View source for IJssel

{{Short description|River in the Netherlands}}
{{redirect|Isala|the tradition Fijian head garment|I-sala|the genus of spider|Isala punctata}}
{{Infobox river
| name               = IJssel
| native_name        = {{native name|nds-NL|Iessel(t)}}
| name_other         = Gelderse IJssel
| name_etymology     =
| image              = Deventer zonsondergang k.JPG
| image_size         = 220
| image_caption      = Sunset on the IJssel at Deventer
| map                = Location IJssel.PNG
| map_size           = 220
| map_caption        = Location of river IJssel in dark blue
| pushpin_map        =
| pushpin_map_size   = 220
| pushpin_map_caption=
| subdivision_type1  = Country
| subdivision_name1  = [[Netherlands]]
| subdivision_type2  = Provinces
| subdivision_name2  = [[Gelderland]], [[Overijssel]]
| subdivision_type3  = Districts
| subdivision_name3  = [[Liemers]], [[Veluwe]], [[Achterhoek]], [[Salland]]
| subdivision_type4  =
| subdivision_name4  =
| subdivision_type5  = Cities
| subdivision_name5  = [[Arnhem]] (suburbs), [[Doesburg]], [[Zutphen]], [[Deventer]], [[Zwolle]] (suburbs), [[Kampen, Overijssel|Kampen]]
| length             = {{convert|125|km|mi|abbr=on}}
| width_min          =
| width_avg          =
| width_max          =
| depth_min          =
| depth_avg          =
| depth_max          =
| discharge1_location=
| discharge1_min     =
| discharge1_avg     = {{convert|340|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
| discharge1_max     =
| source1            = [[Nederrijn]]
| source1_location   = [[Westervoort]], [[Gelderland]], [[Netherlands]]
| source1_coordinates=
| source1_elevation  = 6 metres
| mouth              = [[Ketelmeer]] (arm of below-sea-level channel east of the [[Flevopolder]], [[Flevoland]])
| mouth_location     = [[Kampen, Overijssel|Kampen]], [[Salland]], [[Overijssel]], [[Netherlands]]
| mouth_coordinates  = {{coord|52|34|58|N|5|50|24|E|display=inline,title}}
| mouth_elevation    = &minus;3 metres
| progression        = Rhine, Pannerdens Kanaal, IJssel
| river_system       =
| basin_size         =
| tributaries_left   =
| tributaries_right  = [[Oude IJssel]], [[Berkel]], [[Schipbeek]]
}}
The '''IJssel''' ({{IPA|nl|ˈɛisəl|lang|nl-IJssel.ogg}}; {{langx|nds-nl|Iessel(t)}} {{IPA|nds|ˈisəl(t)|}}) is a Dutch [[distributary]] of the river [[Rhine]] that flows northward and ultimately discharges into the [[IJsselmeer]] (before the 1932 completion of the [[Afsluitdijk]] known as the [[Zuiderzee]]), a [[North Sea]] [[natural harbour]]. It more immediately flows into the east-south channel around the [[Flevopolder]], [[Flevoland]] which is kept at 3 metres below sea level.  This body of water is then pumped up into the IJsselmeer.
It is sometimes called the '''Gelderse IJssel''' ({{IPA|nl|ˌɣɛldərsə ˈʔɛisəl|IPA|nl-Gelderse IJssel.ogg}}; "Gueldern IJssel") to distinguish it from the [[Hollandse IJssel]]. It is in the provinces of [[Gelderland]] and [[Overijssel]], the latter of which was named after this river. The [[Ancient Rome|Romans]] knew the river as '''Isala'''. It flows from [[Westervoort]], on the east side of the city of [[Arnhem]].
Similar to the [[Nederrijn]] which shares its short inflow, the [[Pannerdens Kanaal]], it is a minor discharge of the Rhine.  At the fork where the Kanaal is sourced the Rhine takes the name the [[Waal (river)|Waal]]. This [[river bifurcation|splitting-off]] is west of the [[Germany|German]] border.  The Waal in turn interweaves with other rivers and the lower course of the Nederrijn, which altogether is known as the [[Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta]].
