Limmat
The Limmat is a river in Switzerland. The river commences at the outfall of Lake Zurich, in the southern part of the city of Zürich. From Zürich it flows in a northwesterly direction, continuing a further 35 km it reaches the river Aare. The confluence is located north of the small town of Brugg and shortly after the mouth of the Reuss.
| Limmat | |
|---|---|
The Limmat in Zürich, looking downstream to Rathausbrücke from Quaibrücke at Lake Zurich, Stadthausquai to the left and Limmatquai to right. | |
| Location | |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Cantons | Zürich, Aargau |
| Settlements | Zürich (ZH), Schlieren (ZH), Dietikon (ZH), Oetwil a.d.L. (ZH), Wettingen (AG), Baden (AG), Ennetbaden (AG), Nussbaumen (AG), Turgi (AG), Untersiggenthal (AG) |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Lake Zurich, Zürich |
| • coordinates | 47.36677°N 8.54316°E |
| • elevation | 406 m (1,332 ft) |
| Mouth | |
• location | Aare, Gebenstorf |
• coordinates | 47.5019°N 8.2375°E |
• elevation | 328 m (1,076 ft) |
| Length | 36.3 kilometres (22.6 mi), 140 kilometres (87 mi) (Lake Zurich and Linth included) |
| Basin size | 2,416 km2 (933 sq mi) (Lake Zurich and Linth included) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Baden |
| • average | 101.0 m3/s (3,570 cu ft/s) (MQ 1951-2013) |
| • minimum | 69.2 m3/s (2,440 cu ft/s) (MNQ 1951-2013), 24.6 m3/s (870 cu ft/s) (NNQ, 2003) |
| • maximum | 141 m3/s (5,000 cu ft/s) (MHQ 1951-2013), 657 m3/s (23,200 cu ft/s) (HHQ, 1999) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Aare→ Rhine→ North Sea |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Sihl, Schäflibach, Reppisch, Dorfbach Spreitenbach |
| • right | Länggenbach, Furtbach, Lugibach, Gottesgraben |
| Waterbodies | Lake Zurich, Stausee Wettingen |
The main towns along the Limmat Valley downstream of Zürich are Dietikon, Wettingen, and Baden. Its main tributaries are the Linth, via Lake Zurich, the Sihl, in Zürich, and the Reppisch, in Dietikon.
The hydronym is first attested in the 8th century, as Lindimacus. It is of Gaulish origin, from *lindo- "lake" (Welsh llyn) and *magos "plain" (Welsh maes), and was thus presumably in origin the name of the plain formed by the Linth.