Jump to content

Thur (Rhine)

Coordinates: 47°35′34″N 8°35′25″E / 47.59278°N 8.59028°E / 47.59278; 8.59028
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Thur (river of Switzerland))
For other uses, see Thur.
Thur
River Thur and Churfirsten in Toggenburg
Map
Interactive map of the Thur river
Location
CountrySwitzerland
CantonsSt. Gallen, Thurgau, Zürich
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationWildhaus
 • coordinates47°14′00″N 9°20′29″E / 47.233391°N 9.341527°E / 47.233391; 9.341527
Mouth 
 • location
High Rhine (Hochrhein)
 • coordinates
47°35′40″N 8°35′27″E / 47.594474°N 8.590777°E / 47.594474; 8.590777
Length131 km (81 mi)
Basin size1,696 km2 (655 sq mi)
Basin features
ProgressionRhine→ North Sea
Tributaries 
 • rightSitter
Wooden Thur bridge in Lütisburg
Railway bridge over the river between Wil SG and Schwarzenbach
Historic Thur bridge in Bischofszell
Railway bridge between Thalheim-Altikon and Ossingen
Railway bridge over the river near Andelfingen

The Thur is a 131-kilometre-long (81 mi) river in north-eastern Switzerland and a tributary of the High Rhine (Hochrhein).[1]

Name[edit]

The name was first attested in 886 A.D. as Dura. In the 13th century, the spelling Turia appears, and in the 14th century Thûr, Tûr. The name has been interpreted as an Old European hydronym, from *durâ or *duriâ “river” from the Indo-European root *dhu “to run, to hurry”.

Turgowe, a village in the Duchy of Alamannia, was named after a body of water. The first mention of the village is slightly older than the earliest mention of the body of water. Around 745, it was cited in the village of Durgaugen. This led to the eventual naming of the canton as Thurgau.

Course[edit]

The river's source is near the mountain Säntis in the south-east of the canton of St. Gallen. In this canton it flows through the Toggenburg region and the town of Wil. Below Wil, the Thur[2] flows through the canton of Thurgau, which is named after the river, and its capital Frauenfeld. The final 19 kilometres (12 mi) of the Thur is in the canton of Zürich. It then flows into the River Rhine near the border between the canton of Zürich and the southern part of the canton of Schaffhausen (Rüdlingen-Buchberg), just a short distance south of the border with Germany.

Tributaries[edit]

Tributaries are listed from source to mouth:

Floods[edit]

The River Thur ,[3] undisturbed by any lake, from its source to its confluence with the Rhine, is a mountain stream that tends to rise sharply in water level under appropriate weather conditions. The biggest floods were in the years:

  • Flood of 1664
  • Flood of 1693: Jakob Vogel von Alten reported that a piece of land of incredible size was suddenly torn away from the rest right next to his house and sank into the Thur.
  • Flood of July 29 and 30, 1789: This is considered the heaviest flood.
  • June 1876: Long-lasting and heavy rainfall caused all rivers to overflow, causing huge damage. Slopes, roads, houses were washed away.
  • May 13, 1999:[4] The Thur River reached a historic flood level. The river flowed 1130 cubic meters of water per second.

Thurweg[edit]

Thurweg (English: Thur path) is a 160-kilometer hiking trail that runs along the banks of the Thur river from Wildhaus to Rüdlingen.The main attractions are:

  • Mount Säntis:[5] The trail leads to the source of the Thur river on Mount Säntis, a scenic route in the Toggenburg district.
  • Thur Valley and Zurich wine region: The trail leads through the plains of the Thur Valley and the Zurich wine region, where the Thur flows into the Rhine. In the wine-growing region of the canton of Zurich, the Thur shows its typical meanders up to the renatured Thur wetlands above the Rhine.[6]
  • Thurgau is a region known for its large number of cycling trails.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Tourismus, Schweiz. "Thur". Switzerland Tourism. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
  2. ^ Tourismus, Schweiz. "Thur". Switzerland Tourism. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
  3. ^ Reconect (2022-06-27). "Letting the Thur river flow, naturally again". Medium. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
  4. ^ Wanner, Heinz (2012-01-01). "Weather patterns and hydro-climatological precursors of extreme floods in Switzerland since 1868". Meteorologische Zeitschrift.
  5. ^ "Thurweg [Thur path]". schweizmobil.ch. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
  6. ^ Tourismus, Schweiz. "Thurweg". Switzerland Tourism. Retrieved 2024-02-20.

47°35′34″N 8°35′25″E / 47.59278°N 8.59028°E / 47.59278; 8.59028


This article related to a river in Switzerland is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Thur_(Rhine)&oldid=1228078141"