Berkel - Definition and Overview

For other uses, see Berkel (disambiguation).

The Berkel river is a tributary of river IJssel in the Netherlands.

The Berkel springs in Billerbeck, near the German city of Münster in North Rhine-Westphalia, and crosses the border with the Netherlands near Rekken. From there, it flows through the province of Gelderland to join the IJssel at Zutphen after about 110 kilometres.

Before the advent of railroad, it was a major shipping route for goods to and from Münster, used by flat-bottomed boats called Berkelzompen. In the 1950s, the Dutch stretch of the river was channelised to improve drainage. Recently old bends have been reconnected to the straightened lengths of the river.

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