Adige
Encyclopedia
The Adige is a river
with its source in the Alpine province of South Tyrol
near the Italian
border with Austria
and Switzerland
. At 410 kilometres (254.8 mi) in length, it is the second longest river
in Italy, after the River Po with 652 kilometres (405.1 mi).
The river flows out of the artificial Alpine Reschensee, located at the Reschen Pass (1504 metres (4,934.4 ft)) close to the borders with Austria and Switzerland above the Inn valley. The lake is known for the church tower that marks the site of the former village of Alt Graun
("Old Graun") that was abandoned and flooded in 1953 when the dam enclosing the headwaters was finished. Near Glurns
, the River Rom
from the Swiss Val Müstair
joins.
The Adige then runs eastbound through the Vinschgau to Merano where it is met by the Passer river from the north. The section between Merano and Bolzano is called Etschtal
. South of Bolzano, the Eisack
joins the river that is now heading south through a valley that always has been one of the major routes through the Alps
, leading to and from the Reschen Pass and the Brenner Pass
, at 1370 metres (4,494.8 ft) considered the easiest of the main Alpine passes.
The Salurner Klause/Chiusa di Salorno narrows at Salorno
mark the southern-most part of the predominantly German-speaking province of South Tyrol. Thus, the Adige was mentioned in the Lied der Deutschen
of 1841 as the southern border of the German language
area of the time. This song was made the national anthem of Germany
in 1922, after Italy took control of all of the Adige.
Near Trento
, the Avisio, Noce, and Fersina rivers join. The Adige then crosses Trentino and later Veneto
, flowing past the city of Verona
and the towns of Rovereto
and Adria
through the Lagarina valley
and the north-eastern part of the Po Plain into the Adriatic Sea. The Adige and the Po run parallel in the river delta
without properly joining.
As a river in the mountains, it is subject to sudden swellings and overflows. It is also connected through artificial underground canals to Lake Garda
for flood prevention.
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
with its source in the Alpine province of South Tyrol
South Tyrol
South Tyrol , also known by its Italian name Alto Adige, is an autonomous province in northern Italy. It is one of the two autonomous provinces that make up the autonomous region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. The province has an area of and a total population of more than 500,000 inhabitants...
near the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
border with Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. At 410 kilometres (254.8 mi) in length, it is the second longest river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
in Italy, after the River Po with 652 kilometres (405.1 mi).
The river flows out of the artificial Alpine Reschensee, located at the Reschen Pass (1504 metres (4,934.4 ft)) close to the borders with Austria and Switzerland above the Inn valley. The lake is known for the church tower that marks the site of the former village of Alt Graun
Graun im Vinschgau
Graun im Vinschgau is a comune in South Tyrol in the Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 90 km northwest of Trento and about 70 km northwest of Bolzano , on the border with Austria and Switzerland....
("Old Graun") that was abandoned and flooded in 1953 when the dam enclosing the headwaters was finished. Near Glurns
Glurns
Glurns is a comune in South Tyrol in the Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 80 km northwest of Trento and about 60 km northwest of Bolzano ....
, the River Rom
River Rom
The River Rom, also in places known as the River Beam, is a tributary of the River Thames in England that flows through the north east London suburbs, forming the boundary between the London boroughs of Barking and Dagenham and Havering in the south and flowing through channels underneath Romford...
from the Swiss Val Müstair
Val Müstair
Val Müstair is a municipality in the district of Inn in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. It was formed on 1 January 2009 through the merger of Tschierv, Fuldera, Lü, Valchava, Santa Maria Val Müstair and Müstair.-Demographics:...
joins.
The Adige then runs eastbound through the Vinschgau to Merano where it is met by the Passer river from the north. The section between Merano and Bolzano is called Etschtal
Etschtal
The Etschtal is the name given to that part of alpine valley of the Adige in Trentino-South Tyrol, Italy, which stretches from Merano to Bolzano and from Salurn to Rovereto. It is also sometimes used to define the whole river valley, up to its entrance into the Padan Plain.South of Rovereto, the...
. South of Bolzano, the Eisack
Eisack
The Eisack is a river in Northern Italy, the second largest river in South Tyrol. Its source is near the Brenner Pass, at an altitude of about 1990 m above sea level. The river draws water from an area of about 4,200 km². After about 96 km, it joins the Adige river south of Bolzano. At first the...
joins the river that is now heading south through a valley that always has been one of the major routes through the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
, leading to and from the Reschen Pass and the Brenner Pass
Brenner Pass
- Roadways :The motorway E45 leading from Innsbruck via Bolzano to Verona and Modena uses this pass, and is one of the most important north-south connections in Europe...
, at 1370 metres (4,494.8 ft) considered the easiest of the main Alpine passes.
Salorno
Salorno is the southernmost comune of the Überetsch-Unterland district in South Tyrol, in the Italian region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol.-Geography:As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 3,160 and an area of 33.2 km²....
mark the southern-most part of the predominantly German-speaking province of South Tyrol. Thus, the Adige was mentioned in the Lied der Deutschen
Das Lied der Deutschen
The "'" , has been used wholly or partially as the national anthem of Germany since 1922. The music was written by Joseph Haydn in 1797 as an anthem for the birthday of the Austrian Emperor Francis II of the Holy Roman Empire...
of 1841 as the southern border of the German language
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
area of the time. This song was made the national anthem of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 1922, after Italy took control of all of the Adige.
Near Trento
Trento
Trento is an Italian city located in the Adige River valley in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. It is the capital of Trentino...
, the Avisio, Noce, and Fersina rivers join. The Adige then crosses Trentino and later Veneto
Veneto
Veneto is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about 5 million, ranking 5th in Italy.Veneto had been for more than a millennium an independent state, the Republic of Venice, until it was eventually annexed by Italy in 1866 after brief Austrian and French rule...
, flowing past the city of Verona
Verona
Verona ; German Bern, Dietrichsbern or Welschbern) is a city in the Veneto, northern Italy, with approx. 265,000 inhabitants and one of the seven chef-lieus of the region. It is the second largest city municipality in the region and the third of North-Eastern Italy. The metropolitan area of Verona...
and the towns of Rovereto
Rovereto
Rovereto is a city and comune in Trentino in northern Italy, located in the Vallagarina valley of the Adige River.-History:Rovereto was an ancient fortress town standing at the frontier between the bishopric of Trento - an independent state until 1797 - and the republic of Venice, and later...
and Adria
Adria
Adria is a town and comune in the province of Rovigo in the Veneto region of Northern Italy, situated between the mouths of the rivers Adige and Po....
through the Lagarina valley
Vallagarina
The Lagarina Valley is a valley in northern Italy, used to define the lower mountain course of the Adige River. It is mostly included in the province of Trentino, with the lower section being part of the province of Verona. The largest town is Rovereto....
and the north-eastern part of the Po Plain into the Adriatic Sea. The Adige and the Po run parallel in the river delta
River delta
A delta is a landform that is formed at the mouth of a river where that river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, reservoir, flat arid area, or another river. Deltas are formed from the deposition of the sediment carried by the river as the flow leaves the mouth of the river...
without properly joining.
As a river in the mountains, it is subject to sudden swellings and overflows. It is also connected through artificial underground canals to Lake Garda
Lake Garda
Lake Garda is the largest lake in Italy. It is located in Northern Italy, about half-way between Brescia and Verona, and between Venice and Milan. Glaciers formed this alpine region at the end of the last ice age...
for flood prevention.