Ilm (Thuringia)

Ilm

The Ilm near Langewiesen
Origin Thuringian Forest
Mouth Saale
51°6′17″N 11°40′7″E / 51.10472°N 11.66861°ECoordinates: 51°6′17″N 11°40′7″E / 51.10472°N 11.66861°E
Basin countries Germany
Length 129 km
Basin area 1,043 km²

The Ilm is a river 128.7 kilometers (80.0 mi) long in Thuringia, Germany. It is a left tributary of the Saale, into which it flows in Großheringen near Bad Kösen.

Towns along the Ilm are Ilmenau, Stadtilm, Kranichfeld, Bad Berka, Weimar, Apolda and Bad Sulza.

In the valley of Ilm river runs the federal motorway 87 from Ilmenau to Leipzig and two railways: the Thuringian Railway between Großheringen and Weimar and the Ilm Railway (Ilmbahn) between Kranichfeld and Weimar. Part of the Nuremberg–Erfurt high-speed railway is also being built in the upper part of the valley near Ilmenau.