The name contains the [[Digraph (orthography)|digraph]] ''[[IJ (digraph)|ij]]'', used throughout modern [[Dutch orthography]], which is why both letters appear capitalized (as in: [[IJmuiden]] and [[IJsselmeer]]).
== History ==
{{See also|Zuiderzee}}
[[File:Deventer 1567.jpg|thumb|left|The IJssel at [[Deventer]] in 1567]]
The name ''IJssel'' (older ''Isla'', ''Isala'', from *''Īsalō''), is thought to either have been derived from a [[Proto-Indo-European]] root ''*eis-'' "to move quickly" ([[Old Norse]] ''eisa'' "to race forward", [[Latin]] ''ira'' "anger")<ref>J. de Vries, ''Etymologisch woordenboek''. Utrecht: Het Spectrum, 1959</ref> or a possible [[Old European hydronymy|Old European]] stratum source.<ref>[[Xavier Delamarre|Delamarre, Xavier]]. ''Dictionnaire de la langue gauloise''. Paris, Ed. Errance, 2003.</ref>
Before the [[Roman Warm Period]], the [[Zuiderzee]] in highly glaciated times was a brackish, sometimes tidal, very broad set of [[mudflats]], the ''Vlies'' (Latin: ''Flevo'').  The IJssel and [[River Amstel|Amstel]] kept a saline-freshwater balance, and northward flow, enabling islands and banks to build up.  Among these are rare zones just above sea level: [[Kampen, Overijssel|Kampen]], [[Elburg]] and north-east bank once wooded strip from Nijemirdum to [[Stavoren]].
However, the North Sea, locally to form (or re-form) the Zuiderzee, reasserted itself &ndash; the so-called [[Dunkirk transgression]]s.
By the time these were tamed ([[terraforming|terraformed]]) the IJssel had formed many of its new short [[distributary|distributaries]] to dissipate its flow. The submerged old delta is traceable out from its sea level elevation point at [[Zwolle]] throughout the broadest parts of the [[IJsselmeer]]; the lands of [[Emmeloord]], [[Lelystad]] and south of [[Dronten]] are relatively recent reclamations. They were continuations of these old, broad troughs, and lie six metres below sea level.
The name [[Vlie]] refers to a [[strait]] between sea [[island]]s, [[Vlieland]] and [[Terschelling]]. It seems that the firmly below-sea-level excoriations in the far north (the ''Groote Vliet'') by [[Medemblik]] and the [[IJ (Amsterdam)|IJ]] (near [[Amsterdam]]) were all deep parts of the same body of water in the height of the Roman Warm Period and Medieval Dark Age sea rises (transgressions).  Most of the surrounding basin of the vast harbour-like body of water of the Netherlands is reclaimed from it (nationally called polderisation; in England called the making of a fen).
The river was a natural barrier and in April 1945 was stormed by assault troops of the Allied armies liberating the Netherlands from the occupying forces of [[Nazi Germany]].<ref>Stacey, C. P. ''History of the Canadian Army in the Second World War: Volume III The Victory Campaign''</ref>
=== The IJssel as the lower part of the Oude IJssel ===
{{main article|Oude IJssel|Canal of Drusus}}
Most of the IJssel was the lower part of the small river [[Oude IJssel]] (lit. "Old IJssel", [[German language|German]] ''Issel''), that rises in Germany and is now a 70&nbsp;km tributary. The [[Canal of Drusus|connection between the Rhine and IJssel was probably artificial]], allegedly dug by men under the [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] [[general]] [[Nero Claudius Drusus]] {{circa}} 12 BCE as a defence against [[Germanic tribes]] and to let Roman ships carry troops along it.<ref>{{cite book |editor-last=ter Laan |editor-first=K.|display-editors=etal|title=Van Goor's aardrijkskundig woordenboek van Nederland |year=1942 |publisher=Van Goor Zonen |location=[[The Hague|Den Haag]]|language=nl }}</ref>
The Oude IJssel is the second-largest contributor to the flow of the river, after the Rhine.
