The river Bille () is a small, slow-flowing
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
river in
Stormarn,
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein (; ; ; ; ; occasionally in English ''Sleswick-Holsatia'') is the Northern Germany, northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical Duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of S ...
and
Hamburg
Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
, a right tributary of the
Elbe
The Elbe ( ; ; or ''Elv''; Upper Sorbian, Upper and , ) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Republic), then Ge ...
. Its source is near
Linau, north of the
Hahnheide forest. It then flows south of
Trittau, representing the border between
Stormarn and
Lauenburg
Lauenburg (), or Lauenburg an der Elbe (; ), is a town in the state of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated on the northern bank of the river Elbe, east of Hamburg. It is overall the southernmost town of Schleswig-Holstein and belongs to ...
, continues south of
Reinbek and reaches the river
Elbe
The Elbe ( ; ; or ''Elv''; Upper Sorbian, Upper and , ) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Republic), then Ge ...
near
Billwerder. A lot of old estates and tasteful parks are laid out along its riverbank. Its total length is 65 km. Sections of the Bille which flow near or inside the
Sachsenwald forest are protected by the Billetal
nature reserve
A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...
.
The Bille is one of three rivers which flow through the city of
Hamburg
Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
, the other two being the
Elbe
The Elbe ( ; ; or ''Elv''; Upper Sorbian, Upper and , ) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Republic), then Ge ...
and the
Alster
The Alster () is a right tributary of the Elbe river in Northern Germany. It has its source near Henstedt-Ulzburg, Schleswig-Holstein, flows somewhat southwards through much of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg and joins the Elbe in central ...
.
Tributaries
The upper Bille drains a wide catchment area with many brooks and small stretches of water. Main tributaries are the
Corbek feeding the Bille near
Witzhave and the
Schwarze Au at
Aumühle, having drained wide parts of the large
Sachsenwald forest.
Gallery
File:Hh-bergedorf-billestaudamm.jpg, Bille in Hamburg-Bergedorf
File:Schloß Reinbek P4070049.JPG, Bille at Schloss Reinbek (Mühlenteich)
File:RK 2104 P1840687 Billetal Einmündung Corbek.jpg, Corbek diverging from the Bille in the Billetal near Witzhave
File:RK 2104 P1840683 Billetal.jpg, Bille in the Billetal near Witzhave
File:RK 2104 P1840681 Billetal Lange Brücke Witzhave.jpg, ''Long Bridge'' over the Bille near Witzhave in the Billetal
File:Bille 24.11. DSCI0227.jpg, Bille in the Sachsenwald
File:RK 2104 P1840737 Bille Sachsenwald.jpg, Bille flowing through the Sachsenwald
File:RK 2105 P1840824 Schwarze Au Einmündung Bille.jpg, Schwarze Au flowing into the Bille in the Sachsenwald
File:River flowing into the Bille in Aumühle.jpg, Schwarze Au tributary that flows into the Bille, in Aumühle
File:RK 2105 P1840821 Mühlenteich Aumühle.jpg, ''Mühlenteich'' in Aumühle, which flows into the Bille via the Schwarze Au
File:Winter an der Bille.jpg, Bille as seen from the Sachsenwald in Winter
Landmarks
* ''Grander Mühle'', an ancient watermill at
Kuddewörde, dating back to 1303
* ''
Schloss Reinbek'', a castle from 1572
* ''Schloss
Bergedorf'', a castle showing wooden raftwork and
Brick Gothic
Brick Gothic (, , ) is a specific style of Gothic architecture common in Baltic region, Northeast and Central Europe especially in the regions in and around the Baltic Sea, which do not have resources of standing rock (though Glacial erratic, ...
See also
*
List of rivers of Schleswig-Holstein
A list of rivers of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany:
A
* Aalbek, flowing through the Hemmelsdorfer See and into the Baltic Sea
* Aalbek, tributary of the Stör
*Alster
* Alte Schwentine
* Arlau
B
* Barnitz
* Basshornlaufgraben
* Bekau
* Beste
* ...
*
List of rivers of Hamburg
A list of rivers of Hamburg, Germany:
A
*Alster
B
* Berner Au
* Bille
* Bredenbek
D
* Deepenhorngraben
* Dove Elbe
* Dradenau
* Düpenau
E
*Elbe
* Este
F
* Flottbek
G
* Glinder Au
* Gose Elbe
K
* Köhlbrand
* Kollau
L
* Ladenbek
* Lottbek
* ...
External links
Much information on Bille from the ''Hamburg Department of the Environment''(German)
{{Authority control
Rivers of Hamburg
Rivers of Schleswig-Holstein
Rivers of Germany