The Aar () is a river in the administrative district of

Bas-Rhin Bas-Rhin () is a department in Alsace which is a part of the Grand Est region of France. The name means 'Lower Rhine', referring to its lower altitude among the two French Rhine departments: it is downstream of the Haut-Rhin (Upper Rhine) de ...

which crosses the municipalities of

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

and

Schiltigheim Schiltigheim (, ; Alsatian: ''Schelige'' ; ) is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. The inhabitants are called ''Schilikois'' in French and ''Scheligemer'' in Alsatian. It is the largest suburb of the ...

. It is an arm which separates from the

Ill ILL, or Ill, or ill may refer to: Places * Ill (France), a river in Alsace, France, tributary of the Rhine * Ill (Vorarlberg), a river in Vorarlberg, Austria, tributary of the Rhine * Ill (Saarland), a river of Saarland, Germany, tributary o ...

at the University bridge to rejoin it at lock no 51 in Schiltigheim. Together the Aar and the Ill form the island of Saint-Hélène.

Geography

The Aar is long. It separates from the Ill at the southern tip of Île Sainte-Hélène, near St. Paul's Church, Strasbourg, and crosses the Contades and Wacken neighborhoods. It rejoins the Ill at Schiltigheim after having crossed the

Marne–Rhine Canal The Canal de la Marne au Rhin (, ''Marne–Rhine Canal'') is a canal in north-eastern France. It connects the river Marne and the Canal entre Champagne et Bourgogne in Vitry-le-François with the port of Strasbourg on the Rhine. The original o ...

thanks to a dam with several gates.

Environment

There is a walking route, the "two rivers route", and sports equipment along the banks of the river. The river borders the Aar Park, which has allotment gardens and the sports complex. The river flows through a calm, green landscape, and is used by

coypu The nutria () or coypu () (''Myocastor coypus'') is a herbivore, herbivorous, semiaquatic rodent from South America. Classified for a long time as the only member of the family Myocastoridae, ''Myocastor'' has since been included within Echimy ...

s and birds such as

kingfisher Kingfishers are a family, the Alcedinidae, of small to medium-sized, brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species living in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania, ...

heron Herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 75 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genus ''Botaurus'' are referred to as bi ...

cormorant Phalacrocoracidae is a family of approximately 40 species of aquatic birds commonly known as cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed, but in 2021 the International Ornithologists' Union (IOU) ado ...

swan Swans are birds of the genus ''Cygnus'' within the family Anatidae. The swans' closest relatives include the goose, geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe (biology) ...

coot Coots are medium-sized water birds that are members of the rail family, Rallidae. They constitute the genus ''Fulica'', the name being the Latin term for "coot". Coots have predominantly black plumage, and—unlike many rails—they are usual ...

s and

moorhen Moorhens—sometimes called marsh hens—are medium-sized water birds that are members of the rail family (Rallidae). Most species are placed in the genus ''Gallinula'', Latin for "little hen." They are close relatives of coots. They are ...

s. There are old wash-houses along the bank. The river is used for

canoeing Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. In some parts of Europe, canoeing refers to both canoeing and kayaking, with a canoe being called an 'open canoe' or Canadian. A few of the recreational ...

and

kayak ] A kayak is a small, narrow human-powered watercraft typically propelled by means of a long, double-bladed paddle. The word ''kayak'' originates from the Inuktitut word '' qajaq'' (). In British English, the kayak is also considered to be ...

ing.

Gallery

File:L`Aar - panoramio.jpg , Pont de la Protestation File:Strasbourg - Pont des Vosges.jpg, The Aar and the Vosges Bridge in Strasbourg File:Strasbourg (45619261881).jpg, Pont Abraham Deutsch

Notes

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Aar Rivers of Bas-Rhin Rivers of Grand Est Rivers of France Strasbourg Tributaries of the Ill (France)