Editing Roer

{{Short description|River in Germany and the Netherlands}}
{{Hatnote group|
{{For|the Napoleonic department|Roer (department)}}
{{Hatnote|Not to be confused with the rivers [[Ruhr (river)|Ruhr]] and [[Röhr (river)|Röhr]].}}
}}
{{Infobox river
| name              = Roer
| name_other        = {{lang|DE|Rur}}
| image             = 0 Monschau - La Rur et la passerelle de l'hôtel zum Stern (1).JPG
| image_caption     = The Roer in [[Monschau]]
| source1_location  = [[High Fens]]
| mouth_location    = [[Meuse]]
| mouth_coordinates = {{coord|51|11|52|N|5|58|52|E|display=inline,title}}
| progression       = {{RMeuse}}
| subdivision_type1 = Countries
| subdivision_name1 = {{ubl|[[Germany]]|[[Netherlands]]|[[Belgium]]}}
| length_km = 164.5
| length_ref = {{GeoQuelle|DE-NW|GSK3C}}
| source1_elevation = {{convert|660|m|ft|abbr=on}}
| mouth_elevation   = {{convert|17|m|ft|abbr=on}}
| discharge1_avg    =
| basin_size_km2 = 2361
| basin_size_ref = {{GeoQuelle|DE-NW|GSK3C}}
}}

The '''Roer''' ({{IPA|nl|ruːr|lang|nl-Roer.ogg}}, {{IPA|li|ʀuːʀ˦|lang}}) or '''Rur''' ({{IPA|de|ʁuːɐ̯|lang|de-Ruhr.ogg}}; {{langx|fr|Rour|links=no}}<ref>[https://www.crambleve.com/ Ambleve/Rour Amel/Rur]</ref> {{IPA|fr|ʁuʁ|}}) is a major river that flows through portions of [[Belgium]], [[Germany]] and the [[Netherlands]]. It is a right (eastern) tributary to the [[Meuse]] ({{langx|nl|links=no|Maas}}).  About 90&nbsp;percent of the river's course is in Germany.

It is not to be confused with the rivers [[Ruhr (river)|Ruhr]] and [[Röhr (river)|Röhr]], which are tributaries of the [[Rhine]] in North Rhine-Westphalia.

==History==
During the [[Middle Ages]] the valley of the Roer lay mostly within the [[Duchy of Jülich]]. In 1795,  until 1814, during which time the area was part of [[French First Republic|the French Republic]] and [[First French Empire|Empire]], it gave its name to the French ''[[département]]'' of the [[Roer (department)|Roer]].

The Roer represented an important front in the Allied push towards Germany at the end of the [[Second World War]]. A fortified area known as the '''Roer Triangle''', formed by the towns of [[Roermond]] and [[Sittard]],  in the [[Netherlands]], and [[Heinsberg]] in [[Germany]], was the scene of heavy fighting at the beginning of 1945.

[[Operation Blackcock]] was the code name for the clearing of the Roer Triangle. It was conducted by the [[British Second Army|2nd British Army]] between 14 and 26 January 1945. The objective was to drive the [[15th Army (Wehrmacht)|German 15th Army]] back across the Rivers Roer and [[Wurm (Rur)|Wurm]] and move the frontline further into Germany. The operation was carried out under command of the XII Corps by three divisions. The operation is relatively unknown despite the sometimes fierce battles that were fought for each and every village and hamlet within the "Roer Triangle".

Between 16 December 1944 and 23 February 1945, the [[U.S. Ninth Army]] was unable to advance across the Roer during [[Operation Queen]], because German forces controlled dams close to the river's source in the densely forested region of the Hohes Venn.  This meant Axis forces could potentially blow the dams, releasing enough water to wash out an Allied assault.  At the same time, the German  [[Ardennes Offensive]] meant any further westward push would leave Allied forces stretched and supply lines exposed. Eventually the counteroffensive was overwhelmed and German engineers, under pressure of aerial and artillery bombardment, released the dams.  As the flood waters began to subside, Allied forces crossed the Rur in rafts in the early hours of February 23, 1945, as part of [[Operation Grenade]].

