Geul

The Göhl at Strabeek in the municipality of Valkenburg aan de Geul, Netherlands.

The Göhl (Dutch Geul, French gueule ) is a river in Belgium and the Netherlands. Origin of the name Göhl is the Germanic word Galia, the " tighter, twisty river " means.

Geography

The Göhl springs on Belgian territory on the border with Germany near Aachen, in Eynatten light bush, crossed by about 20 km, the border with the Netherlands and flows near the hamlet Voulwames ( Meerssen ) north of Maastricht in the Meuse. The total length is 58 km, the difference in height between the source and mouth of about 250 m.

The largest towns are crossed and Plombières Calamine (Belgium) and Mechelen, Valkenburg and Meerssen.

History

From the 14th to the early 20th century, the ( dialect for calamine ) and Plombières ( German: Bleiberg ) in Geulvallei in La Calamine lead and Zinkerzvorkommen exploited.

Environment

Flora

In the heavy metal containing soils in Geulvallei we find the unique Galmeiflora.

Water quality

Due to the former mining the sediment Göhl is particularly heavily contaminated with heavy metals and provides the largest single contributor to the burden of the Meuse with lead (10% ), zinc ( 8%) and cadmium (5%) below of Maastricht.

Attractions and buildings

A well-known sight was the old Hammer Bridge, a two-storey railway viaduct over the Geulvallei on Belgian territory between Hauset and Hergenrath. It was destroyed in World War II and later replaced by a new bridge. A modern, navigable for high -speed trains bridge was commissioned in 1999.

A few miles down the river rises at Moresnet with a length of 1153 m and 22 fields in rule spans of 49 m and a maximum height of 52 m for a long time largest railway bridge Belgium, the Göhltalviadukt.

Economy

In the area left and right of Göhl between epics ( Mechelen -Wittem ) and Valkenburg, is one of the best connected tourist areas in the Netherlands, the Mergelland, also called Heuvelland.

270931
de