Radau

For the astronomer and mathematician, see Rodolphe Radau.

Radau

Radau Waterfall near Bad Harzburg
Location	Lower Saxony, Germany
Reference no.	48218
Length	21.1 km ^[1]
Source	Torfhausmoor east of Torfhaus 51°47′56″N 10°32′27″E / 51.79889°N 10.54083°E / 51.79889; 10.54083Coordinates: 51°47′56″N 10°32′27″E / 51.79889°N 10.54083°E / 51.79889; 10.54083
Source height	800 m above sea level (NN) m
Mouth	northeast of Vienenburg into the Oker 51°57′29″N 10°34′25″E / 51.95806°N 10.57361°E / 51.95806; 10.57361
Basin	Weser
Progression	Oker → Aller → Weser → North Sea
Catchment	59.27 km² ^[1]
Discharge^[1]	Average mid: 790 l/s
Navigable	No

The Radau is a river in the German state of Lower Saxony and is a right tributary of the Oker.

It rises at around 800 m (2,600 ft) in the Harz mountain range, in a bog known as the Torfhaus Moor (also Radauborn Moor) east of the Torfhaus village in the municipality of Altenau. The river flows northwards through the Radau valley that it has carved out and feeds the 23 m high Radau Waterfall south of Bad Harzburg immediately next to the B 4 federal road. The artificial waterfall was constructed as a tourist attraction in 1859 on behalf of the Duchy of Brunswick State Railway, which had operated the Brunswick–Bad Harzburg railway line since 1841. After passing through Vienenburg, the Radau discharges into the Oker river northeast of the town.

In the Middle Ages the Radau was used for the rafting of logs and wooden palettes stacked with peat. To that end the river was dammed by 6 raft locks. The goods to be rafted, that had previously been dropped in the river, were transported downstream with the additional weight of water.

At the Radau Waterfall is a restaurant and a children's railway integrated into the landscape.

Remarks on pronunciation

Radau (river): stress on the first syllable
Radau (German for noise, riot, cf. "row"): stress on the last syllable

Gallery

The Radau about 100 metres in height above Torfhaus
The Radau Waterfall frozen in winter
The Radau in the Kurpark at Bad Harzburg
The Radau in Bad Harzburg looking upstream

References

1 2 3 Bestandsaufnahme zur Umsetzung der EG-Wasserrahmenrichtlinie, Oberflächengewässer, Bearbeitungsgebiet Oker; Tab. 2

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