Mulde
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Mulde | |
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Origin | Zwickauer Mulde and Freiberger Mulde |
Mouth | Elbe |
Basin countries | Germany |
Length | 124 km (290 km incl. Zwickauer Mulde) |
Source elevation | 63 m |
The Mulde is a river in Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is a tributary of the Elbe and 124 km in length.
The river is formed by the confluence, near Colditz, of the Zwickauer Mulde (running through Zwickau) and the Freiberger Mulde (with Freiberg on its banks), both rising from the Ore Mountains. From here the river runs northwards to Saxony-Anhalt. It passes Dessau, the old capital of Anhalt, and enters shortly after the Elbe River. In August 2002 a flood caused severe damage, that even endangered the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Dessau-Wörlitzer Gartenreich" and the city Dessau. Especially the cities of Döbeln and Grimma suffered from the damages of the flood.
Its name is derived from Old German (possibly Gothic) "Mulda", meaning "dust" and a cognate of English "mould").