| Innerste | |
|---|---|
The Innerste in Sarstedt. |
|
| Origin | Harz |
| Mouth | Leine |
| Basin countries | Germany |
| Length | 95 km |
| Source elevation | 615 m |
| Avg. discharge | ±10 m³/s |
| Basin area | 1,300 km² |
The Innerste is a river in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a right tributary of the Leine river and 95 km in length.
The name Innerste, in earlier times called the Inste (1805), Inderste (1567), Indistria (1313), Entrista (1065) and Indrista (1013), probably goes back to the Indo-Germanic root oid = turbulent, strong. It may be the name referred to in the name of the battlefield of Idistaviso (16 A.D.). It is therefore not a superlative and is declined without a case ending in German e.g.: Hildesheim liegt an der Innerste, not: an der Innersten.
The river's source is in the Harz mountains, 4 km from the town of Clausthal-Zellerfeld to the Southwest. The place is at an elevation of 615 m, it is called Innerstesprung in German. As a small brook, the Innerste flows to the West and passes a system of lakes the first of which is called Entensumpf.
Having passed Wildemann (390 m), one of the smallest towns in Germany, the Innerste turns to the North to Lautenthal (300 m), another town on its course and flows parallel to an abandoned railway track. Near Lautenthal the Innerste is dammed (the Innerstetalsperre). When the dam was built 1963-1966, a nice lake for holidays and watersports was created. A few kilometers further on, the Innerste leaves the Harz Mountains near the town of Langelsheim (204 m) and turns to the Northwest. The first tributary is river Grane (12 km in length).
From here, the Innerste flows through the Harzvorland, a hilly countryside. Further tributaries are river Nette (42 km in length), river Lamme (21 km in length), river Bruchgraben, river Neile and river Beuster (12 km in length). Some more towns on its course are the southern quarters of Salzgitter and Hildesheim. The Innerste passes Marienburg Castle, the centre of Hildesheim (90 m) and Steuerwald Castle in the North of the City.
In the North of Hildesheim, the Innerste enters the Norddeutsche Tiefebene, a large plain. About 18 km further on, it flows into the Leine near the town of Sarstedt, south of Hanover, at an elevation of 65 m.