The Inde (French: L'Inde) is a small river in Belgium and in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Inde
Map of the Rur Basin, including the Inde
Native nameL'Inde (French)
Location
CountriesGermany and Belgium
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationHautes Fagnes
 • elevation±400 m (1,300 ft)
Mouth 
 • location
Rur
 • coordinates
50°53′58″N 6°21′46″E / 50.89944°N 6.36278°E / 50.89944; 6.36278
Length54.1 km (33.6 mi) [1]
Basin size374 km2 (144 sq mi) [1]
Basin features
ProgressionRurMeuseNorth Sea


Geography

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The Inde in Weisweiler

The Inde is a left (western) tributary of the Rur/Roer, in eastern Belgium and in North Rhine-Westphalia, western Germany.

Its source is near Raeren, in Eastern Belgium. The Inde runs through Aachen-Kornelimünster, Eschweiler, and Inden. Its mouth is on the Rur near Jülich. Because of lignite opencast mining, a section of the course was diverted near Inden-Lamersdorf in 2003 .

Tributaries of the Inde include the streams: Omerbach, Otterbach, Saubach, Vichtbach, and Wehebach.

 
Itertalviadukt viaduct of the Vennbahn railway over the Inde

History

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Its name is of Celtic origin: Inda. The Inde has a counterpart, a "small Inde", in France: the Andelle, which is a 55-kilometre (34 mi) long river in the French département Seine-Maritime and whose original name was Indella.
The suffix -ella is an example for Celtic river names comparing for instance Mosella (= Moselle, i.e. "small Mosa (= Maas)"). For the name "Inde", the Indoeuropean stem *wed (= water) is supposed, like in words like Italian "onda" and French "onde" (= wave). [citation needed]

The Inde acquired historical importance when Emperor Louis the Pious founded the Kornelimünster Abbey monastery along one of its old courses in 815.

See also

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References

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