The Uecker () or Ucker () 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 the northeastern German states of

Brandenburg Brandenburg, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a States of Germany, state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It is the List of Ger ...

, where it is known as the ''Ucker'', and of

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (MV; ; ), also known by its Anglicisation, anglicized name Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania, is a Federated state, state in the north-east of Germany. Of the country's States of Germany, sixteen states, Mecklenburg-Vorpom ...

. It flows northward from

Uckermark The Uckermark () is a historical region in northeastern Germany, which straddles the Uckermark (district), Uckermark District of Brandenburg and the Vorpommern-Greifswald District of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Its traditional capital is Prenzlau. ...

to the Szczecin Lagoon.

Path

Its source lies in the Uckermark district, one kilometer north of Ringenwalde. It flows northward through several lakes. The first one is Großer Krinertsee. The next ones are rather small. Then there are two large lakes, Lake Oberuckersee and Lake Unteruckersee, joined by the navigable section of the river, called , with the smaller Lake Möllensee in between. The island within Oberuckersee was the residence of a Slavic ruler in the 10th century, and connected to the coast of the lake by a long wooden bridge. On the northern end of Unteruckersee the city of Prenzlau is situated, nowadays the district capital of Uckermark. In Middle Ages, it was granted urban rights by the

Pomerania Pomerania ( ; ; ; ) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The central and eastern part belongs to the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, West Pomeranian, Pomeranian Voivod ...

n Griffins earlier than

Szczecin Szczecin ( , , ; ; ; or ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the Poland-Germany border, German border, it is a major port, seaport, the la ...

in 1234, shortly before they lost the Uckermark to the

Margraviate of Brandenburg The Margraviate of Brandenburg () was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1157 to 1806 that, having electoral status although being quite poor, grew rapidly in importance after inheriting the Duchy of Prussia in 1618 and then came ...

in 1250. Most of the course below Unteruckersee is not navigable. An effort of the von Arnim family to prepare it for large river boats ceased after a few decades in the 19th century. Between Prenzlau and the junction of the river Köhntop, it is sometimes even difficult to travel by canoe. Near the small village of Nieden, the river arrives in (Mecklenbuurg-) Hither Pomerania, where it is called Uecker. In this country, it passes through the towns of Pasewalk, Torgelow, and Eggesin. Pasewalk, as well as Prenzlau, features some important

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, ...

architecture. In Eggesin, the northern section of the river Randow discharges into the Uecker. In Ueckermünde, the Uecker ends in Szczecin Lagoon, which is connected to the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...

by the three straits Peenestrom, Świna and Dziwna. The name ''Ucker'' originates from a

West Slavic language The West Slavic languages are a subdivision of the Slavic language group. They include Polish, Czech, Slovak, Kashubian, Silesian, Upper Sorbian and Lower Sorbian. The languages have traditionally been spoken across a mostly continuous regi ...

, the word , meaning 'fast' or 'quick'. Heinrich, p. 382 The Uecker gave its name to the

historical region and to the two districts Uckermark and Uecker-Randow.

Gallery

File:Lake de Oberuckersee Burgwallinsel.JPG, Island of the gord in Oberuckersee File:Torgelow-Uecker.JPG, The Uecker near Torgelow File:Uecker-in-Ueckermuende-15-06-2009-058.jpg, The Uecker in Ueckermünde

Notes

References

* Rivers of Brandenburg Rivers of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Federal waterways in Germany Rivers of Germany {{Mecklenburg-river-stub