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Ruhr


 
 


The Ruhr is a medium-size riverFacts About River

A river is a large natural waterway....
 in western GermanyGermany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in central Europe....
, a right tributary (east-side) of the RhineRhine

The Rhine River is one of the longest and most important rivers in Europe at 1,320 kilometres , with an average discharge o...
. Its source is at an elevation of approximately 2,200 feet (670 m), near the town of WinterbergWinterberg

Winterberg is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany....
 in the mountainous SauerlandSauerland

The Sauerland is a rural, hilly area spreading across most of the east of North Rhine-Westphalia, heavily forested and spars...
 region, and it flows into the lower RhineRhine Summary

The Rhine River is one of the longest and most important rivers in Europe at 1,320 kilometres , with an average discharge o...
 river at an elevation of only 56 feet (17 m) in the municipal area of DuisburgDuisburg

Duisburg is a German city in the western part of the Ruhr Area in North Rhine-Westphalia....
. Its total length is 217 km (135 miles), its average discharge is 79 m³/s (cubic metres per second) at MülheimMülheim

Mlheim an der Ruhr, also called "City on the River", is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany....
 near its mouth. Thus, its discharge is, for example, comparable to that of the EmsEms

The Ems is a river in northwestern Germany and northeastern Netherlands....
 river in Northern Germany or the Thames river in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom Summary

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country and sovereign state that lies off the northwest coast...
.
TownsThe Ruhr first passes the towns of MeschedeMeschede

Meschede is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany....
, ArnsbergArnsberg

Arnsberg is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany....
, WickedeWickede

Wickede is a village and a municipality in the district of Soest, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany....
, FröndenbergFröndenberg

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

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

Iserlohn is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany....
 and SchwerteSchwerte

Schwerte is a city in Germany, located in the district of Unna, in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr Are...
.

Then the river marks the southern limit of the Ruhr areaRuhr Area Overview

The Ruhr Area, also called simply Ruhr, is an urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, consisting of a number of...
, passing HagenHagen

Hagen is the 37th largest city in Germany, located in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia....
, DortmundDortmund

Dortmund is a city in Germany, located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area....
, HerdeckeHerdecke

Herdecke is a municipality in the district of Ennepe-Ruhr, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany....
, WetterFacts About 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....
, Witten, BochumBochum

Bochum is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany....
, HattingenFacts About Hattingen

Hattingen is a German municipality in the district of Ennepe-Ruhr in North Rhine-Westphalia. ...
, EssenEssen

Essen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany....
, MülheimMülheim

Mlheim an der Ruhr, also called "City on the River", is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany....
 and DuisburgDuisburg

Duisburg is a German city in the western part of the Ruhr Area in North Rhine-Westphalia....
.

The Ruhr was Germany's main industrial zone during the early 1900s.






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Timeline

1919   March 31 — General strike begins in the Ruhr

1920   German army marches to Ruhr to fight Red Ruhr Army.






Encyclopedia




The Ruhr is a medium-size riverFacts About River

A river is a large natural waterway....
 in western GermanyGermany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in central Europe....
, a right tributary (east-side) of the RhineRhine

The Rhine River is one of the longest and most important rivers in Europe at 1,320 kilometres , with an average discharge o...
. Its source is at an elevation of approximately 2,200 feet (670 m), near the town of WinterbergWinterberg

Winterberg is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany....
 in the mountainous SauerlandSauerland

The Sauerland is a rural, hilly area spreading across most of the east of North Rhine-Westphalia, heavily forested and spars...
 region, and it flows into the lower RhineRhine Summary

The Rhine River is one of the longest and most important rivers in Europe at 1,320 kilometres , with an average discharge o...
 river at an elevation of only 56 feet (17 m) in the municipal area of DuisburgDuisburg

Duisburg is a German city in the western part of the Ruhr Area in North Rhine-Westphalia....
. Its total length is 217 km (135 miles), its average discharge is 79 m³/s (cubic metres per second) at MülheimMülheim

Mlheim an der Ruhr, also called "City on the River", is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany....
 near its mouth. Thus, its discharge is, for example, comparable to that of the EmsEms

The Ems is a river in northwestern Germany and northeastern Netherlands....
 river in Northern Germany or the Thames river in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom Summary

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country and sovereign state that lies off the northwest coast...
.

Towns

The Ruhr first passes the towns of MeschedeMeschede

Meschede is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany....
, ArnsbergArnsberg

Arnsberg is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany....
, WickedeWickede

Wickede is a village and a municipality in the district of Soest, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany....
, FröndenbergFröndenberg

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

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

Iserlohn is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany....
 and SchwerteSchwerte

Schwerte is a city in Germany, located in the district of Unna, in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr Are...
.

Then the river marks the southern limit of the Ruhr areaRuhr Area Overview

The Ruhr Area, also called simply Ruhr, is an urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, consisting of a number of...
, passing HagenHagen

Hagen is the 37th largest city in Germany, located in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia....
, DortmundDortmund

Dortmund is a city in Germany, located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area....
, HerdeckeHerdecke

Herdecke is a municipality in the district of Ennepe-Ruhr, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany....
, WetterFacts About 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....
, Witten, BochumBochum

Bochum is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany....
, HattingenFacts About Hattingen

Hattingen is a German municipality in the district of Ennepe-Ruhr in North Rhine-Westphalia. ...
, EssenEssen

Essen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany....
, MülheimMülheim

Mlheim an der Ruhr, also called "City on the River", is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany....
 and DuisburgDuisburg

Duisburg is a German city in the western part of the Ruhr Area in North Rhine-Westphalia....
.

The Ruhr 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 hyperinflationHyperinflation

In economics, hyperinflation is inflation that is "out of control", a condition in which prices increase rapidly as a curren...
 crisis grew even worse.

Lakes

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

  • HengsteyseeHengsteysee

    The Hengsteysee is a reservoir on the Ruhr river between the cities of Hagen, Dortmund and Herdecke, North Rhine-Westphalia,...
     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-WerdenEssen-Werden

    In 1910, Werden, Prussia was a town with 11,741 residents located 17 miles northeast of Dsseldorf on the Ruhr....
    ; 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 dysenteryDysentery Overview

Dysentery is an illness involving severe diarrhea that is often associated with blood in the feces....
 in the German language. Its riversides are largely characterized by open spaces and parkland, thus being used as recreation areas.

See also

  • Ruhr AreaRuhr Area

    The Ruhr Area, also called simply Ruhr, is an urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, consisting of a number of...
  • Occupation of the RuhrOccupation of the Ruhr

    The Occupation of the Ruhr in 1923 and 1924, by troops from France and Belgium was a response to the failure of German Weima...
     (1923–1924)
  • Nearby rivers: RhineRhine

    The Rhine River is one of the longest and most important rivers in Europe at 1,320 kilometres , with an average discharge o...
    , Lippe RiverLippe River

    The Lippe is a river in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany....
    , EmscherEmscher

    The Emscher is a relatively small river flowing through the Ruhr area in North Rhine-Westphalia in western Germany....
    .