The Ennepe () is a river, and a left

tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...

of the Volme in Northern

Sauerland The Sauerland () is a rural, hilly area spreading across most of the south-eastern part of the States of Germany, German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, in parts heavily forested and, apart from the major valleys, sparsely inhabited. ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. It gave its name to the town

Ennepetal Ennepetal (, ; ) is a town in the district of Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was created in 1949 out of the former municipalities Milspe and Voerde. It was named after the river Ennepe, which flows through the municipa ...

, and the district

Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis The Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis is a district in the center of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is part of the southern Ruhr urban area and has ca. 324,000 inhabitants (2012). The district's seat (capital city) is Schwelm; the largest of its nine towns ...

Course of River

The Ennepe begins in the Märkischer Kreis southeast of

Halver Halver () is a town in the Märkischer Kreis district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. History Around 950 the ''Oberhof Halvara'' was first mentioned in the ''Werdener Probsteiregister''. For more than 500 years Halver was the seat of a Leagu ...

, at 422 m above sea level, and continues to the Ennepetalsperre (reservoir, 307 m above sea level). The river flows through

, Gevelsberg, and the western boroughs of

Hagen Hagen () is a city in the States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia, in western Germany, on the southeastern edge of the Ruhr area, 15 km south of Dortmund, where the rivers Lenne and Volme meet the Ruhr (river), Ruhr. In 2023, the ...

. It flows into the Volme, near Hagen Central Station (elevation: 99 m above sea level). Parts of the river are canalized.

Flora and fauna

The Ennepe provides habitat for numerous animal and plant types. Among are fishes, the

grey heron The grey heron (''Ardea cinerea'') is a long-legged wading bird of the heron family, Ardeidae, native throughout temperate Europe and Asia, and also parts of Africa. It is resident in much of its range, but some populations from the more norther ...

, neophyte plants, and Orange Jewelweed (''Impatiens capensis'', in Hagen).

Industrial use

In the pre-industrial age, several mills were built alongside the river. In the 19th and 20th centuries, several small iron plants were operated there.

References

{{Authority control Rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia Rivers of Germany