The Rur or Roer (german: Rur ; Dutch and li, Roer, , ; french: Rour) is a major river that flows through portions of

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

and the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. It is a right (eastern) tributary to the Meuse ( nl, links=no, Maas). About 90 percent of the river's course is in Germany. It is not to be confused with the rivers Ruhr and Röhr, which are tributaries of the

Rhine The Rhine ; french: Rhin ; nl, Rijn ; wa, Rén ; li, Rien; rm, label=Sursilvan, Rein, rm, label=Sutsilvan and Surmiran, Ragn, rm, label=Rumantsch Grischun, Vallader and Puter, Rain; it, Reno ; gsw, Rhi(n), including in Alsatian dialect, Al ...

in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Geography

The Rur rises in the High Fens, near the high Signal de Botrange in Belgium at an elevation of above sea level. South of

Monschau Monschau (; french: Montjoie, ; wa, Mondjoye) is a small resort town in the Eifel region of western Germany, located in the Aachen district of North Rhine-Westphalia. Geography The town is located in the hills of the North Eifel, within the ...

it flows into Germany, through North Rhine-Westphalia. It flows first through the northern part of the Eifel mountains. After it reaches the

Rur Reservoir The Rur or Roer (german: Rur ; Dutch and li, Roer, , ; french: Rour) is a major river that flows through portions of Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. It is a right (eastern) tributary to the Meuse ( nl, links=no, Maas). About 90 perce ...

, the second-largest artificial lake in Germany. After approximately it flows into the Netherlands, and at its mark it flows into the river Meuse in the town of Roermond. Major tributaries of the Rur include the

Inde Indian English (IE) is a group of English dialects spoken in the republic of India and among the Indian diaspora. English is used by the Indian government for communication, along with Hindi, as enshrined in the Constitution of India. E ...

and the Wurm. The towns along the Rur are Monschau, Heimbach, Nideggen,

Düren Düren (; ripuarian: Düre) is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, between Aachen and Cologne on the river Rur. History Roman era The area of Düren was part of Gallia Belgica, more specifically the territory of the Eburones, a pe ...

, Jülich, Linnich, Hückelhoven, Heinsberg (all in Germany) and Roermond (Netherlands). In the 1960s and 1970s, the northern part of the Rur was heavily polluted by the tailings of many German coal mines. Neither fish nor other organisms could be found, and it was dangerous to swim in the river. Foam flakes regularly flooded parts of the city of Roermond. After the closure of the mines, the waste water treatment in Germany and the Netherlands greatly improved. Only the lower part of the river is still contaminated.Water quality chart of the Rur published by the Ministry for Climate Protection, Environment, Agriculture, Nature Conservation and Consumer Protection of the German State of North Rhine-Westphalia
/ref> The water in the upper part of the river is so clean that trout and more than 30 species of fish are back. After an absence of 125 years,

salmon Salmon () is the common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of ...

returned to the Rur in 2004.

Tributaries

* Ellebach *

* Kall * Malefinkbach * Merzbach * Wurm * Olef * Urft

History

During the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

the valley of the Rur lay mostly within the Duchy of Jülich. In 1795, until 1814, during which time the area was part of the French Republic and Empire, it gave its name to the French '' département'' of the Roer. The Rur represented an important front in the Allied push towards Germany at the end of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. A fortified area known as the Roer Triangle, formed by the towns of Roermond and Sittard, in the

, and Heinsberg in

, was the scene of heavy fighting at the beginning of 1945. Operation Blackcock was the code name for the clearing of the Roer Triangle. It was conducted by the 2nd British Army between 14 and 26 January 1945. The objective was to drive the German 15th Army back across the Rivers Rur and Wurm and move the frontline further into Germany. The operation was carried out under command of the XII Corps by three divisions. The operation is relatively unknown despite the sometimes fierce battles that were fought for each and every village and hamlet within the "Roer Triangle". Between 16 December 1944 and 23 February 1945, the

U.S. Ninth Army The Ninth Army is a field army of the United States Army, garrisoned at Caserma Ederle, Vicenza, Italy. It is the United States Army Service Component Command of United States Africa Command (USAFRICOM or AFRICOM). Activated just eight weeks be ...

was unable to advance across the Rur during Operation Queen, because German forces controlled dams close to the river's source in the densely forested region of the Hohes Venn. This meant Axis forces could potentially blow the dams, releasing enough water to wash out an Allied assault. At the same time, the German Ardennes Offensive meant any further westward push would leave Allied forces stretched and supply lines exposed. Eventually the counteroffensive was overwhelmed and German engineers, under pressure of aerial and artillery bombardment, released the dams. As the flood waters began to subside, Allied forces crossed the Rur in rafts in the early hours of February 23, 1945, as part of Operation Grenade.

Recreation

The Rur is the only real white water river in North Rhine-Westphalia. The upper section above the

Rur reservoir The Rur or Roer (german: Rur ; Dutch and li, Roer, , ; french: Rour) is a major river that flows through portions of Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. It is a right (eastern) tributary to the Meuse ( nl, links=no, Maas). About 90 perce ...

(German: Rurtalsperre Schwammenauel) offers of white water ranging from class III(+) to I. The town of Monschau is the venue for the yearly International White Water Race which was held on 17 March 2013 for the 58th time.

References

External links

Roercrossing of the 102. Infantry Division 1944/45 documents and photos
{{Authority control International rivers of Europe Rivers of the Ardennes (Belgium) Rivers of Belgium Rivers of the Netherlands Rivers of Liège Province Rivers of Limburg (Netherlands) Rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia Roerdalen Roermond Rivers of the Eifel Rivers of Germany