Moselle River
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The Moselle (French Moselle, German Mosel, from Latin Mosella, "little Meuse") is a river flowing through France, Luxembourg and Germany, joining the Rhine river at Koblenz. The river gave its name to two French départements: Moselle and Meurthe-et-Moselle.
Geography
The source of the Moselle is at the western slope of the Ballon d'Alsace in the Vosges mountains. The Moselle flows through the Lorraine region, west of the Vosges. Further downstream, in Germany, the Moselle valley forms the division between the Eifel and Hunsrück mountain regions. Its total length from source to mouth is approximately 545 km.
Its major tributaries are the Meurthe, Sauer, Ruwer and the Saar.
Towns along the river Moselle are:
- in France: Épinal, Toul, Pont-à-Mousson, Metz and Thionville
- in Luxembourg: Grevenmacher and Remich
- in Germany: Trier, Bernkastel-Kues, Cochem and Koblenz
Economy
The Moselle valley between Nancy, Metz and Thionville is an industrial area, with coal mining and steel manufacture.The Moselle has been made navigable for large cargo ships from the Rhine in Koblenz up to Neuves-Maisons, south of Nancy. For smaller ships it is connected to other parts of France through the Canal de l'Est and the Canal de la Marne au Rhin.
The Moselle valley is famous for its beautiful scenery and the excellent wine produced, among others in the wine-growing-region of Mosel-Saar-Ruwer. Most notable among the wines produced here are Riesling, Elbling, Müller-Thurgau and Kerner. The German part of the Moselle is a popular tourist destination.
External links
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