The Wurm (; nl, Worm ) is a

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of ...

in the state of

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inha ...

in western

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

. It rises in the

Eifel mountains The Eifel (; lb, Äifel, ) is a low mountain range in western Germany and eastern Belgium. It occupies parts of southwestern North Rhine-Westphalia, northwestern Rhineland-Palatinate and the southern area of the German-speaking Community ...

and flows for 57 kilometres before discharging into the Rur.

Geography

The Wurm is a left (western) tributary of the Rur ( nl, Roer). The Rur is a tributary of the

Meuse The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a ...

. The sources of the Wurm are several brooks in the forests southwest of

Aachen Aachen ( ; ; Aachen dialect: ''Oche'' ; French and traditional English: Aix-la-Chapelle; or ''Aquisgranum''; nl, Aken ; Polish: Akwizgran) is, with around 249,000 inhabitants, the 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, and the 28th ...

, which form the Wurm after the ''Diepenbenden'' reservoir. From there the Wurm nowadays flows through canals through the city of Aachen, until it resurfaces again at the ''Europaplatz'' in the east of Aachen. North of Aachen (between

Kerkrade Kerkrade ( Ripuarian: ; li, Kirkraoj; german: Kerkrade or ''Kirchrath'') is a town and a municipality in the southeast of Limburg; the southernmost province of the Netherlands. It forms part of the Parkstad Limburg agglomeration. Kerkrade is the ...

and

Herzogenrath Herzogenrath ( Ripuarian: ; li, Hertseraoj; nl, ’s-Hertogenrade) is a municipality in the district of Aachen in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It borders the Dutch town of Kerkrade, the national border in one section running alon ...

) the river forms the border with the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

for approximately 10 km. It flows into the Rur near

Heinsberg Heinsberg (; li, Hinsberg ) is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the seat of the district Heinsberg. It is situated near the border with the Netherlands, on the river Wurm, approx. 20 km north-east of Sittard and 30 km ...

. Other towns on the river Wurm are

Würselen Würselen (, Ripuarian: ) is a town in the borough of Aachen, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Würselen lies north of the city of Aachen in the immediate vicinity of the tripoint of Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. Its neigh ...

Übach-Palenberg Übach-Palenberg is a town in the Heinsberg district of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was formed by the merger of two villages, Palenberg and Übach. Geography The town is located at the border with the Netherlands, at approx. 10 km ea ...

and

Geilenkirchen Geilenkirchen (, Ripuarian: ) is a town in the district Heinsberg, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated near the border with the Netherlands, on the river Wurm, approx. 15 km (9.3 mi) north-east of Heerlen and 20&nb ...

. The name ''Wurm'' is thought to originate from the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

word ''warm'' (same meaning in English), as the source brooks were fed from the thermal springs in Aachen.

Gallery

File:Wurm_im_Wurmtal.jpg, Meanders of the Wurm near Kohlscheid File:Wurmtal 2007.jpg, Wilderness File:Wurmtal_Schlos_Rimburg.jpg, Rimburg Castle near Übach-Palenberg File:Wurmtal_April_2007.jpg, Watermill near Zweibrüggen File:Wurmtal_Schloss_Trips.jpg, Castle Trips, Geilenkirchen File:Wurmtal_bei_Süggerath.jpg, Wurm valley near Süggerath File:Wurm at Gut Kalkofen.jpg, Wurm at Gut Kalkofen, Aachen

References

* Rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia Rivers of the Netherlands Rivers of South Limburg (Netherlands) Kerkrade Landgraaf Rivers of Germany {{Netherlands-river-stub

Geography

Gallery

See also

References