is a river in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is a right tributary of the Rhine and 255 km in length.The source is located at the edge of the Teutoburg Forest in Bad Lippspringe close to the city of Paderborn....
    , Emscher
    Emscher

    The Emscher is a relatively small river and tributary of the Rhine, flowing through the Ruhr area in North Rhine-Westphalia in western Germany. Its total length is 84km with an average discharge near the mouth into the lower Rhine of 16 m?/s ....
    .


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