<gallery widths="200" heights="200">
Image:Rur zwischen Monschau und Dedenborn 30-01-2005.jpg|The Roer between Monschau and Dedenborn during winter
File:Rur stream and the High Fens along the RAVeL L48 in Bütgenbach, Belgium (DSCF5836).jpg|The Roer in the High Fens
</gallery>

==Geography==
The Roer rises in the [[High Fens]], near the {{convert|696|m|ft|adj=on}} high [[Signal de Botrange]] in Belgium at an elevation of {{convert|660|m|ft}} above sea level. South of [[Monschau]] it flows into Germany, through [[North Rhine-Westphalia]]. It flows first through the northern part of the [[Eifel]] mountains.

After {{convert|39|km|mi}} it reaches the [[Rur Dam|Roer Reservoir]], the second-largest artificial lake in Germany. After approximately {{convert|160|km|mi}} it flows into the Netherlands, and at its {{convert|170|km|mi|adj=on}} mark it flows into the river [[Meuse]] in the city of [[Roermond]].

Major tributaries of the Roer include the [[Inde]] and the [[Wurm (Rur)|Wurm]]. The towns along the Roer are Monschau, [[Heimbach]], [[Nideggen]], [[Düren]], [[Jülich]], [[Linnich]], [[Hückelhoven]], [[Heinsberg]] (all in Germany) and Roermond (Netherlands).

In the 1960s and 1970s, the northern part of the Roer was heavily polluted by the [[tailings]] of many German coal mines. Neither fish nor other organisms could be found, and it was dangerous to swim in the river. Foam flakes regularly flooded parts of the city of Roermond. After the closure of the mines, the waste water treatment in Germany and the Netherlands greatly improved. Only the lower part of the river is still contaminated.<ref>[http://www.maas.nrw.de/maas_sued/daten/abb/abb2_1_3_2_2.pdf Water quality chart of the Rur published by the Ministry for Climate Protection, Environment, Agriculture, Nature Conservation and Consumer Protection of the German State of North Rhine-Westphalia]</ref> The water in the upper part of the river is so clean that trout and more than 30 species of fish are back. After an absence of 125 years, [[salmon]] returned to the Roer in 2004.

===Tributaries===
[[Image:Indeverlauf.png|thumb|Map of river Rur/Roer and its tributaries]]

* [[Ellebach]]
* [[Inde]]
* [[Kall (Rur)|Kall]]
* [[Malefinkbach]]
* [[Merzbach]]
* [[Wurm (Rur)|Wurm]]
* [[Olef]]
* [[Urft (river)|Urft]]

[[Image:Rurpano.JPG|thumb|center|700px|The Roer near Hückelhoven.]]

==Recreation==
The Roer is the only real [[Whitewater|white water river]] in North Rhine-Westphalia. The upper section above the [[Rur Dam|Roer reservoir]] (German: Rurtalsperre Schwammenauel) offers {{convert|20|km|mi}} of white water ranging from [[International Scale of River Difficulty|class]] III(+) to I. The town of Monschau is the venue for the yearly International White Water Race which was held on 17 March 2013 for the 58th time.{{citation needed|date=December 2019}}

==See also==
* [[Rurtalbahn]] (Roer Valley Railway)—The tracks run approximately along the river, from Heimbach to Linnich.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Rur|Rur (river)}}
* [http://carol_fus.tripod.com/army_hero_john_lengyel2.html Roercrossing of the 102. Infantry Division 1944/45 documents and photos]

{{Rivers of Germany}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Rur basin| ]]
[[Category:International rivers of Europe]]
[[Category:Rivers of Belgium]]
[[Category:Rivers of Germany]]
[[Category:Rivers of Liège Province]]
[[Category:Rivers of Limburg (Netherlands)]]
[[Category:Rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia]]
[[Category:Rivers of the Ardennes (Belgium)]]
[[Category:Rivers of the Eifel]]
[[Category:Rivers of the Netherlands]]
[[Category:Roerdalen]]
[[Category:Roermond]]