Ruhr valley
| Ruhr | |
|---|---|
The Ruhr in Essen-Kettwig.
|
|
| Country | Germany |
| Basin features | |
| Main source |
Sauerland 674 m (2,211 ft) |
| River mouth |
Rhine 51°27′3″N 6°43′22″E / 51.45083°N 6.72278°ECoordinates: 51°27′3″N 6°43′22″E / 51.45083°N 6.72278°E |
| Basin size | 4,485 km2 (1,732 sq mi) |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Length | 217 km (135 mi) |
| Discharge |
|
The Ruhr is a river in western Germany (North Rhine-Westphalia), a right tributary (east-side) of the Rhine.
The source of the Ruhr is near the town of Winterberg in the mountainous Sauerland region, at an elevation of approximately 2,200 feet (670 m). It flows into the lower Rhine at an elevation of only 56 feet (17 m) in the municipal area of Duisburg. Its total length is 218 km (135 mi), its average discharge is 79 m³/s (cubic metres per second) at Mülheim near its mouth. Thus, its discharge is, for example, comparable to that of the River Ems in Northern Germany or the River Thames in the United Kingdom.
The Ruhr first passes the towns of Meschede, Arnsberg, Wickede, Fröndenberg, Holzwickede, Iserlohn and Schwerte. Then the river marks the southern limit of the Ruhr area, passing Hagen, Dortmund, Herdecke, Wetter, Witten, Bochum, Hattingen, Essen, Mülheim and Duisburg.
The Ruhr area was Germany's primary industrial area during the early- to mid-20th century. Most factories were located there. The occupation of the Ruhr from 1923-24 by French forces, due to the Weimar Republic's failure to continue paying reparations from World War I, provoked passive resistance, which saw production in the factories grind to a halt. As a result, the German hyperinflation crisis grew even worse.
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