Berkel
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2008-07-07T20:07:40Z
Olessi
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[[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]]
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