Radau
 | |
| Radau Waterfall near Bad Harzburg | |
| Location | Lower Saxony,  Germany |
|---|---|
| Reference no. | 48218 |
| Length | 21.1 km [1] |
| Source | Torfhausmoor east of Torfhaus 51°47′56″N 10°32′27″E / 51.79889°N 10.54083°ECoordinates: 51°47′56″N 10°32′27″E / 51.79889°N 10.54083°E |
| Source height | 800 m above sea level (NN) m |
| Mouth | northeast of Vienenburg into the Oker 51°57′29″N 10°34′25″E / 51.95806°N 10.57361°E |
| Basin | Weser |
| Progression | Oker → Aller → Weser → North Sea |
| Catchment | 59.27 km² [1] |
| Discharge[1] | Average mid: 790 l/s |
| Navigable | No |
The Radau is a river in the German state of Lower Saxony and is a right tributary of the Oker.
It rises at around 800 m (2,600 ft) in the Harz mountain range, in a bog known as the Torfhaus Moor (also Radauborn Moor) east of the Torfhaus village in the municipality of Altenau. The river flows northwards through the Radau valley that it has carved out and feeds the 23 m high Radau Waterfall south of Bad Harzburg immediately next to the B 4 federal road. The artificial waterfall was constructed as a tourist attraction in 1859 on behalf of the Duchy of Brunswick State Railway, which had operated the Brunswick–Bad Harzburg railway line since 1841. After passing through Vienenburg, the Radau discharges into the Oker river northeast of the town.
In the Middle Ages the Radau was used for the rafting of logs and wooden palettes stacked with peat. To that end the river was dammed by 6 raft locks. The goods to be rafted, that had previously been dropped in the river, were transported downstream with the additional weight of water.
At the Radau Waterfall is a restaurant and a children's railway integrated into the landscape.
Remarks on pronunciation
- Radau (river): stress on the first syllable
- Radau (German for noise, riot, cf. "row"): stress on the last syllable
Gallery
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The Radau about 100 metres in height above Torfhaus
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The Radau Waterfall frozen in winter
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The Radau in the Kurpark at Bad Harzburg
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The Radau in Bad Harzburg looking upstream