The Our (; , ) is a
river
A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...
in
Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
,
Luxembourg
Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...
and
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 is a left-hand
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 river
Sauer/Sûre. Its total length is .
The source of the Our is in the
High Fens
The High Fens (; ; ), which were declared a Nature reserve, nature reserve in 1957, are an upland area, a Plateau, plateau region in Liège Province, in the east of Belgium and adjoining parts of northwestern Germany, between the Ardennes and the ...
in southeastern Belgium, near
Manderfeld. It flows southwards, more or less along the German-Belgian border, and after
Ouren
Ouren is a village in Belgium with a population of 129 inhabitants. Ouren is a part of the municipality of Burg-Reuland and thus belongs to the German-speaking Community of Belgium.
Geography
Ouren is located at the Tripoint, border triangle of B ...
, along the German-Luxembourg border. The historic town of
Vianden lies on the Our. The Our empties into the
Sauer in
Wallendorf.
Course
The
river
A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...
rises in the eastern
Ardennes
The Ardennes ( ; ; ; ; ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, extending into Germany and France.
Geological ...
and western
Eifel
The Eifel (; , ) is a low mountain range in western Germany, eastern Belgium and northern Luxembourg. It occupies parts of southwestern North Rhine-Westphalia, northwestern Rhineland-Palatinate and the southern area of the German-speaking Com ...
on
Belgian soil. Its source near the village of
Losheimergraben lies northeast of the ''Eichelsberg'' mountain (653 m) at 643 m near the
B 265. Just a few hundred metres away is the source of the
River Kyll. The Our initially follows the B 265, which is also the Belgian-German state border. The river continues alternating between Belgium and Germany. From the
tripoint
A triple border, tripoint, trijunction, triple point, or tri-border area is a geography, geographical point at which the boundaries of three countries or Administrative division, subnational entities meet. There are 175 international tripoints ...
by the
Europa Monument between
Ouren
Ouren is a village in Belgium with a population of 129 inhabitants. Ouren is a part of the municipality of Burg-Reuland and thus belongs to the German-speaking Community of Belgium.
Geography
Ouren is located at the Tripoint, border triangle of B ...
(B),
Sevenig (D) and
Lieler (L) it runs almost entirely on the German-Luxembourg border until it reaches
Wallendorf in Germany where it empties into the Sauer. It generally
meander
A meander is one of a series of regular sinuous curves in the Channel (geography), channel of a river or other watercourse. It is produced as a watercourse erosion, erodes the sediments of an outer, concave bank (cut bank, cut bank or river cl ...
s from north to south.
For the section where it runs along the German-Luxembourg border the Our is a jointly managed
condominium
A condominium (or condo for short) is an ownership regime in which a building (or group of buildings) is divided into multiple units that are either each separately owned, or owned in common with exclusive rights of occupation by individual own ...
(the "Joint German-Luxembourg Sovereign Area"). Unilateral sovereignty only begins at the respective shore. In its upper reaches between Germany and Belgium, the state border lies, as is normal on the
thalweg
In geography, hydrography, and fluvial geomorphology, a thalweg or talweg () is the line or curve of lowest elevation within a valley or watercourse. Normally only the horizontal position of the curve is considered (as viewed on a map); the c ...
of the river.
Tributaries
– Location of the confluences measured from the source of the Our –
*
Ihrenbach (left, at km 21, length 15,9 km)
* Braunlauf (right, at km 23, length 15,4 km)
*
Ulf (right, near km 30, length 17,8 km)
*
Irsen (left, near km 67, length 35,5 km)
;Length of tributaries over 10 km
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A comprehensive list that also includes the smaller tributaries is
here.
Villages on the Our
The border village of
Vianden, one of the most important tourist resorts in Luxembourg, lies on the Our. The Our Valley Route is a circular route that runs through Belgium and North Luxembourg. Especially worth seeing is the section between
Manderfeld (Belgium) and Lieler (Luxembourg), where the route follows the Our almost all the way. It runs ''inter alia'' past
Reuland Castle (Ouren) and the
Europa Monument at the German-Belgian-Luxembourg
tripoint
A triple border, tripoint, trijunction, triple point, or tri-border area is a geography, geographical point at which the boundaries of three countries or Administrative division, subnational entities meet. There are 175 international tripoints ...
.
Other villages are:
*
Roth an der Our
*
Ouren
Ouren is a village in Belgium with a population of 129 inhabitants. Ouren is a part of the municipality of Burg-Reuland and thus belongs to the German-speaking Community of Belgium.
Geography
Ouren is located at the Tripoint, border triangle of B ...
*
Sevenig
*
Dahnen
*
Dasburg
*
Rodershausen
Rodershausen is a municipality in the district of Bitburg-Prüm, in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North S ...
*
Obereisenbach
*
Stolzembourg
*
Bettel
*
Gentingen
*
Ammeldingen an der Our
*
Schönberg
*
Wallendorf near
Bollendorf.
*
Grüfflingen near
St. Vith
*
Auel (village in
Burg-Reuland
Burg-Reuland () is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality located in the Belgium, Belgian province of Liège (province), Liège.
The name of the municipality refers to the Reuland Castle, castle "Burg-Reuland", which is located in the center ...
)
Usage
The Our is impounded north of
Vianden by the Our Dam and forms the lower basin of the
Vianden Pumped Storage Plant.
Gallery
Our.jpg, The Our near Dasburg-Pont. Left: Germany, right: Luxembourg. The river is a condominium
A condominium (or condo for short) is an ownership regime in which a building (or group of buildings) is divided into multiple units that are either each separately owned, or owned in common with exclusive rights of occupation by individual own ...
here.
Our Vianden 018.jpg, The Our near Vianden
Sauer confluent Our.jpg, Confluence with the Sauer
See also
*
Our Natural Park
References
Literature
* Leonard Palzkill: ''Ourtal ohne Grenzen.'' Neuerburg, 2006, .
External links
*
Official home page of the Our Nature Park with information on tourism, the ecology and local events for North Luxembourg
*
Ensebach - Upper Our Nature ReserveHochwassermeldezentrum The Moselle in Trier
{{DEFAULTSORT:Our (River)
International rivers of Europe
Belgium–Germany border
Germany–Luxembourg border
Rivers of the Ardennes (Belgium)
Rivers of the Ardennes (Luxembourg)
Rivers of Rhineland-Palatinate
Rivers of Belgium
Rivers of Luxembourg
Rivers of Wallonia
Rivers of Liège Province
Rivers of Luxembourg (Belgium)
Büllingen
Vianden
Rivers of the Eifel
Rivers of Germany
Border rivers