TheIJssel(Dutch:[ˈɛisəl];Dutch Low Saxon:Iessel(t)[ˈisəl(t)]) is a Dutchdistributaryof the riverRhinethat flows northward and ultimately discharges into theIJsselmeer(before the 1932 completion of theAfsluitdijkknown as theZuiderzee), aNorth Seanatural harbour.It more immediately flows into the east-south channel around theFlevopolder,Flevolandwhich is kept at 3 metres below sea level. This body of water is then pumped up into the IJsselmeer.
| IJssel Gelderse IJssel | |
|---|---|
 Sunset on the IJssel at Deventer | |
 Location of river IJssel in dark blue | |
| Native name | Iessel(t)(Dutch Low Saxon) |
| Location | |
| Country | Netherlands |
| Provinces | Gelderland,Overijssel |
| Districts | Liemers,Veluwe,Achterhoek,Salland |
| Cities | Arnhem(suburbs),Doesburg,Zutphen,Deventer,Zwolle(suburbs),Kampen |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Nederrijn |
| • location | Westervoort,Gelderland,Netherlands |
| • elevation | 6 metres |
| Mouth | Ketelmeer(arm of below-sea-level channel east of theFlevopolder,Flevoland) |
• location | Kampen,Salland,Overijssel,Netherlands |
• coordinates | 52°34′58″N5°50′24″E/ 52.58278°N 5.84000°E |
• elevation | −3 metres |
| Length | 125 km (78 mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 340 m3/s (12,000 cu ft/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Rhine, Pannerdens Kanaal, IJssel |
| Tributaries | |
| • right | Oude IJssel,Berkel,Schipbeek |
It is sometimes called theGelderse IJssel(IPA:[ˌɣɛldərsəˈʔɛisəl];"Gueldern IJssel" ) to distinguish it from theHollandse IJssel.It is in the provinces ofGelderlandandOverijssel,the latter of which was named after this river. TheRomansknew the river asIsala.It flows fromWestervoort,on the east side of the city ofArnhem.
Similar to theNederrijnwhich shares its short inflow, thePannerdens Kanaal,it is a minor discharge of the Rhine. At the fork where the Kanaal is sourced the Rhine takes the name theWaal.Thissplitting-offis west of theGermanborder. The Waal in turn interweaves with other rivers and the lower course of the Nederrijn, which altogether is known as theRhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta.
The name contains thedigraphij,used throughout modernDutch orthography,which is why both letters appear capitalized (as in:IJmuidenandIJsselmeer).
History
edit
The nameIJssel(olderIsla,Isala,from *Īsalō), is thought to derive from aProto-Indo-Europeanroot*eis-"to move quickly" (Old Norseeisa"to race forward",Latinira"anger" ).[1]
Before theRoman Warm Period,theZuiderzeein highly glaciated times was a brackish, sometimes tidal, very broad set ofmudflats,theVlies(Latin:Flevo). The IJssel andAmstelkept a saline-freshwater balance, and northward flow, enabling islands and banks to build up. Among these are rare zones just above sea level:Kampen,Elburgand north-east bank once wooded strip from Nijemirdum toStavoren.
However, the North Sea, locally to form (or re-form) the Zuiderzee, reasserted itself – the so-calledDunkirk transgressions.
By the time these were tamed (terraformed) the IJssel had formed many of its new shortdistributariesto dissipate its flow. The submerged old delta is traceable out from its sea level elevation point atZwollethroughout the broadest parts of theIJsselmeer;the lands ofEmmeloord,Lelystadand south ofDrontenare relatively recent reclamations. They were continuations of these old, broad troughs, and lie six metres below sea level.
The nameVlierefers to astraitbetween seaislands,VlielandandTerschelling.It seems that the firmly below-sea-level excoriations in the far north (theGroote Vliet) byMedemblikand theIJ(nearAmsterdam) were all deep parts of the same body of water in the height of the Roman Warm Period and Medieval Dark Age sea rises (transgressions). Most of the surrounding basin of the vast harbour-like body of water of the Netherlands is reclaimed from it (nationally called polderisation; in England called the making of a fen).
The river was a natural barrier and in April 1945 was stormed by assault troops of the Allied armies liberating the Netherlands from the occupying forces ofNazi Germany.[2]
The IJssel as the lower part of the Oude IJssel
editMost of the IJssel was the lower part of the small riverOude IJssel(lit. "Old IJssel",GermanIssel), that rises in Germany and is now a 70 km tributary. Theconnection between the Rhine and IJssel was probably artificial,allegedly dug by men under theRomangeneralNero Claudius Drususc.12 BCE as a defence againstGermanic tribesand to let Roman ships carry troops along it.[3]
The Oude IJssel is the second-largest contributor to the flow of the river, after the Rhine.
The source of the Oude IJssel is nearBorkeninNorth Rhine-Westphalia,Germany. First it flows south-west until it nearly reaches the Rhine nearWesel;then it turnswest northwest.After skirtingIsselburgit crosses the border with the Netherlands. The river then flows throughDoetinchemand joins the IJssel at Doesburg.
