Valley of the Niers

The Niers is a river in Germany that flows into the Meuse near the Dutch village of Milsbeek. From its source, a farm in Kuckum, to Gennep, the river covers approximately 114 km. Only 8 km of it lies in Dutch territory. The river flows past the Genneperhuis, the birthplace of Saint Norbert. Because the Niers has quite a strong current, many watermills took advantage of its hydropower in earlier years. The river was very rich in eels, but due to industrialization, the Niers became highly polluted. Since the end of the 20th century, there has been oversight to ensure that no more waste is discharged into the Niers. The river is named after the word "Nersihenis," as mentioned on an altar stone found near Jülich. The altar was dedicated to the mother goddesses of the river's water. Its bed was formed about 200,000 years ago by the Rhine and glacial ice.

Pieter Erauw