The is a
River of north-western
Germany . Formed at
Hannoversch Münden by the confluence of the
Fulda and
Werra rivers, it flows through the historic (
Hanseatic League ) port city of
Bremen and 50 km later it enters the
North Sea at
Bremerhaven , which is also a
Seaport . On the opposite (west) bank is the town of
Nordenham at the foot of the
Butjadingen Penninsula which places the rivers mouth in
Lower Saxony . It has an overall length of 452 km. Together with the
Werra Tributary River which originates in
Thuringia , its length is 744 km.
The top section of the river's course leads through a hilly region called the
Weserbergland . It extends from the confluence of Fulda and Werra to the
Porta Westfalica , where the Weser runs through a gorge between two mountain chains, the
Wiehengebirge in the west and the
Wesergebirge in the east.
Between
Minden and the North Sea, the Weser has largely been
Canalised , permitting ships of up to 1,200 tons to navigate the river. Eight hydroelectric dams are located along its length. Further downstream, the river is linked to the Dortmund-Ems canal via the Küstenkanal, and another canal links the river at
Bremerhaven to the
Elbe River . A large reservoir on the
Eder river, the main tributary of the Fulda, is used to regulate water levels on the Weser so as to ensure adequate depth for shipping throughout the year. The dam, built in 1914, was bombed and destroyed by British planes in February 1943, causing massive loss of life and destruction downstream, but was rebuilt within four months. Today, the reservoir (
Edersee ) is a major summer resort area and provides substantial hydroelectricity.
Towns along the Weser, from the confluence of Werra and Fulda to the mouth are:
Hannoversch Münden ,
Beverungen ,
Höxter ,
Holzminden ,
Bodenwerder ,
Hamelin ,
Hessisch Oldendorf ,
Rinteln ,
Vlotho ,
Bad Oeynhausen ,
Porta Westfalica ,
Minden ,
Petershagen ,
Nienburg ,
Achim ,
Bremen ,
Brake ,
Nordenham ,
Bremerhaven .
The largest tributary of the Weser is the
Aller river, which joins the Weser south of Bremen.
of Weser and Werra (from source to mouth):
]]
The Weser enters the
North Sea in the most southern part of the
German Bight . In the North Sea it splits up into two arms representing the ancient riverbed at the end of the last
Ice Age . These sea-arms are called ''Alte Weser'' (old Weser) and ''Neue Weser'' (new Weser). They represent the major waterways for ships heading for the harbors of
Bremerhaven ,
Nordenham and
Bremen . The most northern site of the Weser is marked by the
Lighthouse ''Alte Weser'' . This lighthouse replaced the historical and famous lighthouse ''
Roter Sand '' in the year 1964.
