Berkel 940117 224204080 2008-07-07T20:07:40Z Olessi 220894 copyedit {{alternateuses}} [[Image:Gescher Berkel.jpg|thumb|The Berkel in [[Gescher]]]] [[Image:Berkel.jpg|thumb|The Berkel near [[Eibergen]]]] The '''Berkel''' is a [[river]] in the [[Netherlands]] and [[Germany]]. It is a right [[tributary]] of the [[IJssel|River IJssel]]. The river rises in [[Billerbeck]], near the German city of [[Münster]] in [[North Rhine-Westphalia]], and crosses the border with the Netherlands near [[Vreden]] (Germany) and [[Rekken]] (Netherlands). From there, it flows through the province of [[Gelderland]] to join the IJssel at [[Zutphen]] after about 110 kilometres. Before the coming of the [[railway]], the Berkel was a major shipping route for goods from Münster to [[Eibergen]], [[Borculo]], and Zutphen, transported in flat-bottomed boats called ''Berkelzompen''. In the 1950s, the Dutch stretch of the river was [[channelization|channelized]] to prevent [[flood]]ing and to improve [[drainage]]. Recently old bends have been reconnected to the straightened lengths of the river. Towns along the course of the Berkel include: *in Germany: [[Billerbeck]], [[Coesfeld]], [[Gescher]], [[Stadtlohn]], [[Vreden]] *in the Netherlands: [[Eibergen]], [[Borculo]], [[Lochem]], [[Almen]], [[Zutphen]] {{Rhine Tributaries}} [[Category:Rivers of the Netherlands]] [[Category:Rivers of Germany]] [[Category:Rhine basin]] [[Category:Geography of North Rhine-Westphalia]] [[ca:Berkel]] [[de:Berkel]] [[fr:Berkel]] [[nl:Berkel (rivier)]] [[nn:Berkel]]