For the river in Bavaria, see Würm

Würm

The Würm is a river in Bavaria, Germany, right tributary of the Amper. It drains the overflow from Lake Starnberg and flows swiftly through the villages of Gauting, Krailling, Planegg, Gräfelfing and Lochham as well as part of Munich before joining, near Dachau, the Amper, which soon afterwards...

. For other uses, see Wurm (disambiguation)

Wurm (disambiguation)

Wurm or Würm may refer to:* Wurm, a river in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany* Würm, a river in Bavaria, Germany* Würm , a small river in Baden-Württemberg, Germany* Würm glaciation, a glacial period named for the Bavarian river...

.

The Wurm is a 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 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...

 (North Rhine-Westphalia

North Rhine-Westphalia

North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...

), a left tributary of the Rur

Rur

The Rur , — not to be confused with the Ruhr — is a river which flows through portions of Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. It is a right tributary to the river Meuse...

. The source of the Wurm are several brooks in the forests southwest of Aachen

Aachen

Aachen has historically been a spa town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Aachen was a favoured residence of Charlemagne, and the place of coronation of the Kings of Germany. Geographically, Aachen is the westernmost town of Germany, located along its borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, ...

, which form the Wurm after the Diepenbenden reservoir. From there the Wurm nowadays flows through canals through the city of Aachen, until it resurfaces at the Europaplatz in the east of Aachen. North of Aachen (between Kerkrade

Kerkrade

Kerkrade is a town and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands.It is the western half of the divided region and de facto city, taken together with the eastern half, the German town of Herzogenrath...

 and Herzogenrath

Herzogenrath

Herzogenrath is a municipality in the district of Aachen in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It borders the Dutch town of Kerkrade, the national border in one section running along the middle of a main road.-History:...

) the river forms the border with the Netherlands

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 for approx. 10 km. It flows into the river Rur

Rur

The Rur , — not to be confused with the Ruhr — is a river which flows through portions of Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. It is a right tributary to the river Meuse...

 near Heinsberg

Heinsberg

Heinsberg is the capital of the district Heinsberg in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated near the border with the Netherlands, on the river Wurm, approx...

. Other towns on the river Wurm are Würselen

Würselen

Würselen is a town in the district of Aachen, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-Coat of arms:The coat of arms show the eagle of the coat of arms of Aachen in the topleft corner. The second quarter shows the coat of arms of the Rhine Province, however the bend also represents the river Wurm which...

, Übach-Palenberg

Übach-Palenberg

Übach-Palenberg is a town in the Heinsberg district of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. -Geography:The town is located at the border with the Netherlands, at approx. 10 km east of Heerlen and 15 km north of Aachen. The river Wurm flows through the area. The town has an area of...

 and Geilenkirchen

Geilenkirchen

Geilenkirchen is a town in the district Heinsberg, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated near the border with the Netherlands, on the river Wurm, approx. 15 km north-east of Heerlen and 20 km north of Aachen....

.

The name Wurm is thought to originate from the German

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....

word warm (same meaning in English), as the source brooks were fed from the thermal springs in Aachen.