The source of the Oude IJssel is near [[Borken, North Rhine-Westphalia|Borken]] in [[North Rhine-Westphalia]], Germany. First it flows south-west until it nearly reaches the Rhine near [[Wesel]]; then it turns [[boxing the compass|west northwest]]. After skirting [[Isselburg]] it crosses the border with the Netherlands. The river then flows through [[Doetinchem]] and joins the IJssel at Doesburg.
== Characteristics ==
The average daily discharge can change greatly. It has been, over long periods, averaged as about 300 cubic meters per second. It can be as low as 140 and as high as 1800, depending on the velocity of the water arriving from upstream and the weirs west of Arnhem, which control the water taken in. These control the Pannerdens Kanaal, the sole inflow (shared with the Nederrijn).
As a lowland river in which velocity decreases, the IJssel [[meander]]s. Some bends (and spurs of land, ''hank'') have been cut off by man such as near [[Rheden]] and [[Doesburg]], reducing the length from 146&nbsp; km<ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Augé |editor-first=Claude|title=Larousse universel en deux volumes |year=1922 |publisher=[[Éditions Larousse|Larousse]] |location=[[Paris]]|language=fr }}</ref> to 125&nbsp;km, but not as radically as the [[Meuse]] nor [[Great Ouse]]. Deposition of sediment to form islands in the outside of bends has been curtailed since the late nineteenth century.
=== The IJssel as a Rhine distributary ===
[[File:20150909 IJsselbrug Zwolle.jpg|thumb|Bridge over the IJssel at [[Zwolle]]]][[File:2020-01 Rijnhert IJsseloord 2 bij Arnhem 04.jpg|thumb|At IJsseloord (close to Arnhem) the IJssel parts from the Rhine. This statue 'Het Rijnhert' on a hill close to the highway is a symbol for the connection of the city to the nearby national park, the Hoge Veluwe.]]
Since the connection between the Rhine and IJssel was dug, the Rhine became the main contributor to the flow of the IJssel &ndash; a small fraction of the former's flow makes up the upper IJssel. Various tributaries add a little or much water to the flow of the IJssel, such as the [[Berkel]] and [[Schipbeek]] streams from relatively local [[precipitation]]. The IJssel, if accepted as a branch of the [[Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt delta]], is the only one that takes up tributary rivers rather than giving rise to distributaries. It has no contact with the Meuse, nor Scheldt, nor their resultant watercourses.
In the last few miles of the river's run, near the city of [[Kampen (Overijssel)|Kampen]], distributaries form, resulting in a quite small [[delta (geography)|delta]]. Some of these have been dammed up to lower the risk of [[flood]]ing. Some have silted up. Others flow without interruption. Most of the damming-up was done before 1932, when the Zuiderzee was turned into the freshwater [[IJsselmeer]] lake. The whole delta had been prone to flooding in times of northwestern [[gale]]s, pushing back the saline Zuiderzee water into the delta.
The modern-day names of the delta branches are, west to east, the:
*Keteldiep
*Kattendiep
*Noorddiep (local drainage ditch only)
*Ganzendiep
*Goot
Of these, the first-stated two are the main navigations. The Noorddiep has been stopped up at both ends. Another branch, De Garste, had already completely silted up by the middle of the nineteenth century.<ref name="histo">{{cite book |last=Grote |title=Grote historische atlas van Nederland (3): Oost-Nederland 1830–1855 |year=1990 |publisher=Wolters-Noordhoff Atlasprodukties |location=[[Groningen (city)|Groningen]] |language=nl |isbn=90-01-96232-7}}</ref> Until about 1900, the Ganzendiep up to the Goot fork was known as IJssel proper<ref name="histo" /> as was the historical main channel. The present main channel was named the Regtediep or Rechterdiep until well into the twentieth century.<ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Kwast |editor-first=B.|title=Schoolatlas der geheele aarde |year=1932 |publisher=Wolters |location=Groningen|language=nl }}</ref>
The IJssel, now mainly a Rhine branch as to its water, has retained most of the character of a distinct river in its own right. It has its own tributaries and, as to the Old IJssel (''Oude IJssel''), a former [[headstream]].
