Oude Rijn
The Oude Rijn is a river in the provinces of Utrecht and South Holland . It is a remnant of the former Rhine, which begins at Wijk bij Duurstede as Kromme Rijn as a branch of the Nederrijn . After Utrecht, it runs as the Leidse Rijn to Harmelen , from where it flows into the North Sea as the Oude Rijn . A towpath ran along large stretches or still runs today .
course
The Oude Rijn is 52 kilometers long and begins at the Harmelen railway bridge . It continues in a westerly direction through Woerden , where the Korte Linschot branches off to the south and the Oude Rijn forms part of the Singelgracht . Behind Woerden, the Grecht branches off to the north. It then flows through Nieuwerbrug, Bodegraven and Zwammerdam. There the De Meije flows into the Oude Rijn. In Alphen aan den Rijn the Gouwe flow into the river to the south and the Aarkanal to the north. Shortly before Kouderkerk aan den Rijn, the Lutteke Rijn branches off , but to the east of the Kouderkerkse bridge it connects again with the Oude Rijn. Then it flows along the Hazerwoude-Rijndijk . After Zouterwoude-Rijndijk and Leiderdorp , where the Does meets, it reaches Leiden . There it divides into the Rijn-Schiekanal (towards the south) and the Zijl (towards the north). The Oude and the Nieuwe Rijn are part of the Leiden canal system and flow together in the city center. From then on the river is only called Rijn. Just before it leaves Leiden, the Korte Vliet flows into it. After Oegstgeest and Katwijk it flows into the Oegstgeesterkanal . As Uitwateringskanaal it flows into the North Sea . The original estuary is a little further north, but it silted up around 1163.
Roman times
In Roman times the Rijn was at times the northern border of the Roman Empire. There were many forts along the Rijn, which was wider at the time . During excavations, the remains of Roman ships have also been found. Roman settlements along the Oude Rijn are Laurum (Woerden), Nigrum Pullum (Zwammerdam), Albaniana (Alphen aan den Rijn), Matilo (Roomburg), Praetorium Agrippinae ( Valkenburg ) and Lugdunum Batavorum (Brittenburg). In Valkenburg, the ground plan of the excavated settlement was marked with colored stones in today's streets, so that one gets an impression of the settlement at that time.
Damming
After many floods, mainly in Utrecht and Leiden, the Oude Rijn was dammed in 1123. The lek became the main stream. Since then, the Oude Rijn has not overflowed its banks.
