Aar
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[[Image:A5 Aarebruecke.jpg|thumb|Aar under the A5 bridge.]]
{{Otheruses4|a river in Switzerland|other uses of the term|AAR}}
The '''Aar''' ([[German language|German]] ''Aare''), a tributary of the [[Rhine]], is the longest [[river]] that both rises and ends entirely within [[Switzerland]].<ref name=CVDE>Bridgwater, W. & Beatrice Aldrich. (1966) ''The Columbia-Viking Desk Encyclopedia''. Columbia University. p. 11.</ref>
Its total length from its source to its junction with the [[Rhine]] comprises about 295<ref name="eb"/> km (183 miles),<ref name=CVDE /> during which distance it descends 1,565 m (5,135 ft), draining an area of [[1 E10 m²|17,779 km²]] (6,865 mi²)<ref name="eb">[http://search.eb.com/eb/article-9003206 "Aare River."] ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]''. 9 Jan. 2007</ref>.
==Course==
The Aar rises in the great [[Unteraar Glacier|Aar glaciers]] of the Bernese [[Swiss Alps|Alps]], in the [[canton of Bern]] and west of the [[Grimsel Pass]].<ref name=CVDE /> It runs east to the Grimsel [[Hostel|Hospice]], below the [[Finsteraarhorn]], and then northwest through the [[Haslital]], forming on the way the magnificent Handegg Waterfall, 46 m (151 ft), past [[Guttannen]], and piercing the limestone barrier of the Kirchet by a major [[Canyons of Switzerland|canyon]], before reaching [[Meiringen]], situated on a plain. A little past Mieringen, near [[Brienz]], the river expands into [[Lake Brienz]] where it becomes navigable. Near the west end of the lake it receives its first important affluent, the [[Lütschine]]. It then runs across the swampy plain of the Bödeli between [[Interlaken]] and [[Unterseen]] before expanding once again into [[Lake Thun]].<ref name=CVDE />
Near the west end of Lake Thun, the river receives the waters of the [[Kander]], which has just been joined by the [[Simme]]. On flowing out of the lake it passes through [[Thun]], and then flows through the city of [[Berne]], passing beneath [[List of Aar bridges in Berne|eighteen bridges]] and around the steeply-flanked peninsula on which the [[Old City of Berne|Old City]] is located. The river soon changes its northwesterly flow for a due westerly direction, but after receiving the [[Saane/Sarine|Saane or Sarine]] it turns north until it nears Aarberg. There, in one of the major Swiss engineering feats of the 19th century the river, which had previously rendered the countryside north of Bern a [[swampland]] through frequent flooding, was diverted by the [[Hagneck Canal]] into [[Lake Biel]]. From the upper end of the lake the river issues through the Nidau Canal and then runs east to [[Büren]]. The lake absorbs huge amounts of eroded gravel and snowmelt that the river brings from the Alps, and the former swamps have become fruitful plains: they are known as the "vegetable garden of Switzerland".
From here the Aar flows northeast for a long distance, past the ambassador town [[Solothurn]]<ref name=CVDE /> (below which the Grosse [[Emme (river)|Emme]] flows in on the right), Aarburg (where it is joined by the Wigger), [[Olten]], [[Aarau]],<ref name=CVDE /> near which is the junction with the Suhr, and Wildegg, where the Hallwiler Aa falls in on the right. A short distance further, below [[Brugg]] it receives first the [[Reuss River|Reuss]], and shortly afterwards the [[Limmat]]. It now turns due north, and soon becomes itself an affluent of the [[Rhine]], which it surpasses in volume when the two rivers unite at [[Koblenz, Switzerland|Koblenz (Switzerland)]], opposite [[Waldshut-Tiengen|Waldshut]], Germany.
==Aar Gorge==
[[Image:deepak2007.jpg|thumb|Inside the Aar Gorge]]
The Aar Gorge (''Aareschlucht'') is a section of the river that carves through a [[limestone]] ridge near the town of [[Meiringen]]. The gorge is an indirect product of [[glaciation]]; 10,000 years ago, just as the [[Ice Age]] was coming to an end, torrential runoff water from melting [[glacier]]s eroded a deep, narrow chasm through the limestone barrier. Although barely one mile long, this passage is bordered by sheer cliffs up to 165 feet (50 m) high on either side. At the bottom of this steep drop the river is scarcely three feet (one meter) wide.
The gorge has been opened to the public since 1889, by building walking paths along the Gorge. Before then, the only way was to go through the dangerous river torrent, which provided fables by travellers, who claimed to see large snakes and monsters. Since then, the gorge is a popular tourist attraction for many visitors who like natural beauty.
==List of [[Tributary|Tributaries]]==
[[Image:Forest route near Aare.jpg|thumb|Forest route near Aar]]
[[Image:Wasserschloss switzerland.jpg|thumb|Aare receives the Reuss in the "Wasserschloss"]]
* [[Limmat]]
** [[Sihl]]
** [[Linth]] (main tributary of [[Lake Zürich]])
* [[Reuss River]] (''see also: [[Reuss River#Tributaries]]'')
** [[Kleine Emme]]
** [[Sarner Aa]]
** [[Engelberger Aa]]
** [[Schächen]]
** [[Furkareuss]]
* [[Suhr]]
* [[Wigger (river)|Wigger]]
* [[Emme (river)|Emme]]
* [[Zihlkanal]]
** [[Suze (river)|Suze]]
** [[Broye]]
** [[Orbe (river)|Orbe]]
* [[Saane]] (Sarine)
** [[Sense (river)|Sense]]
* [[Kander]]
** [[Simme]]
** [[Allenbach]]
* [[Lütschine]]
==Reservoirs==
*[[Lake Wohlen]], 481 m
*[[Niederriedsee]], 461 m
*[[Klingnauer Stausee]], 318 m
==History==
The river's name may be attested to in the [[Gaulish]] (Helvetic) [[Berne zinc tablet]] which dates back to [[Roman Gaul]]. Its Roman name was ''Obringa''. <!-- Does that word mean anything? -->
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
{{Commonscat|Aar}}
{{Wikisource1911Enc|Aar}}
* [http://www.aareschlucht.ch The Aar Gorge (Aareschlucht)]
{{Rhine Tributaries}}
[[Category:Rivers of Switzerland]]
[[Category:Canyons and gorges of Switzerland]]
[[Category:Rhine basin]]
[[Category:Aar basin| ]]
[[Category:Canton of Berne]]
[[als:Aare]]
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