Eider River

Geobox|River
name = Eider
native_name =
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country = Germany
state = Schleswig-Holstein
region =
district =
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parent =
tributary_left =
tributary_right = Treene, Sorge
city = Bordesholm | city1 = Kiel | city2 = Rendsburg | city3 = Friedrichstadt | city4 = Tönning
landmark =
source = Klaster Teich
source_location = Wattenbek | source_region = | source_country =
source_elevation =
source_lat_d = | source_lat_m = | source_lat_s = | source_lat_NS =
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source1 =
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source_confluence =
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mouth = North Sea
mouth_location = Tönning | mouth_region = | mouth_country =
mouth_elevation =
mouth_lat_d = 54 | mouth_lat_m = 18 | mouth_lat_s = 52.27 | mouth_lat_NS = N
mouth_long_d = 8 | mouth_long_m = 57 | mouth_long_s = 16.34 | mouth_long_EW = E
length = 188
width =
depth =
volume
area =
discharge = 6.5
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map_size =
map_caption = The Eider as borderline between the Danes, Saxons and Frisians
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The Eider (German: "Eider"; Danish: "Ejderen"; Latin: "Egdor" or "Egdore") is the longest river of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. The river starts near Bordesholm and reaches the southwestern outskirts of Kiel on the shores of the Baltic Sea, but flows to the west, ending in the North Sea. The middle part of the Eider was appropriated for use as part of the Kiel Canal. [cite web
title=The History of the City of Kiel, 1243 - 1945
work=British Kiel Yacht Club
url=http://www.bkyc.de/html/kiel_1243_-_1945.html
accessdate=2006-03-16]

In the Early Middle Ages the river is believed to have been the border between the related Germanic tribes the Jutes and the Angles who during this period, along with the neighboring Saxons crossed the North Sea from this region and settled themselves in England. During the High Middle Ages the Eider was the border between the Saxons and the Danes, as reported by Adam of Bremen in 1076. For centuries it divided Denmark and the Holy Roman Empire. [cite book
first=M.K.
last=Lawson
year=1993
title=Cnut, The Danes in England in the Early Eleventh Century
publisher=Longman
location=New York
id=ISBN 0-582-05969-0 ] Today it is the border between Schleswig and Holstein, the northern and southern parts, respectively, of the modern German state of Schleswig-Holstein.

The Eider flows through the following towns: Bordesholm, Kiel, Rendsburg, Friedrichstadt and Tönning. Near Tönning it flows into the North Sea. The estuary has tidal flats and brackish water. The mouth of the river is crossed by a closeable storm surge barrier.

References