Reference no. DE: 316 River system Ems Mouth Ems | Progression Ems → North Sea Basin area 212.5 km² Country Germany | |
 | ||
State North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany Main source Source: Northwest of Halle (Westf.) in the Teutoburg Forest
ca. 170 m above sea level (NN) River mouth Warendorf-Einen
ca. 48 m above sea level (NN) | ||
The Hessel is a 40-kilometre-long (25 mi), right tributary of the River Ems in the territory of the North Rhine-Westphalian districts of Gütersloh and Warendorf in northwest Germany.
Map of Hessel, Germany
The river rises northwest of Halle (Westf.) on the Große Egge, crosses the Hermannsweg, flows through the villages of Hesseln and Hörste in Halle borough, then through the borough of Versmold through Oesterweg, continuing through the town of Sassenberg and along the southern edge of Milte in the borough of Warendorf, before emptying into the Ems near Warendorf-Einen.
Tributaries include the Casumer Bach, Bruchbach, Aabach, Poggenfahrtgraben, Sandfortbach, Teichwiese, Wöstenbach, Beckstroth, Arenbecke and the Speckengraben.
The Snake's Head Meadows lie along the Hessel near Sassenberg, one of the few areas in Germany in which this strictly protected wildflower occurs.