The Sauer or Sûre (French

French language

French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

) is a river

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...

 in Belgium

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

, Luxembourg

Luxembourg

Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...

 and 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...

. A left tributary of the river Moselle, its total length is 173 km.

Rising near Vaux-sur-Sûre

Vaux-sur-Sûre

Vaux-sur-Sûre is a Walloon municipality of Belgium located in the province of Luxembourg.On 1 January 2007 the municipality, which covers 135.87 km², had 4,759 inhabitants, giving a population density of 35 inhabitants per km².-References:...

 in the Ardennes

Ardennes

The Ardennes is a region of extensive forests, rolling hills and ridges formed within the Givetian Ardennes mountain range, primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, but stretching into France , and geologically into the Eifel...

 in southeastern Belgium, the Sauer flows eastwards and crosses the border with Luxembourg near Martelange

Martelange

Martelange is a Walloon municipality of Belgium located in the province of Luxembourg....

. It forms the border between Belgium and Luxembourg for 13 km north of Martelange. West of Esch-sur-Sûre

Esch-sur-Sûre

Esch-sur-Sûre is a commune and small town in north-western Luxembourg. It is part of the canton of Wiltz, which is part of the district of Diekirch...

 it flows into an artificial lake, the Upper Sûre Lake

Upper Sûre Lake

The Upper Sûre Lake is a large reservoir in north-western Luxembourg. It is the largest area of water in the country. It gives its name to the commune of Lac de la Haute-Sûre, which was formed in 1979....

, which gives its (French) name to the Luxembourgian commune

Communes of Luxembourg

The communes of Luxembourg are the lowest nation-wide administrative division in Luxembourg. They conform to LAU level 2.Within the hierarchy of administrative subdivisions, communes come directly below cantons, which are directly below districts. Communes are often re-arranged, being merged or...

 of Lac de la Haute-Sûre

Lac de la Haute-Sûre

Lac de la Haute-Sûre , is a commune in north-western Luxembourg. It is part of the canton of Wiltz, which is part of the district of Diekirch. The commune is named after the reservoir of the upper Sauer river. The commune's administrative centre is Bavigne....

. After flowing through Ettelbruck

Ettelbruck

Ettelbruck is a commune with city status in central Luxembourg, with a population of approximately 7,500. As of 2005, the town of Ettelbruck itself, which lies in the east of the commune, has a population of 6,191. The town of Warken and Grentzingen are also within the commune...

 and Diekirch

Diekirch

Diekirch is a commune with city status in north-eastern Luxembourg, capital city of the canton Diekirch and the district of Diekirch. The city is situated on the banks of the Sauer river....

, the Sauer forms the border between Luxembourg and Germany for the last 50 km of its course, passing Echternach

Echternach

Echternach is a commune with city status in the canton of Echternach, which is part of the district of Grevenmacher, in eastern Luxembourg. Echternach lies near the border with Germany, and is the oldest town in Luxembourg....

 before emptying into the Moselle in Wasserbillig

Wasserbillig

Wasserbillig is a town in the commune of Mertert, in eastern Luxembourg. , Wasserbillig has 2,186 inhabitants, which makes it the largest town in Mertert. It lies at the confluence of the rivers Moselle and Sauer, which form the border with Germany at the town...

. The rivers Wiltz, Alzette

Alzette

The Alzette is a river with a length of 73 kilometers in France and Luxembourg. It is a right tributary of the Sauer.It rises in Thil near the town Villerupt in the Meurthe-et-Moselle département, France. It crosses the border with Luxembourg after a few kilometres. In Lameschmillen it is joined...

, White Ernz

White Ernz

The White Ernz is a river flowing through Luxembourg, joining the Sauer at Reisdorf. It flows through the towns of Larochette, Medernach and Ermsdorf....

, Black Ernz

Black Ernz

The Black Ernz is a river flowing through Luxembourg, joining the Sauer at Grundhof. It flows through the towns of Junglinster and Mullerthal....

, Our, and Prüm are tributaries.

External links

The Obersauer Nature Park