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Oude Rijn (Gelderland)

Europe river stubsGelderland geography stubsNetherlands geography stubsRivers of GelderlandRivers of the Netherlands
Rivers of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta
OudeRijnBunnik1
OudeRijnBunnik1

Oude Rijn ("Old Rhine"; not to be confused with the Alter Rhein) is the name of a long former bend in river Rhine in the Dutch province of Gelderland. In summer the bend became too shallow to be navigable, and so between 1701 and 1709 it was cut off from the main waterway near the town of Lobith and replaced by the Pannerdens Kanaal. After the bend was dammed-up at Tolkamer, the Oude Rijn received little water from the Rhine proper. Instead, most of its inflow now comes from the small river Wild. Near the Oude Rijn are several more, smaller, Old Rhine branches. Together they are known as the Rijnstrangen ("Rhine Bends"), a wildlife reserve area that is part of the Gelderse Poort. The Oude Rijn, which forms the border between the Dutch town of Lobith and the German town of Elten, was still used to relieve the overflow of the Rhine in times of flooding until the middle of the twentieth century. Opposite the town of Angeren, the Pannerdens Kanaal connects to the Oude Rijn, after which the river continues towards the sea as Nederrijn (Lower Rhine).

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Oude Rijn (Gelderland) (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Oude Rijn (Gelderland)
Gangen door Rijnstrangen, Zevenaar

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Geographical coordinates (GPS)

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N 51.896 ° E 6.089 °
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Gangen door Rijnstrangen

Gangen door Rijnstrangen
6913 KC Zevenaar
Gelderland, Netherlands
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Bijlands Kanaal
Bijlands Kanaal

The Bijlands Kanaal (Bijland Canal) is a canal in the Dutch province of Gelderland, near the Dutch-German border. It is currently by far the most important river-stretch of the Rhine when that major river enters the Netherlands.It was dug between 1773 and 1776 to cut off a large bend in river Waal to improve water regulation. This bend, and comparable waters, are currently only minor streams. They are known as the minor Oude Waal and De Bijland, and the larger Oude Rijn. The, more or less, defunct flows now only serve one purpose: to function as a buffer zone between the free flowing Waal and Nederrijn on one side and the abandoned stream-beds on the other side. The defuncts streams are shallow waters for most of the time and serve as an important spawning ground for all kinds of fish (since they remained connected to the main river through small creeks).However, in times of extreme high water-levels the 'dead' waters spring to life again, as the result of artificial overflow-devices. From time to time, the Oude Waal and De Bijland can temporarily taste the freedom of a free-flowing river. The area surrounding the 'dead' rivers is known for its historical significance and is a relic of a type of historical dyke landscape that is becoming more and more rare in the Netherlands. The Bijlands Kanaal is part of the extensive reconstruction works that Gelderland, then a semi-independent state within the federation of the Dutch Republic, undertook to better regulate water flow around the Rhine-Waal fork. It is named after Castle De Bijland, which had been destroyed by the river Waal circa 1750. In addition to the Bijlands Kanaal, the Pannerdens Kanaal is part also part of the same river regulation system. Both canals cut off shallow and slow-moving bends in the river Rhine, now known as the Oude Waal and De Bijland. Although both waters are called "Kanaal" (English: canal) they are now an indistinguishable part of the river and both lost all characteristics of an artificial structure. The area surrounding both the main rivers Waal and Rhine, and the mostly defunct abandoned streams, are all part of the extensive nature restoration project known as the Gelderse Poort.Nowadays, the canal is of enormous importance to Rhine navigation, being part of the main Rhine waterway and the first section of the Waal-Rhine fork.