Dahme River
Encyclopedia
The Dahme is a river
that flows through the Brandenburg
and Berlin
states
of Germany
. It is a left bank tributary
of the River Spree
and is approximately 95 kilometres (59 mi) in length.
.
The river flows north through the towns of Märkisch Buchholz
and Prieros. At Märkisch Buchholz the river is joined by the Dahme Flood Relief Canal
that diverts water from the upper reaches of the River Spree
at Leibsch
. At Prieros the Dahme is joined by two tributaries, the Storkower Gewässer on the right bank and the Teupitzer Gewässer on the left bank. Both of these tributaries comprise a chain of linked lakes.
North of Prieros the Dahme flows through a number of lakes, including the Dolgenzee, Krüpelsee and Krimnicksee before reaching the city of Königs Wusterhausen
. The fjord
-like Zernsdorfer Lankensee joins the Krüpelsee as a right-bank tributary. At Königs Wusterhausen the River Notte
joins as a left-bank tributary.
Downstream of Königs Wusterhausen the river is linked to the Möllenzugsee on the right bank, and shortly thereafter by the linked Grosser Zug and Krossinsee on the same bank. The Dahme then flows into the Zeuthener See
, which links to the Seddinsee
and Langer See
at the outer Berlin
suburb of Schmöckwitz
. The Dahme flows out of the Langer See at its north-western end, shortly before it confluence with the River Spree at Köpenick
, a historic town that is now a suburb of Berlin.
, although the reach above Prieros is shallow and generally only used by leisure craft. Canoe
s and similar craft can by-pass a weir
near Märkisch Buchholz and enter the Dahme Flood Relief Canal
which is then navigable to its junction with the upper Spree
. The Storkower Gewässer is navigable as far as the Scharmützelsee
, the Teupitzer Gewässer as far as Teupitzersee. The River Notte
is also navigable, as are most of the lakes linked to, or traversed by, the river downstream of Prieros.
The Oder-Spree Canal links with the Seddinsee
near Schmöckwitz
, with the Oder
river, at Eisenhüttenstadt
, thus providing a navigable connection between Berlin
and the Oder, and hence Poland
. The Gosen Canal also links the Sedinsee with the Spree, and thus provides a shorter route to the Müggelsee
, Woltersdorf
and Rüdersdorf
for traffic coming downstream.
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
that flows through the Brandenburg
Brandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
and Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
states
States of Germany
Germany is made up of sixteen which are partly sovereign constituent states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Land literally translates as "country", and constitutionally speaking, they are constituent countries...
of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It is a left bank tributary
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of the River Spree
Spree
The Spree is a river that flows through the Saxony, Brandenburg and Berlin states of Germany, and in the Ústí nad Labem region of the Czech Republic...
and is approximately 95 kilometres (59 mi) in length.
Course
The source of the Dahme is near the eponymous town DahmeDahme, Brandenburg
Dahme is a town in the Teltow-Fläming district of Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated on the Dahme River, 30 km southeast of Luckenwalde, and 38 km west of Lübbenau....
.
The river flows north through the towns of Märkisch Buchholz
Märkisch Buchholz
Märkisch Buchholz is a small town in the Dahme-Spreewald district, in Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated on the Dahme River, 20 km northwest of Lübben and resp. 50 km southeast of Berlin.-Overview:...
and Prieros. At Märkisch Buchholz the river is joined by the Dahme Flood Relief Canal
Dahme Flood Relief Canal
The Dahme Flood Relief Canal, or Dahme-Umflutkanal in German, is a canal in the German state of Brandenburg. Its principal purpose is to divert water from the upper reaches of the River Spree just below Leibsch, to run into the River Dahme at Märkisch Buchholz.The canal is entered from the River...
that diverts water from the upper reaches of the River Spree
Spree
The Spree is a river that flows through the Saxony, Brandenburg and Berlin states of Germany, and in the Ústí nad Labem region of the Czech Republic...
at Leibsch
Leibsch
Leibsch is a locality in the municipality of Unterspreewald in the German state of Brandenburg. It is located on the River Spree in the Spreewald....
. At Prieros the Dahme is joined by two tributaries, the Storkower Gewässer on the right bank and the Teupitzer Gewässer on the left bank. Both of these tributaries comprise a chain of linked lakes.
North of Prieros the Dahme flows through a number of lakes, including the Dolgenzee, Krüpelsee and Krimnicksee before reaching the city of Königs Wusterhausen
Königs Wusterhausen
Königs Wusterhausen is a town in the Dahme-Spreewald district of the state of Brandenburg in Germany.-Geographical location:Königs Wusterhausen – or "KW" as it is often called locally – lies on the Notte Canal and the river Dahme southeast of Berlin...
. The fjord
Fjord
Geologically, a fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created in a valley carved by glacial activity.-Formation:A fjord is formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by abrasion of the surrounding bedrock. Glacial melting is accompanied by rebound of Earth's crust as the ice...
-like Zernsdorfer Lankensee joins the Krüpelsee as a right-bank tributary. At Königs Wusterhausen the River Notte
Notte
Notte is a river of Brandenburg, Germany....
joins as a left-bank tributary.
