Berkel

The Berkel is a river in the Netherlands and Germany. It is a right tributary of the IJssel.

For other uses, see Berkel (disambiguation).
Berkel
The Berkel near Eibergen
Location
CountryGermany, Netherlands
Physical characteristics
Source 
 ⁃ locationWestphalia
Mouth 
 ⁃ location
IJssel
 ⁃ coordinates
52°8′25″N 6°11′28″E
Length114.6 km (71.2 mi) [1]
Basin size849 km2 (328 sq mi) [1]
Basin features
ProgressionIJssel→ IJsselmeer

The river rises in Billerbeck, near the German city of Münster in North Rhine-Westphalia, and crosses the border with the Netherlands near Vreden (Germany) and Rekken (Netherlands). From there, it flows through the province of Gelderland to join the IJssel at Zutphen after about 115 kilometres.

Before the coming of the railway, the Berkel was a major shipping route for goods from Münster to Eibergen, Borculo, and Zutphen, transported in flat-bottomed boats called Berkelzompen. In the 1950s, the Dutch stretch of the river was channelized to prevent flooding and to improve drainage. Recently old bends have been reconnected to the straightened lengths of the river.

Towns along the course of the Berkel include:

References
  1. Hydrographic Directory of the NRW State Office for Nature, the Environment and Consumer Protection (Gewässerverzeichnis des Landesamtes für Natur, Umwelt und Verbraucherschutz NRW 2010) (xls; 4.67 MB)
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