Wupper
Wupper
Origin	Sauerland
Mouth	Rhine 51°02′43″N 6°56′27″E / 51.04528°N 6.94083°E / 51.04528; 6.94083Coordinates: 51°02′43″N 6°56′27″E / 51.04528°N 6.94083°E / 51.04528; 6.94083
Basin countries	Germany
Length	113 km
Source elevation	441 m
Avg. discharge	17 m³/s [1]
Basin area	827 km²

The Wupper is a right tributary of the River Rhine in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Rising near Marienheide in western Sauerland it runs through the mountainous region of the Bergisches Land in Berg County and enters the Rhine at Leverkusen, south of Düsseldorf. Its upper course is called the Wipper.

On its course of about 113 km, the Wupper passes through the city of Wuppertal where the suspension railway runs for 10 kilometres above the river. According to a popular local story, on 21 July 1950 a young elephant named Tuffi jumped into the Wupper from the railway.

It is crossed by the highest railway bridge in Germany near Müngsten, between Remscheid and Solingen. A few miles further down, Burg Castle is located on a hill overlooking the river.

Müngsten Bridge between Remscheid and Solingen

Hydropower [edit]

From the 15th century, the Wupper and its many streams gave birth to hundreds of workshops, mills and factories on their banks. Originally water was used for dying, bleaching and washing canvas and cloth,^[2] later it was used to power machines or transport waste.

The Wupper thus facilitated the early industrial expansion of the Wuppertal or Wupper valley during the 18th, 19th and early 20th century, similar to that of Silicon Valley in the United States in the 20th century. The Wupper Valley was one of world's first industrialized regions and empowered inter alia the Ruhrgebiet as a coal-mining region.

The suspension railway over the Wupper in Wuppertal

Other [edit]

• The Wupper is cited in two German sayings: "Über die Wupper gehen" - "To go over the Wupper" meaning going bankrupt, going into jail or going to die, and "Wir wuppen das" -"We'll whoop that" meaning We'll get that done. ^[3]

• Else Lasker-Schüler wrote the drama Die Wupper.

• The 1928 American musical Whoopee and the famous title song Makin' whoopee! may have been inspired by the German saying "Wir wuppen das". The writer of the song was Gus Kahn who was born in Koblenz, about 100 kilometres from the Wupper Valley and might have known this saying.^[4]

References [edit]

1. ^ Website Wupperverband
2. ^ "Cloth Bleaching alongside Wupper River". Municipality of Wuppertal. Retrieved 2011-01. 
3. ^ "German Sayings Wupper". Andre Przybilla. Retrieved 2011-01. 
4. ^ Theory from Dutch journalist J. Vandersteen

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Wupper.

v t e Tributaries of the Rhine Left (western) Alpine Rhine Vorderrhein High Rhine Thur Töss Glatt Aare Sissle Ergolz Birs Birsig Upper Rhine Ill Moder Sauer Lauter Spiegelbach Queich Speyerbach Rehbach Isenach Eckbach Eisbach Pfrimm Selz Middle Rhine Nahe Moselle Nette Brohlbach Ahr Lower Rhine Erft Right (eastern) Alpine Rhine Rein da Tuma Rein da Curnera Rein da Medel Glenner Rabiusa Hinterrhein Plessur Landquart Ill Frutz Lake Constance Dornbirner Ach Bregenzer Ach Leiblach Argen Schussen Rotach Linzer Aach Stockacher Aach Radolfzeller Aach High Rhine Biber Wutach Alb Murg Wehra Upper Rhine Wiese Elz Kinzig Rench Acher Murg Alb Pfinz Saalbach Kraichbach Leimbach Neckar Weschnitz Modau Main Middle Rhine Wisper Lahn Wied Lower Rhine Sieg Wupper Düssel Ruhr Emscher Lippe IJssel Oude IJssel/Issel Berkel Schipbeek