Kleine Emme

Wooden bridge over the Kleine Emme in the bathroom, Wolhusen

The Kleine Emme, together with its source river Waldemme a 58 km long left tributary of the river Reuss in the canton of Lucerne in central Switzerland. Its catchment area covers 477 km ².

The source of the river Kleine Emme is the Waldemme that springs from the so-called Emmen jump on the northern slope of the eastern part of the Brienz Rothorn - chain in the extreme southwest of the Canton of Obwalden and soon united with several other spring-fed streams. In its upper reaches it flows initially northwest through the open kettle of Mariental, where the tourist Sörenberg. Below Soerenberg the Waldemme digs into the flysch east of the Schrattenfluh on and turn it to the north. In Fluhli it flows through another valley, breaks shortly thereafter in the Lamb Canyon, the mountain range of the subalpine Molasse, and then step out into the region of the Entlebuch. Here flows from the west, the much shorter Weissemme, which is fed by spring-fed streams from southern Napfgebiet as well as from the northern slope of the Beichlen.

From the confluence of Waldemme and Weissemme at Schüpfheim the waters given the name Kleine Emme. The section of the river with the same name about 37 km long and flows first to the north- northeast by the broad, open valley of the Entlebuch and separates in the middle part of the hill country of the bowl in the northwest of the Alpine foothills in the southeast. The lower part of this section is partially cut a gorge in the conglomerate rock and sandstones of the region. In Wolhusen the Kleine Emme takes a sharp bend to the east and now flows parallel to the Pilatus chain, the valley gradually opens and from Malters forms a 1 km wide, flat bottom. About 2 km northwest of the city of Lucerne joins the Kleine Emme into the river.

The most important tributaries from the right from the Alpine foothills are the Entlen which opens Entlebuch the place, and the Rümlig. The water from the eastern Napfgebiet collects Fontanne and feeds it to the Kleine Emme south of Wolhusen to.

Feared flood of the Little Emme are after prolonged rainfall or severe thunderstorms mainly in the range between Schüpfheim and Wolhusen. They turned again and again to major damage. The passage of Waldemme is largely natural and semi-natural state. In the middle reaches of the Kleine Emme partial canalization were necessary, but there are between Entlebuch and Wolhusen even longer sections with natural floodplains and extensive gravel bars. The lower reaches of the Little Emme was channeled to protect the flat valley floor from flooding.

In the 18th century gold was washed in the Kleine Emme. Today leads between Hasle and Wolhusen the adventure trail waterway Kleine Emme boards along the river.

The Chalchloch - this is the Kleine Emme has a way through 10 million years old Nagelfluhschichten dug

Floodplain of the Kleine Emme near Entlebuch

The Waldemme below the confluence of the Steinibach