Characteristics
editThe average daily discharge can change greatly. It has been, over long periods, averaged as about 300 cubic meters per second. It can be as low as 140 and as high as 1800, depending on the velocity of the water arriving from upstream and the weirs west of Arnhem, which control the water taken in. These control the Pannerdens Kanaal, the sole inflow (shared with the Nederrijn).
As a lowland river in which velocity decreases, the IJsselmeanders.Some bends (and spurs of land,hank) have been cut off by man such as nearRhedenandDoesburg,reducing the length from 146 km[4]to 125 km, but not as radically as theMeusenorGreat Ouse.Deposition of sediment to form islands in the outside of bends has been curtailed since the late nineteenth century.
The IJssel as a Rhine distributary
edit
Since the connection between the Rhine and IJssel was dug, the Rhine became the main contributor to the flow of the IJssel – a small fraction of the former's flow makes up the upper IJssel. Various tributaries add a little or much water to the flow of the IJssel, such as theBerkelandSchipbeekstreams from relatively localprecipitation.The IJssel, if accepted as a branch of theRhine-Meuse-Scheldt delta,is the only one that takes up tributary rivers rather than giving rise to distributaries. It has no contact with the Meuse, nor Scheldt, nor their resultant watercourses.
In the last few miles of the river's run, near the city ofKampen,distributaries form, resulting in a quite smalldelta.Some of these have been dammed up to lower the risk offlooding.Some have silted up. Others flow without interruption. Most of the damming-up was done before 1932, when the Zuiderzee was turned into the freshwaterIJsselmeerlake. The whole delta had been prone to flooding in times of northwesterngales,pushing back the saline Zuiderzee water into the delta.
The modern-day names of the delta branches are, west to east, the:
- Keteldiep
- Kattendiep
- Noorddiep (local drainage ditch only)
- Ganzendiep
- Goot
Of these, the first-stated two are the main navigations. The Noorddiep has been stopped up at both ends. Another branch, De Garste, had already completely silted up by the middle of the nineteenth century.[5]Until about 1900, the Ganzendiep up to the Goot fork was known as IJssel proper[5]as was the historical main channel. The present main channel was named the Regtediep or Rechterdiep until well into the twentieth century.[6]
The IJssel, now mainly a Rhine branch as to its water, has retained most of the character of a distinct river in its own right. It has its own tributaries and, as to the Old IJssel (Oude IJssel), a formerheadstream.
Tributaries and connecting canals
editThe followingcanals,long ditches andtributarystreams feed the IJssel, in downstream order:
- Apeldoorns Kanaal(west) near thetownofDieren
- riverOude IJssel(east) at thecityofDoesburg
- theBerkelstream (east) at the city ofZutphen
- theTwentekanaal(east) between Zutphen and the village ofEefde(municipalityofGorssel)
- theSchipbeekstream (east) near the city ofDeventer
- theGriftstream (west) at the town ofHattem;its lower reaches have beenchannelisedto form the mouth of theGriftkanaal
- theWillemsvaartcanal (east) at the city ofZwolle
- theZwolle-IJsselkanaal(east) near Zwolle
River crossings
edit
Road bridges
editRoad bridges across river IJssel (with nearest places on the left and right bank):
- Arnhem – Westervoort
- Arnhem – Duiven (A12motorway)
- Ellecom – Doesburg (N317)
- Brummen – Zutphen (N348)
- Zutphen – Zutphen
- Wilp – Deventer (A1 motorway)
- Deventer – Deventer (N344)
- Hattem – Zwolle
- Hattemerbroek – Zwolle (A28 motorway)
- Kampen – Kampen (N764)
- Kampen – Kampen
- Kampen – Kampereiland (N50)
Railroad bridges
editRailroad bridges (with nearest train station on the left and right bank):
- ArnhemVelperpoort –Westervoort
- Brummen/Klarenbeek–Zutphen
- Twello–Deventer
- Wezep/Kampen Zuid–Zwolle
Cable ferries
editOnly thoseferriescapable of carrying motorised vehicles are included.
- Dieren – Olburgen
- Brummen – Bronkhorst
- Welsum – Olst
- Vorchten – Wijhe
References
edit
- ^J. de Vries,Etymologisch woordenboek.Utrecht: Het Spectrum, 1959
- ^Stacey, C. P.History of the Canadian Army in the Second World War: Volume III The Victory Campaign
- ^ter Laan, K.; et al., eds. (1942).Van Goor's aardrijkskundig woordenboek van Nederland(in Dutch).Den Haag:Van Goor Zonen.
- ^Augé, Claude, ed. (1922).Larousse universel en deux volumes(in French).Paris:Larousse.
- ^abGrote (1990).Grote historische atlas van Nederland (3): Oost-Nederland 1830–1855(in Dutch).Groningen:Wolters-Noordhoff Atlasprodukties.ISBN90-01-96232-7.
- ^Kwast, B., ed. (1932).Schoolatlas der geheele aarde(in Dutch). Groningen: Wolters.