Ahr () 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 ...

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 ...

, a left tributary of the

Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...

. Its source is at an elevation of approximately above sea level in

Blankenheim Blankenheim may refer to: Places * Blankenheim, North Rhine-Westphalia, a municipality in western Germany * Blankenheim, Saxony-Anhalt, a municipality in eastern Germany *Blankenheim Castle Blankenheim Castle () is a ''schloss'' above the village ...

in the

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 ...

, in the cellar of a

timber-frame Timber framing () and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs. If the struc ...

house near the castle of Blankenheim. After it crosses from

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia, commonly shortened to NRW, is a States of Germany, state () in Old states of Germany, Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabitants, it is the List of German states by population, most ...

into

Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; ; ; ) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the sixteen states. Mainz is the capital and largest city. Other cities are ...

. The Ahr flows through

Ahr valley The Ahr valley (, ) is named after the Ahr, a left tributary of the Rhine in Germany. It begins at the Ahr spring (''Ahrquelle'') in Blankenheim (Ahr), Blankenheim in the county of Kreis Euskirchen, Euskirchen (North Rhine-Westphalia) and runs gene ...

or ''Ahrtal'', passing through the towns of

Schuld Schuld () is a municipality in the district of Ahrweiler, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on the River Ahr. In July 2021, the village was severely damaged by floods A flood is an overflow of water (list of non-water floods, or rarely o ...

Altenahr Altenahr () is a municipality in the district of Ahrweiler, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the administrative centre for the eponymous collective municipality, to which it belongs. Altenahr is a state-recognised tourist resort and is ra ...

and

Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler () is a spa town in the German States of Germany, Bundesland of Rhineland-Palatinate that serves as the Capital (political), capital of the Ahrweiler (district), Ahrweiler district. The Bundesautobahn 61, A61 motorway conn ...

. Between

Remagen Remagen () is a town in Germany in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, in the district of Ahrweiler (district), Ahrweiler. It is about a one-hour drive from Cologne, just south of Bonn, the former West Germany, West German seat of government. It i ...

and

Sinzig Sinzig is a town in the district of Ahrweiler, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the river Rhine, about 5 km south-east of Remagen and 25 km south-east of Bonn, and it has approximately 20,000 inhabitants (2004). ...

(south of

Bonn Bonn () is a federal city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, located on the banks of the Rhine. With a population exceeding 300,000, it lies about south-southeast of Cologne, in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr region. This ...

), at about above sea level, it flows into the Rhine. The length is roughly , of which is within Rhineland-Palatinate. The Ahr has a gradient of 0.4 percent in its lower course, and 0.4 to 0.8 percent in its upper course. The Ahr and its tributaries are a main drainage system of the eastern Eifel. The watershed is approximately .

History

There were isolated settlements in the Ahr valley beginning at the latest in

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

times, evidenced by the Roman villa near Ahrweiler. Owing to their isolated location, the upper and middle parts of the course were sparsely populated. That began changing in the mid-19th century. The development of settlements and transportation routes (including three railway lines) and the expansion of the area used for agriculture in the Ahr valley led to the narrowing and constraint of the riverbed. The course of the river was graded and its banks were stabilized. Catastrophic flash flooding occurred on the Ahr in

1910 Events January * January 6 – Abé people in the French West Africa colony of Côte d'Ivoire rise against the colonial administration; the rebellion is brutally suppressed by the military. * January 8 – By the Treaty of Punakha, t ...

and

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

resulting in the deaths of hundreds.

Course

The Ahr rises in the middle of the village of

, in the

region of the German state of

, in the basement of a

timber-framed house Timber framing () and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs. If the struc ...

in an enclosed

spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season), a season of the year * Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy * Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water * Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a he ...

at a height of . It then flows through the ''Schwanenweiher'' pond below

Blankenheim Castle Blankenheim Castle () is a ''schloss'' above the village of Blankenheim (Ahr), Blankenheim in the Eifel mountains of Germany. It was built as a hill castle around 1115 by Gerhard I and became the family seat of the House of Blankenheim. The ...

. The stream, which runs in a south-easterly direction, through the valley meadows of upper Ahr valley, has not cut very deeply into the heights of the Eifel. Much of the upper Ahr valley is protected and follows the B 258 federal road. Below the hamlet of Ahrdorf in the municipality of Blankenheim, the Ahr reaches its southernmost point and enters the state of Rhineland-Palatine. From

Müsch Müsch is a municipality in the district of Ahrweiler, in Rhineland-Palatinate, 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 ...

via

Antweiler Antweiler is a municipality in the district of Ahrweiler, in Rhineland-Palatinate, 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 a ...

Fuchshofen Fuchshofen is a municipality in the district of Ahrweiler, in Rhineland-Palatinate, 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 ...

, the river runs northwards and turns east at

heading through

Insul Insul is a municipality in the district of Ahrweiler, in Rhineland-Palatinate, 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 t ...

Dümpelfeld Dümpelfeld is a municipality in the district of Ahrweiler, in Rhineland-Palatinate, 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 nort ...

. Here, the Ahr collects the waters of the Adenauer Bach coming from the right and flowing in a northeasterly direction. In Altenahr, the valley bends to the east and initially follows a very winding course. Here the river is accompanied by the B 267, although it does not follow every loop in the river. In Altenahr, the largest bend in the river beings; it is protected because of its flora and fauna. From here, the valley becomes a gorge bordered by the steep cliffs of the

Ahr Hills The Ahr HillsElkins, T.H. (1972). ''Germany'' (3rd ed.). London: Chatto & Windus, 1972. . ( or ''Ahreifel'' ) are a range of low mountains and hills up to and long in the Eifel region of Germany, which lie roughly southwest of Bonn on the borde ...

