Berkel
River in Germany
title: "Berkel" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["rivers-of-gelderland", "rivers-of-north-rhine-westphalia", "rivers-of-the-netherlands", "achterhoek", "rivers-of-germany", "international-rivers-of-europe"] description: "River in Germany" topic_path: "geography/netherlands" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berkel" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary River in Germany ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox river"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Berkel |
| image | Berkel.jpg |
| image_caption | The Berkel near Eibergen |
| source1_location | Westphalia |
| mouth_location | IJssel |
| mouth_coordinates | |
| progression | |
| subdivision_type1 | Countries |
| subdivision_name1 | Germany and Netherlands |
| length_km | 114.6 |
| length_ref | |
| basin_size_km2 | 849 |
| basin_size_ref | |
| :: |
| name = Berkel | image = Berkel.jpg | image_caption = The Berkel near Eibergen | source1_location = Westphalia | mouth_location = IJssel | mouth_coordinates = | progression = | subdivision_type1 = Countries | subdivision_name1 = Germany and Netherlands | length_km = 114.6 | length_ref = | source1_elevation = | discharge1_avg = | basin_size_km2 = 849 | basin_size_ref = The Berkel () is a river in the Netherlands and Germany. It is a right tributary of the IJssel.
The river rises in Billerbeck, near the German city of Münster in North Rhine-Westphalia, and crosses the border with the Netherlands near Vreden (Germany) and Rekken (Netherlands). From there, it flows through the province of Gelderland to join the IJssel at Zutphen after about 115 kilometres.
Before the coming of the railway, the Berkel was a major shipping route for goods from Münster to Eibergen, Borculo, and Zutphen, transported in flat-bottomed boats called Berkelzompen. In the 1950s, the Dutch stretch of the river was channelized to prevent flooding and to improve drainage. Recently old bends have been reconnected to the straightened lengths of the river.
Towns along the course of the Berkel include:
- in Germany: Billerbeck, Coesfeld, Gescher, Stadtlohn, Vreden
- in the Netherlands: Eibergen, Borculo, Lochem, Almen, Warnsveld, Zutphen
Gallery
File:Berkelaue in Tungerloh, Gescher (04258).jpg|Berkel between Coesfeld and Gescher File:Bij Haarlo, de Berkel foto4 2015-08-21 10.56.jpg|Berkel in Berkelland File:Eibergen, de Berkel foto5 2015-08-21 11.53.jpg|Berkel in Eibergen Image:Bij Almen, de Berkel vanaf de brug IMG 2000 2018-04-07 09.23.jpg|Berkel in Almen
References
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