Berkel

History of Berkel

Cattle in the sandy Berkelaue between Coesfeld and Gescher

The 114.6 km long river Berkel is a tributary of the River IJssel. His upper and middle reaches is located in Münster in Germany, the underflow in the Netherlands.

River

The Berkel arises in a dip of the tree mountains between Nottuln and Billerbeck, approximately 22 km west of Munster. Near the source passes the tree mountain watershed. Other rivers whose sources are nearby, flow through it in a completely different paths to the sea.

The Berkel achieved initially northwestward flowing, after about two kilometers to the outskirts of Billerbeck, where it is amplified at the mouth of a Trockentals by a strong source, which is also referred to as Berkel source. Your valley widens even within the tree mountains to a wide valley. Coesfeld it exits into the Talsandebenen the western Munsterlander bay and then passes in a westerly direction fluently around 10 kilometers apart lying cities Gescher, city wage and Vreden. Behind Vreden opens the oil stream in the Berkel.

From the source to the Vreden Berkelaue is shown on a length of about 40 km as a protected area for the purposes of the Habitats Directive (Natura 2000 no. DE -4008 -301).

The Berkel reached shortly after Vreden Dutch territory. For a few hundred meters, it forms the border with the Netherlands. The Berkel then flows via Eibergen, Borculo, Lochem and pastures continue to Zutphen, where it flows into the IJssel after 114.6 kilometers. From Borculo branch off watercourses of you who initially feed the Twente canal, the diverted water before achieved in any other way the IJssel.

Historical events and use

Military gained Berkel in the Thirty Years' War through the Battle of the city wage importance: in 1623 drew Christian of Brunswick with his Protestant army of Göttingen coming towards the Netherlands. He was pursued by Johann Graf von Tilly, a commander of the Catholic League.

On 6 August the two armies arrived at the city pay the Berkel. Since Christian did not have time for an orderly translation, he was forced to draw his army to battle, to allow the convoy to translate. However, after Tilly was able to break through the ranks of Christians, it came to the chaos as the convoy blocked the bridges and an orderly retreat was no longer possible. Thus, the battle ended in a massacre in which up to 10,000 soldiers lost their lives and Christian's army has been completely wiped out.

Until 1774, the Berkel was navigable from Coesfeld to transport sandstone from the tree mountains. Due to the usually low water level Flatboats ( Zompen ) were used.

In the German section of the Berkel has a significantly higher slope than in Dutch, so here hydroelectric power is available; about Coesfeld by the New Mill ( flour mill ), the Kolver mill and mill skin man in Gescher through the mill Tungerloh in city wage through the town mill and in Vreden by a power plant (former water mill).

Tourism

2011 designated as berkelland route cycle path was opened, leading into the river near Billerbeck to Zutphen. The berkelland route is part of a cross-border cycle route network, which also includes aa, slinge and ijsselroute belong. The cycling routes offer six tours and can be combined together.

Cities along the river

Germany:

  • Billerbeck
  • Coesfeld
  • Gescher
  • City ​​wages
  • Vreden

Netherlands:

  • Eibergen
  • Borculo
  • Lochem
  • Zutphen

Berkel at Eibergen.

The Berkel in Almen.

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