. From Reimerzhoven the valley sides are dominated by vineyards, especially on the south-facing slopes north of the river, particularly around the villages of

Mayschoß Mayschoß is a municipality in the district of Ahrweiler, in Rhineland-Palatinate, 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 ...

Rech Rech may refer to: People * Almine Rech, French art dealer * Anthony Rech (born 1992), French ice hockey player * Bianca Rech (born 1981), German football player * Erich Rech, Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military ...

Dernau Dernau is a municipality in the district of Ahrweiler, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The village of Dernau which is centrally located in the Ahr valley The Ahr valley (, ) is named after the Ahr, a left tributary of the Rhine in Germany. It ...

and Marienthal. The last narrow point in the Ahr valley occurs below the ''Bunte Kuh'' ("coloured cow"), a rock formation that almost reaches the river and leaves little room for road and railway. In

Walporzheim Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler () is a spa town in the German Bundesland of Rhineland-Palatinate that serves as the capital of the Ahrweiler district. The A61 motorway connects the town with cities like Cologne and Mainz. Formed by the merging of the ...

, the valley widens abruptly, and the Ahr passes through the county town of

Bad Neuenahr Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler () is a spa town in the German Bundesland of Rhineland-Palatinate that serves as the capital of the Ahrweiler district. The A61 motorway connects the town with cities like Cologne and Mainz. Formed by the merging of the ...

. In Heimersheim, the vineyards end. The valley floor between

Bad Bodendorf Sinzig is a town in the district of Ahrweiler, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the river Rhine, about 5 km south-east of Remagen and 25 km south-east of Bonn, and it has approximately 20,000 inhabitants (2004). ...

on the northern side and

on a terrace in the south is dominated by agriculture and fruit and vegetable growing. The mouth of the Ahr lies on the plain of the Golden Mile, between the

district of Kripp and the town of Sinzig at a height of about . Since being re-naturalised (from 1979, see aerial photographs) it has been one of the few natural river mouths on the Rhine and is under

protection Protection is any measure taken to guard something against damage caused by outside forces. Protection can be provided to physical objects, including organisms, to systems, and to intangible things like civil and political rights. Although ...

. Blankenheim Eifel Ahrquelle.jpg, Source of the Ahr (in front of the head) in Blankenheim ahr01.jpg, The middle Ahr below

with the rock formation of ''Langfig'' Ahrtal02.jpg, The Ahr by the ''Bunte Kuh'' rock formation at Walporzheim Bundesarchiv Bild 195-0577, Rheinbefliegung, Niederbreisig - Kripp.jpg, The mouth of the Ahr on the Rhine before re-naturalisation (1957) Ahr, Mündung.jpg, The mouth of the Ahr after re-naturalisation. Right: this village of Kripp

Tributaries

The tributaries of the Ahr include (in upstream order): Tributaries with a length of over 7 km (from source to mouth): Left tributaries are in dark blue; right tributaries in light blue. TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:xxxx ImageSize = width:750 height:auto barincrement:25 PlotArea = left:10 right:10 top:10 bottom:40 AlignBars = justify Colors = id:canvas value:rgb(0.97,0.97,0.97) BackgroundColors = canvas:canvas Period = from:0 till:30 ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:5 start:0 gridcolor:blue BarData= barset:Flusslänge Define $left = textcolor:white color:oceanblue Define $right = textcolor:black color:skyblue PlotData= width:18 fontsize:M textcolor:black color:skyblue shift:(20,-6) anchor:from barset:Flusslänge from:start till:11.4 $right text:Schaafbach (11.4 km) from:start till:9.5 $right text:Lampertsbach (9.5 km) from:start till:7.1 $left text:Mühlenbach (7.1 km) from:start till:8.3 $right text:Michelsbach (8.3 km) from:start till:14.9 $right text:Ahbach (14.9 km) from:start till:25.3 $right text:Trierbach (25.3 km) from:start till:10.0 $left text:Dreisbach (10.0 km) from:start till:18.4 $right text:Armuthsbach (18.4 km) from:start till:15.7 $right text:Adenauerbach (15.7 km) from:start till:14.5 $left text:Liersbach (14.5 km) from:start till:14.1 $right text:Kesselinger Bach (14.1 km) from:start till:15.3 $left text:Sahrbach (15.3 km) from:start till:10.5 $left text:Vischelbach (10.5 km) from:start till:8.3 $left text:Leimersdorfer Bach (8.3 km) from:start till:7.7 $right text:Hellenbach (7.7 km) from:start till:9.9 $right text:Harbach (9.9 km) TextData= fontsize:M pos:(10,20) text:km

Viticulture

The Ahr is well known for the many vineyards that grace the hillsides downstream of the village of

. The small Ahr wine region is nevertheless the largest contiguous

red wine Red wine is a type of wine made from dark-colored grape varieties - (red grapes.) The color of the wine can range from intense violet, typical of young wines, through to brick red for mature wines and brown for older red wines. The juice fro ...

-growing area in Germany, noted especially for wines made from the

Spätburgunder Pinot noir (), also known as Pinot nero, is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name also refers to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French words for ''pine'' and ' ...

(''Pinot noir'') grape. The

Red Wine Trail __NOTOC__ The Red Wine Trail (''Rotweinwanderweg''), opened in 1972, is a trail that runs high above the floor of the Ahr Valley linking the wine villages of the Ahr wine region in Germany along the River Ahr. The route runs from Altenahr via Mays ...

runs through the southern slopes of the lower Ahr Valley, passing ''inter alia'' the former government bunker.

References

External links