View source for Linge

{{Short description|River in the Betuwe, Netherlands}}
{{for multi|the WWII war hero|Martin Linge|the boat designer|Jan Herman Linge|Hitler's valet|Heinz Linge|the fictional CIA agent|Malko Linge}}
[[Image:Location Linge.PNG|thumb|''Location'']]
[[Image:Bij Eldik, de Linge 2010-08-01 16.16.JPG|Linge river near Eldik|thumb]]
[[Image:Beesd 002.jpg|thumb|Linge river near [[Beesd]]]]
The '''Linge''' is a river in the [[Betuwe]] that is 99.8&nbsp;km long, which makes it one of the longest rivers that flow entirely within the [[Netherlands]].

The river starts near the village of [[Doornenburg]] near the German border. A legend tells us that if pigs no longer forage at the [[Doornenburg Castle|castle of Doornenburg]], the river will dry up. The Linge flows to Zoelen, a small village north of [[Tiel]], and from there it meanders west through the [[Betuwe]], to empty in the [[Boven Merwede]] near [[Gorinchem]]. Until [[Geldermalsen]], the river is little more than a small, canalised stream. From Geldermalsen on, however, it takes the appearance of a real river complete with dikes and small floodplains. The Linge provides idyllic spots at old towns like [[Asperen]] and [[Leerdam]] as the picturesque city walls are still in place on the banks of the river.
 
The river was once a branch of the river [[Waal (river)|Waal]], being cut off at [[Tiel]] in 1307 or thereabouts (some traces of this can still be seen). The river is navigable for small vessels and is a popular destination for boaters. The banks of the river are important breeding grounds for waterfowl.

This river used to be an important trade route in the olden days. This role has subsequently been taken over by the [[Rhine]] and [[Waal (river)|Waal]] rivers.

[[Railroad]] [[bridge]]s (with nearest train station on the left and right bank):
* between [[Overbetuwe|Elst]] and [[Arnhem]]
* between [[Kesteren|Opheusden]] and [[Kesteren]]
* between [[Kesteren]] and [[Tiel]]
* between [[Geldermalsen]] and [[Culemborg]]/[[Geldermalsen|Beesd]]

The river crosses seven [[motorway]]s:
*Four times the [[A15 motorway (Netherlands)|A15]] ([[Rotterdam]]-[[Nijmegen]])
*Once the [[A2 motorway (Netherlands)|A2]] ([[Utrecht]]-[[Eindhoven]])
*Once the [[A50 motorway (Netherlands)|A50]] ([[Arnhem]]-[[Eindhoven]])
*Once the [[A325]] ([[Arnhem]]-[[Nijmegen]])

The riverbanks in the [[Betuwe]] are lined with apple orchards, which makes them popular with tourists, particularly in spring when the fruit trees are in blossom. In April, a walking tour is organised in support of the Red Cross, the so-called 'Rode Kruis Bloesemtocht'.

==External links==
* {{in lang|nl}} 
[http://www.lingelandschap.nl/lingelandschap/water/]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20030619152237/http://www.lingelandschap.nl/main_menu1/dlng.html www.lingelandschap.nl]

{{coord|51|50|N|4|59|E|display=title|region:NL_type:river_source:GNS-enwiki}}
{{Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta}}

[[Category:Rivers of Gelderland]]
[[Category:Rivers of South Holland]]
[[Category:Rivers of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta]]
[[Category:Rivers of the Netherlands]]