Ems

The Ems rises near the town of Schloß Holte-Stukenbrock in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It initially flows northwest through the Münsterland. Near the city of Münster, it joins its tributary, the Werse.

Near the town of Rheine, it reaches Lower Saxony. At Meppen, the Hase flows into the Ems. Near Leer, it takes in the waters of the River Leda. At Emden, the Ems reaches the Dollart, an inlet of the North Sea. It flows through the Dollart and finally empties into the North Sea. At 371 kilometres long, the Ems ranks tenth among Germany’s rivers.

Like every river, the Ems is a water resource, a place for recreation and fishing, and a wastewater channel. It is also a waterway, as inland vessels can navigate the Ems from Meppen onward.

The source of the Ems lies in the Senne, a region on the western slope of the Teutoburg Forest. A distinctive landscape has developed here between the cities of Bielefeld and Paderborn. 

It all begins with rain falling to the ground and seeping into the earth. At some point, the water can no longer penetrate deeper into the ground because it is stopped by a solid layer. This layer is called marl. An underground reservoir of groundwater forms. It overflows, and the water returns to the surface. A spring is formed.

Water flows in continuously, and after just a few metres a stream is bubbling along. The water from this stream joins that of other streams and eventually forms the River Ems. It makes its way to the sea.

Along the Ems, we find only small and medium-sized towns. In North Rhine-Westphalia, these are Schloß Holte-Stukenbrock, Rietberg, Rheda-Wiedenbrück, Warendorf, Greven, Emsdetten and Rheine; in Lower Saxony, Lingen, Meppen, Haren, Papenburg, Leer and Emden.

After leaving the Senne, the Ems first flows through Münsterland, a region in North Rhine-Westphalia between the Teutoburg Forest to the east, the River Lippe to the south and the Dutch border to the west.

The Emsland lies north of the Münsterland and comprises the districts of Grafschaft Bentheim and Emsland. The hills of Hümmling and Lingener Höhen rise to 90 metres. 

Before it finally flows into the North Sea, the Ems runs through East Frisia. The landscape is flat and expansive. Many wind turbines have been built, with their rotors generating electricity. High dikes prevent floodwaters from the Ems from inundating the surrounding countryside.

It is always a spectacular sight: about twice a year, huge cruise ships travel along the Ems between Papenburg and Emden. They move slowly through the landscape. The ships travel backwards. Powerful tugboats guide them through the narrow Ems.

The ships are built at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, about 40 kilometres from the North Sea. Since they are designed to sail on the open sea, however, they have to be towed along the Ems to Emden. There, they are completed, take trial runs in the North Sea and are then delivered to the companies that ordered them.

Meyer Werft specialises in building cruise ships. The shipyard was founded in 1795. At first it built wooden ships, but later it began building iron ships powered by steam engines. Many companies in the Emsland region work as suppliers.

A storm surge barrier has been in place at Gandersum since 2002. On the one hand, it is designed to prevent seawater from being pushed into the Ems during storm surges. On the other hand, it can raise the water level in the Ems enough for ships built at the Meyer Werft shipyard to be towed out to the North Sea.

The Ems Barrier consists of piers and a total of seven openings that can be closed by large gates. The main gate can accommodate ships that are 300 m long and 38 m wide, with a draft of 8.50 m. The barrier is 476 m long, and its largest gate is 60 meters wide.

Emden is the largest city in East Frisia. About 50,000 people live here. The city is closely connected to the Ems River. Over the centuries, a harbor developed here.

However, its proximity to the North Sea also presents a problem: the water is high at high tide and the water level drops at low tide. That is why Emden’s harbour was built as a dock harbour. Two locks separate the harbour basins from the Ems, ensuring that the water level always stays the same.

Ships were also built in the Port of Emden in the past. But shipbuilding in Emden gradually declined. Large seagoing ships can be serviced and repaired in the Port of Emden. Today, however, the port is mainly used to ship cars for export. The Volkswagen plant in Emden produces mainly for export. Components are also shipped from here, either to be assembled into wind turbines in the North Sea or to be exported to other countries.

There is also a connection from the port in Emden to the island of Borkum, where a fast catamaran is also in service.

The Ems has a large estuary. The river water mixes with the water of a sea inlet called the Dollart. Just a few hundred years ago, this inlet did not exist. The area was inhabited and consisted largely of marshland.

But several severe storm surges between the 13th and 16th centuries flooded the land, washed away the soil and destroyed the settlements. More than 30 villages were lost. Since then, dikes have been built to protect the land from further flooding. Today, the Dollart covers about 90 square kilometres.

The Ems runs along the northern edge of the Dollart before finally flowing into the North Sea. The national border between Germany and the Netherlands runs through the Dollart. The Dollart and the mouth of the Ems are roosting places for many tens of thousands of migratory birds, which come here for shelter and food.