The Wupper () is a right

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

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 ...

in the state of

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 ...

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 ...

. Rising near

Marienheide Marienheide is a municipality in the Oberbergischer Kreis, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Marienheide is located about 50 km east of Cologne. Neighbouring places The neighbouring towns are Gummersbach and Wipperfürth as well ...

in western

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. ...

it runs through the mountainous region of the

Bergisches Land The Bergisches Land (, ) is a low mountain range in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, east of the Rhine and south of the Ruhr. The landscape is shaped by forests, meadows, rivers and creeks and contains over twenty artificial lakes ...

in Berg County and enters the Rhine at

Leverkusen Leverkusen () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, on the eastern bank of the Rhine. To the south, Leverkusen borders the city of Cologne, and to the north the state capital, Düsseldorf. The city is part of the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan ...

, south of

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city ...

. Its upper course is called the Wipper. Both names are related to "weave", and refer to the twisting course. On its course of about , the Wupper passes through the city of

Wuppertal Wuppertal (; ) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, in western Germany, with a population of 355,000. Wuppertal is the seventh-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia and List of cities in Germany by population, 17th-largest in Germany. It ...

where the

suspension railway A suspension railway is a form of elevated monorail in which the vehicle is suspended from a fixed track (as opposed to a cable used in aerial tramways), which is built above streets, waterways, or existing railway track. History Experimental ...

runs for above the river. It is crossed by the highest

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

bridge in Germany near Müngsten, between

Remscheid Remscheid () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is, after Wuppertal and Solingen, the third-largest municipality in Bergisches Land, being located on the northern edge of the region, on the south side of the Ruhr area. Remscheid ha ...

and

Solingen Solingen (; ) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, 25 km east of Düsseldorf along the northern edge of the Bergisches Land, south of the Ruhr. After Wuppertal, it is the second-largest city in the Bergisches Land, and a member of ...

. A few kilometers further down, Burg Castle is located on a hill overlooking the river.

Hydropower

From the 15th century, the Wupper and its numerous streams gave birth to hundreds of workshops, mills and factories on their banks. Originally water was used for

dyeing Dyeing is the application of dyes or pigments on textile materials such as fibers, yarns, and fabrics with the goal of achieving color with desired color fastness. Dyeing is normally done in a special solution containing dyes and particular ...

bleaching Bleach is the generic name for any chemical product that is used industrially or domestically to remove color from (i.e. to whiten) fabric or fiber (in a process called bleaching) or to disinfect after cleaning. It often refers specifically t ...

and washing canvas and cloth; later it was used to power machines or transport waste. The Wupper thus facilitated the early industrial expansion of

(German for "Wupper Valley") during the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries. The Wupper Valley was one of the world's first industrialized regions and empowered ''inter alia'' the

Ruhr The Ruhr ( ; , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr Area, sometimes Ruhr District, Ruhr Region, or Ruhr Valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 1,160/km2 and a populati ...

valley as a coal-mining region. Wuppertal Schwebebahn 2005

Tributaries

The following rivers are tributaries to the river Wupper (from source to mouth): *Left:

Gaulbach Gaulbach is a river of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It flows into the Wupper in Wipperfürth. See also *List of rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia References

Rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia Rivers of Germany {{NorthRhineWestphalia- ...

, Brunsbach, Pixwaager Bach,

Dörpe Dörpe is a small river of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is 6.5 km long and flows into the Wupper near Hückeswagen. See also *List of rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia A list of rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany: A B C * C ...

Wilhelmstaler Bach Wilhelmstaler Bach is a small river of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is long and is a left tributary of the Wupper near Radevormwald. See also *List of rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia A list of rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany ...

, Hardtbach, Lohbach, Nöllenberger Bach, Stoffelsberger Bach, Hofsiefen,

Hengstener Bach Hengstener Bach is a small river of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is 2.9 km long and flows into the Wupper near Beyenburg. See also *List of rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia A list of rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany: A B ...

, Steinhauser Bach, Lohmühlenbach,

Herbringhauser Bach Herbringhauser Bach is a small river of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It flows into the Wupper near Beyenburg. It is roughly 7 km long, and its valley is protected as a nature reserve, Herbringhauser Bachtal. This provides an important ...

Marscheider Bach Marscheider Bach is a river of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It flows into the Wupper near Wuppertal. See also *List of rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia A list of rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany: A B C * Calenberger Bach * C ...

, Eschensiepen, Blombach, Norrenberger Bach, Murmelbach, Fischertaler Bach, Springer Bach, Kothener Bach,

Auer Bach Auer Bach is a small river of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It flows into the Wupper in Wuppertal. See also *List of rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia A list of rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany: A B C * Calenberger Bach * Cas ...

, Bendahler Bach, Klusensprung, Holzer Bach,

Hatzenbeck The Hatzenbeck is a left tributary of the Wupper River in the municipal division of Elberfeld-West of the North Rhine-Westphalian city of Wuppertal. Location and topography The Hatzenbeck rises to above sea level. It flows northwest to Ravens ...

, Ossenbeck, Rutenbeck, Glasbach, Burgholzbach, Weilandsiepen, Kaltenbach,

Morsbach Morsbach is a municipality in Oberbergischer Kreis, a district in North Rhine-Westphalia near the border of Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany. In 2015, Morsbach's population was 10,600. The central village, also named Morsbach, has a population of ...

, Eschbach, Sengbach, Weltersbach,

Murbach Murbach is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. Murbach Abbey is located near Murbach. See also * Communes of the Haut-Rhin département The following is a list of the 366 communes of the French dep ...

, Wiembach,

Dhünn Dhünn is a -long river located in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Its main source is near Wipperfürth in the Bergisches Land area. It runs in a south-westerly direction, and its mouth into the river Wupper is near Leverkusen, appr. north of ...

. *Right: Kerspe, Hönnige, Neye, Bever, Frohnhauser Bach, Wiebach, Kretzer Bach, Uelfe, Remlingrader Bach, Spreeler Bach, Steinhauserbergbach, Nebenkämper Siefen, Ehrenberger Bach, Steinbruch Siefen, Schmitteborner Bach, Hebbecke, Schwelme, Schwarzbach, Leimbach, Schönebeck, Mirker Bach, Briller Bach, Varresbeck,

Lüntenbeck Lüntenbeck is a small river of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is 3.1 km long and flows into the Wupper as a right tributary near Wuppertal. See also *List of rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia A list of rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia, Ger ...

, Rottscheider Bach, Buchenhofener Siepen.

Other

* On July 21, 1950, a young elephant named Tuffi, made to ride on the train by her handler as an advertising stunt, decided she did not like the ride, panicked (and panicked the other, human, passengers), burst out of the car she was riding in, and jumped or fell into the Wupper, only slightly injuring herself. In 1970 Marguerita Eckel and Ernst-Andreas Ziegler published a children's picture book about the incident, ''Tuffi und die Schwebebahn''. * The Wupper is cited in the German sayings: "Über die Wupper gehen", literally "To go over the Wupper", metaphorically meaning "going bankrupt", "going into jail" or "going to die". *

Else Lasker-Schüler Else Lasker-Schüler (née Elisabeth Schüler) (; 11 February 1869 – 22 January 1945) was a German poet and playwright famous for her bohemian lifestyle in Berlin and her poetry. She was one of the few women affiliated with the Expressionist ...

wrote a drama entitled ''Die Wupper''.

References

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