Downstream of Königs Wusterhausen the river is linked to the Möllenzugsee on the right bank, and shortly thereafter by the linked Grosser Zug and Krossinsee on the same bank. The Dahme then flows into the Zeuthener See
Zeuthener See
The Zeuthener See is a lake situated to the south-east of Berlin, the capital city of Germany, in the states of Berlin and Brandenburg. At an elevation of , its surface area is .-Overview:...
, which links to the Seddinsee
Seddinsee
The Seddinsee is a lake situated in the south-eastern outskirts of Berlin, the capital city of Germany. The lake is aligned south-west to north-east, with its south-western end adjacent to the Berlin suburb of Schmöckwitz. Here the Seddinsee meets the Zeuthener See and Langer See, two lakes which...
and Langer See
Langer See
The Langer See is a lake situated in the south-eastern outskirts of Berlin, the capital city of Germany. The lake is aligned south-east to north-west and forms part of the course of the River Dahme...
at the outer Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
suburb of Schmöckwitz
Schmöckwitz
Schmöckwitz is a German locality within the Berlin borough of Treptow-Köpenick. Until 2001 it was part of the former borough of Köpenick.-History:The locality was founded in 1375 with the name of Smekewitz...
. The Dahme flows out of the Langer See at its north-western end, shortly before it confluence with the River Spree at Köpenick
Köpenick
Köpenick is a historic town and locality that is situated at the confluence of the rivers Dahme and Spree in the south-east of the German capital city of Berlin. It was formerly known as Copanic and then Cöpenick, only officially adopting the current spelling in 1931...
, a historic town that is now a suburb of Berlin.
Navigation
The Dahme is navigable as far upstream as Märkisch BuchholzMärkisch Buchholz
Märkisch Buchholz is a small town in the Dahme-Spreewald district, in Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated on the Dahme River, 20 km northwest of Lübben and resp. 50 km southeast of Berlin.-Overview:...
, although the reach above Prieros is shallow and generally only used by leisure craft. Canoe
Canoe
A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...
s and similar craft can by-pass a weir
Weir
A weir is a small overflow dam used to alter the flow characteristics of a river or stream. In most cases weirs take the form of a barrier across the river that causes water to pool behind the structure , but allows water to flow over the top...
near Märkisch Buchholz and enter the Dahme Flood Relief Canal
Dahme Flood Relief Canal
The Dahme Flood Relief Canal, or Dahme-Umflutkanal in German, is a canal in the German state of Brandenburg. Its principal purpose is to divert water from the upper reaches of the River Spree just below Leibsch, to run into the River Dahme at Märkisch Buchholz.The canal is entered from the River...
which is then navigable to its junction with the upper Spree
Spree
The Spree is a river that flows through the Saxony, Brandenburg and Berlin states of Germany, and in the Ústí nad Labem region of the Czech Republic...
. The Storkower Gewässer is navigable as far as the Scharmützelsee
Scharmützelsee
Scharmützelsee is an Amt in the district of Oder-Spree, in Brandenburg, Germany. Its seat is in Bad Saarow.The Amt Scharmützelsee consists of the following municipalities:#Bad Saarow#Diensdorf-Radlow#Langewahl#Reichenwalde...
, the Teupitzer Gewässer as far as Teupitzersee. The River Notte
Notte
Notte is a river of Brandenburg, Germany....
is also navigable, as are most of the lakes linked to, or traversed by, the river downstream of Prieros.
The Oder-Spree Canal links with the Seddinsee
Seddinsee
The Seddinsee is a lake situated in the south-eastern outskirts of Berlin, the capital city of Germany. The lake is aligned south-west to north-east, with its south-western end adjacent to the Berlin suburb of Schmöckwitz. Here the Seddinsee meets the Zeuthener See and Langer See, two lakes which...
near Schmöckwitz
Schmöckwitz
Schmöckwitz is a German locality within the Berlin borough of Treptow-Köpenick. Until 2001 it was part of the former borough of Köpenick.-History:The locality was founded in 1375 with the name of Smekewitz...
, with the Oder
Oder
The Oder is a river in Central Europe. It rises in the Czech Republic and flows through western Poland, later forming of the border between Poland and Germany, part of the Oder-Neisse line...
river, at Eisenhüttenstadt
Eisenhüttenstadt
Eisenhüttenstadt is a town in the Oder-Spree district of Brandenburg, Germany at the border with Poland. The town was founded in 1950 alongside a new steel mill as a socialist model city and has a population of 32,214...
, thus providing a navigable connection between Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and the Oder, and hence Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. The Gosen Canal also links the Sedinsee with the Spree, and thus provides a shorter route to the Müggelsee
Müggelsee
The Müggelsee, also known as the Großer Müggelsee, is a lake in the eastern suburbs of Berlin, the capital city of Germany. It is the largest of the Berlin lakes by area, with an area of , a length of and a breadth of . The lake is in the Berlin district of Treptow-Köpenick...
, Woltersdorf
Woltersdorf, Brandenburg
Woltersdorf is a municipality in the Oder-Spree district in Brandenburg. It is often referred to as "near Berlin" or "near Erkner" as there are a number of other places bearing the same name in Germany.-Geography:...
and Rüdersdorf
Rüdersdorf
Rüdersdorf is a municipality in the district Märkisch-Oderland, in Brandenburg, Germany.-Overview:It is situated 26 km east of Berlin . Rüdersdorf is famous for its limestone-open-pit mining. Today some parts of the mine are used as a museum...
for traffic coming downstream.