| Rur | |
|---|---|
The Rur between Monschau and Dedenborn |
|
| Origin | Hautes Fagnes |
| Mouth | Meuse |
| Basin countries | Germany, Netherlands, Belgium |
| Length | ±170 km |
| Source elevation | 660 m |
| Mouth elevation | 17 m |
| Basin area | 2,340 km² |
The Rur (German; in Dutch and French: Roer), — not to be confused with the Ruhr — is a river which flows through portions of Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. It is a right (eastern) tributary to the river Meuse. About 90% of the river is in Germany.
Contents |
The Rur rises in the Hautes Fagnes/Hohes Venn National Park, near the 696 meter-tall Signal de Botrange in Belgium at an altitude of 660m. South of Monschau it flows into Germany, through North Rhine-Westphalia. It flows first through the northern part of the Eifel hills.
After 39 km it reaches the Rurstausee, the second-largest artificial lake in Germany. After approx. 160 km it flows into the Netherlands, and at its 170 km mark it flows into the river Meuse at the city of Roermond.
Major tributaries of the river Rur include the Inde and the Wurm. Cities along the Rur are Monschau, Heimbach, Nideggen, Düren, Jülich, Linnich, Hückelhoven, Heinsberg (all in Germany) and Roermond (Netherlands).
The Rur represented an important front in the Allied push towards Germany at the end of the Second World War. Between 16 December 1944 and 23 February 1945, the U.S. Ninth Army was unable to advance across the Rur because German forces controlled dams close to the river's source in the densely forested region of the Hohes Venn. This meant Axis forces could potentially blow the dams, releasing enough water to wash out an Allied assault. At the same time, the German Ardennes Offensive meant any further westward push would leave Allied forces stretched and supply lines exposed. Eventually the counteroffensive was overwhelmed and German engineers, under pressure of aerial and artillery bombardment, released the dams. As the flood waters began to subside, Allied forces crossed the Rur in rafts in the early hours of February 23, 1945, as part of Operation Grenade.
From 1795 until 1815, when Belgium, the Netherlands and parts of Germany were incorporated into France, there was a département named after the river Rur, see Roer (département). From Heimbach to Linnich, the tracks of the Rurtalbahn (Rur Valley Railway) run along the river.