| Limmat | |
|---|---|
 The Limmat in Zurich, looking downstream toRathausbrücke fromQuaibrücke at Lake Zurich,Stadthausquai to the left andLimmatquai to right. | |
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| Location | |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Cantons | Zurich,Aargau |
| Settlements | Zurich (ZH),Schlieren (ZH),Dietikon (ZH),Oetwil a.d.L. (ZH),Wettingen (AG),Baden (AG),Ennetbaden (AG),Nussbaumen (AG),Turgi (AG),Untersiggenthal (AG) |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Lake Zurich, Zurich |
| • coordinates | 47°22′00″N8°32′35″E / 47.36677°N 8.54316°E /47.36677; 8.54316 |
| • elevation | 406 m (1,332 ft) |
| Mouth | |
• location | Aare,Gebenstorf |
• coordinates | 47°30′07″N8°14′15″E / 47.5019°N 8.2375°E /47.5019; 8.2375 |
• elevation | 328 m (1,076 ft) |
| Length | 36.3 kilometres (22.6 mi), 140 kilometres (87 mi) (Lake Zurich andLinth included) |
| Basin size | 2,416 km2 (933 sq mi) (Lake Zurich and Linth included) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Baden |
| • average | 101.0 m3/s (3,570 cu ft/s) (MQ 1951-2013) |
| • minimum | 69.2 m3/s (2,440 cu ft/s) (MNQ 1951-2013), 24.6 m3/s (870 cu ft/s) (NNQ, 2003) |
| • maximum | 141 m3/s (5,000 cu ft/s) (MHQ 1951-2013), 657 m3/s (23,200 cu ft/s) (HHQ, 1999) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Aare→Rhine→North Sea |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Sihl, Schäflibach,Reppisch, Dorfbach Spreitenbach |
| • right | Länggenbach, Furtbach, Lugibach, Gottesgraben |
| Waterbodies | Lake Zurich, Stausee Wettingen |
TheLimmat is a river inSwitzerland. The river commences at the outfall ofLake Zurich, in the southern part of the city ofZurich. From Zurich it flows in a northwesterly direction, continuing a further 35 km until it reaches the riverAare. The confluence is located north of the small town ofBrugg and shortly after the mouth of theReuss.
The main towns along theLimmat Valley downstream of Zurich areDietikon,Wettingen, andBaden. Its main tributaries are theLinth,Wägitaler Aa andJona, all via Lake Zurich, theSihl in Zurich, and theReppisch inDietikon.
Thehydronym is first attested in the 8th century, asLindimacus. It is ofGaulish origin, from*lindo- "lake" (Welshllyn) and*magos "plain" (Welshmaes), and was thus presumably in origin the name of the plain formed by theLinth.[1]
Like many Swiss rivers, the Limmat is intensively used for production ofhydroelectric power: along its course of 35 km (22 mi), its fall is used by no less than ten hydroelectricpower stations. These include:
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Historically, the Limmat was an important navigation route. In the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, voyages from Zurich toKoblenz are recorded. In 1447, theEmperor Frederick III granted the privilege of free navigation on the Limmat and on theRhine to Zurich. Because of the current, navigation was typically downstream only, with the barges being sold on arrival.[7]
Today, the Limmat is navigable for much of its length by small craft only, with many of the hydroelectric power plants incorporatingboat lifts. The traditional boat type used on the river is theweidling, a flat-bottomed vessel that is usually 10 metres (33 ft) long.[8][9]
The uppermost stretch of the river through the centre of Zurich is navigable by rather larger vessels, albeit limited by low bridges. On this stretch of the riverZSG (Lake Zurich Navigation Company) operates its Limmat boat service, from theLandesmuseum toLake Zurich, using low-profile motor boats.[10]
Located on the swamp land between Limmat andLake Zurich aroundSechseläutenplatz on small islands andpeninsulas in Zurich,prehistoric pile dwellings around Lake Zurich were set on piles to protect against occasional flooding by theLinth andJona.Zürich–Enge Alpenquai is located on Lake Zurich lakeshore inEnge, a locality of themunicipality of Zurich. It was neighbored by the settlements atKleiner Hafner andGrosser Hafner on a then peninsula respectively island in the effluence of the Limmat, within an area of about 0.2 square kilometres (49.42 acres) in the city of Zurich. As well as being part of the 56 Swiss sites of the UNESCO World Heritage SitePrehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps, the settlement is also listed in theSwiss inventory of cultural property of national and regional significance as aClass object.[11][12][13]
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