TheThur is a 135-kilometre-long (84 mi) river in north-easternSwitzerland and atributary of theHigh Rhine (Hochrhein).^[2]

Thur
River Thur andChurfirsten in Toggenburg
Interactive map of the Thur river
Location
Country	Switzerland
Cantons	St. Gallen,Thurgau,Zürich
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Wildhaus
• coordinates	47°14′00″N9°20′29″E / 47.233391°N 9.341527°E /47.233391; 9.341527
Mouth
• location	High Rhine (Hochrhein)
• coordinates	47°35′40″N8°35′27″E / 47.594474°N 8.590777°E /47.594474; 8.590777
Length	135 km (84 mi)[1]
Basin size	1,696 km2 (655 sq mi)
Basin features
Progression	Rhine→North Sea
Tributaries
• left	Murg
• right	Necker,Sitter

The name was first attested in 886A.D. as Dura. In the 13th century, the spelling Turia appears, and in the 14th century Thûr, Tûr. The name has been interpreted as anOld European hydronym, from *durâ or *duriâ “river” from theIndo-European root *dhu “to run, to hurry”.

Turgowe, a village in theDuchy of Alamannia, was named after a body of water. The first mention of the village is slightly older than the earliest mention of the body of water. Around 745, it was cited in the village of Durgaugen. This led to the eventual naming of the canton asThurgau.

The river's source is nearWildhaus in the south-east of theToggenburg region in thecanton ofSt. Gallen, south ofSäntis mountain (Alpstein). NearUnterwasser, it formstwo waterfalls. Subsequently, it flows mainly northward through the Toggenburg Valley. NearLütisburg, it is joined by theNecker. Close to the town ofWil, it turns eastward and the Thur^[3] continues through the canton ofThurgau, which is named after the river. AtBischofszell, at the confluence with theSitter, the Thur changes its direction and continues in a general westward direction, passing byFrauenfeld, the capital of Thurgau, where it is joined by the RiverMurg. The final 19 kilometres (12 mi) of the Thur is in thecanton of Zürich. North ofFlaach, it then flows into the RiverRhine (High Rhine) near the border between the canton of Zürich and the southern part of thecanton of Schaffhausen (Rüdlingen-Buchberg), just a short distance south of theborder with Germany. The mouth of the Thur lies only a few kilometers north of the confluence of the Rhine andTöss.

Tributaries are listed from source to mouth:

• Wildhauser Thur (nearUnterwasser)
• Wissthur (nearStein)
• Luteren (nearNeu St. Johann)
• Dietfurterbach (nearDietfurt)
• Necker (nearLütisburg)
• Gonzenbach (nearLütisburg)
• Uze (nearNiederuzwil)
• Glatt (nearOberbüren)
• Sitter (nearBischofszell)
  • Schwendibach
  • Weissbach
  • Rotbach
  • Wattbach
    • Gstaldenbach
    • Buebenrütibach
  • Urnäsch
    • Wissebach
• Furtbach
• Giessen (nearAmlikon-Bissegg)
  • Wisebach
    • Tobelbach
    • Mättlibach
• Kemme (nearPfyn)
  • Tosbach
  • Furtibach
• Seebach (nearWarth-Weiningen)
• Murg
  • Lützelmurg
  • Lauche
• Tägelbach
• Ellikerbach
• Mederbach
  • Bruggbach
  • Abistbach

The River Thur,^[4] undisturbed by any lake, from its source to its confluence with the Rhine, is a mountain stream that tends to rise sharply in water level under appropriate weather conditions. The biggest floods were in the years:

• Flood of 1664
• Flood of 1693: Jakob Vogel von Alten reported that a piece of land of incredible size was suddenly torn away from the rest right next to his house and sank into the Thur.
• Flood of July 29 and 30, 1789: This is considered the heaviest flood.
• June 1876: Long-lasting and heavy rainfall caused all rivers to overflow, causing huge damage. Slopes, roads, houses were washed away.
• May 13, 1999:^[5] The Thur River reached a historic flood level. The river flowed 1130 cubic meters of water per second.

Thurweg (English:Thur path) is a 160-kilometerhiking trail that runs along the banks of the Thur river fromWildhaus toRüdlingen.The main attractions are:

• MountSäntis:^[6] The trail leads to the source of the Thur river on MountSäntis, a scenic route in theToggenburg district.
• Thur Valley andZurich wine region: The trail leads through the plains of the Thur Valley and theZurich wine region, where the Thur flows into theRhine. In the wine-growing region of the canton ofZurich, the Thur shows its typical meanders up to the renatured Thur wetlands above theRhine.^[7]
• Thurgau is a region known for its large number ofcycling trails.
• Public transportation along the upper part of the river (Wil SG–Nesslau-Neu St. Johann) is provided byS-Bahn services ofSt. Gallen S-Bahn on theWil–Ebnat-Kappel railway and upper section of theBodensee–Toggenburg railway lines. The middle section of the river is followed by theSulgen–Gossau railway line betweenBischofszell Stadt andSulgen, and theThur Valley Railway line between Sulgen andFrauenfeld, which are operated by services of St. Gallen S-Bahn andZürich S-Bahn. Besides, the river is followed by several bus routes, chiefly ofPostBus Switzerland.

• Appenzell Alps
• Rivers in Switzerland

47°35′34″N8°35′25″E / 47.59278°N 8.59028°E /47.59278; 8.59028