=== Tributaries and connecting canals ===
The following [[canal]]s, long ditches and [[tributary]] streams feed the IJssel, in downstream order:
* [[Apeldoorns Kanaal]] (west) near the [[town]] of [[Dieren]]
* river [[Oude IJssel]] (east) at the [[city]] of [[Doesburg]]
* the [[Berkel]] stream (east) at the city of [[Zutphen]]
* the [[Twentekanaal]] (east) between Zutphen and the village of [[Eefde]] ([[municipality]] of [[Gorssel]])
* the [[Schipbeek]] stream (east) near the city of [[Deventer]]
* the [[Grift (IJssel)|Grift]] stream (west) at the town of [[Hattem]]; its lower reaches have been [[Channelization (rivers)|channelised]] to form the mouth of the [[Griftkanaal]]
* the [[Willemsvaart]] canal (east) at the city of [[Zwolle]]
* the [[Zwolle-IJsselkanaal]] (east) near Zwolle
== River crossings ==
[[Image:2009-06-25 19.37 Velp, de IJssel vanaf Velperpoortbrug foto3.JPG|thumb|right|IJssel near Velp]]
[[File:Doesburg, de IJssel vanaf de brug IMG 3490 2020-03-22 16.06.jpg|thumb|right|IJssel near Doesburg]]
[[Image:2007-01-23 10.04 Zutphen, IJssel vanaf spoorbrug foto5.JPG|thumb|right|IJssel near Zutphen]]
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:IJssel.JPG|thumb|right|180px|Satellite image of the IJssel basin.]] -->
=== Road bridges ===
Road bridges across river IJssel (with nearest places on the left and right bank):
* Arnhem – Westervoort
* Arnhem – Duiven (A12 [[motorway]])
* Ellecom – Doesburg (N317)
* Brummen – Zutphen (N348)
* Zutphen – Zutphen
* Wilp – Deventer (A1 motorway)
* Deventer – Deventer (N344)
* Hattem – Zwolle
* Hattemerbroek – Zwolle (A28 motorway)
* Kampen – Kampen (N764)
* Kampen – Kampen
* Kampen – Kampereiland ([[N50 road (Netherlands)|N50]])
[[File:Eilandbrug Kampen Panorama.jpg|thumb|Eilandbrug (2003) Kampen (N50) Panorama]]
=== Railroad bridges ===
Railroad bridges (with nearest train station on the left and right bank):
* [[Arnhem]] Velperpoort – [[Westervoort]]
* [[Brummen]]/[[Voorst|Klarenbeek]] – [[Zutphen]]
* [[Twello]] – [[Deventer]]
* [[Oldebroek|Wezep]]/[[Kampen, Overijssel|Kampen Zuid]] – [[Zwolle]]
=== Cable ferries ===
Only those [[cable ferry|ferries]] capable of carrying motorised vehicles are included.
* Dieren – Olburgen
* Brummen – Bronkhorst
* Welsum – Olst
* [[Wijhe Ferry|Vorchten – Wijhe]]
== References ==
{{Commons category}}
{{reflist}}
{{Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ijssel}}
[[Category:Rivers of Gelderland]]
[[Category:Rivers of Overijssel]]
[[Category:Distributaries of Europe]]
[[Category:Rivers of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta]]
[[Category:Rivers of the Netherlands]]
[[Category:IJssel basin| ]]
[[Category:Tributaries of the IJsselmeer]]