Sambre

Sambre at Merbes -le- Château, 6 km east of the Franco-Belgian border

Confluence of the Sambre (left) in the Meuse in Namur

Template: Infobox River / Obsolete

The Sambre ( Dutch: Samber ) is a 193 km long river in France (88 km ) and Belgium (105 km). Beneath its source in northern France Aisne she crosses the Nord and flows in Namur (Belgium ) as the largest left tributary to the river Meuse.

Course

Former and current headwaters

Originally sprang the Sambre on the northern edge of the Forêt du Nouvion, almost two kilometers southeast of its current source. The old upper reaches but was diverted in the 16th century by the Dukes of Guise towards Oise, to improve the water supply for the mills of Etreux and is now called Ancienne Sambre (about: "Former Sambre "). Through the valley was used to divert 1834-1839 also the Canal de la Sambre à l' Oise ( German: Sambre -Oise Canal) built. After the channel is reached ( between the villages Boué -la- Marsaude and Etreux ) the river flows alongside this to Noirrieux ( " Black Bach" ).

The Sambre arises today in 215 meters height Ruisseau de France ( "Bach of France "), even Rieu de Robissieu or Nouvelle Sambre ( " New Sambre " ), in the grove La Haie Equiverlesse, 4 kilometers east of Le Nouvion -en- thiérache. Today's headwaters reaches 14 km further down since the derivation used only by the channel lowlands in Oisy, two kilometers north of the former headwaters.

Outcome

In the first 16 kilometers through the Sambreniederung to Landrecies Sambre and channel running side by side.

From there to the mouth of the Meuse, the Sambre itself is channeled as a shipping route, with two locks in France and 16 locks in Belgium, of which 10 are above Charleroi -Monceau. In the 19th and 20th centuries it was one of the main transport routes in the south of Belgium coalfield. From Berlaimont the valley floor is narrow. The touched later in cities and skin Mont Maubeuge belong to the northern French industrial belt. In the Belgian Wallonia, the Sambre flows through the provinces of Hainaut and Namur. The part of the valley to the town of Thuin in Hainault is still essentially rural in nature. Further east, it enters the metropolitan area of the city Charleroi, where connects between the present district of Monceau- sur -Sambre and the center of the line passing through the valley of the Sambre Creek Pieton canal Charleroi -Brussels. Through strong sprawling valley floors the Sambre finally reaches the city of Namur and its mouth in 45 meters height.