The Moselle (French: Moselle, Luxembourgish: Musel, German: Mosel) is a river flowing in France (Lorraine), Luxembourg and Germany (Saarland, Rhineland-Palatinate). Total length of the river is 544 km. The catchment area is 28 286 km².
Usage
Water transport is possible up to the upper reaches. The river is crossed by the Marne-Rhine Canal. It is connected to the east by a navigation canal with the Saône. Hydroelectric power stations have been built on the river. Towns of Nancy, Méty (France), Trier and Koblenz in the estuary (Germany) are situated on the river. The river valley is a well-known wine-growing and wine-making area.
The course of the Moselle
It rises in north-eastern France, in the Vosges at an altitude of 715 m. The flow is mainly in a deep and narrow valley. It joins the Rhine from the left at river kilometre 592,3 in the German town of Koblenz. The largest tributary is the Sarre.
Geography
The Moselle rises at an altitude of 715 m on the Col de Bussang on the western slopes of the Ballon d’Alsace in the Vosges. After 544 km (338 mi) it joins the Rhine at Deutsches Eck in Koblenz at 59 m (194 ft) above NHN sea level. The length of the river in France is 313 km (194 mi),[5] at 39 km (24 mi) it forms the border between Germany and Luxembourg, and 208 km (129 mi) is entirely within Germany.
The Moselle flows through Lorraine, west of the Vosges. Further downstream in Germany, the Moselle Valley forms a watershed between the Eifel and Hunsrück mountain areas.
