The is a river in
Thuringia and
Lower Saxony ,
Germany . It is a tributary of the
Aller river and 271 km in length.
The river's source is located close to the town of
Leinefelde in Thuringia. Forty kilometers downriver, the river enters Lower Saxony and runs northwards. Important towns on the course are
Göttingen ,
Alfeld and
Gronau , before the river enters
Hanover , the largest city on its banks. Some forty kilometers north of Hanover the river joins the Aller. Although the river occasionally over-floods its banks, damage is usually nominal. Only in its northern reaches is it navigable, though in the past it served as a transportation artery as far up river as Göttingen. The river is somewhat polluted and not used for drinking water but not so much as to prevent fish from living in it.
At at least one point (Göttingen) the river is partially diverted into a canal that runs more or less parallel to the river.
