The city of
Utrecht was founded at a
ford near the fork of the
Kromme Rijn into the
Vecht to the north and the Oude Rijn to the west. Of the original fork, little remains today, and both Vecht and Rijn start from the city
moat. For the first few kilometres of its course, the river is
channelised and known as the
Leidse Rijn (Leiden Rhine). It becomes the Oude Rijn after the railway bridge near
Harmelen (municipality
Woerden). Then it flows westward through Woerden where first the
Lange Linschoten branches off to the south and then the Oude Rijn forms part of the city
moats. After Woerden, the River Grecht branches off to the north and the Oude Rijn continues through the towns of
Nieuwerbrug,
Bodegraven, and
Zwammerdam. Here the stream empties into the Oude Rijn. In
Alphen aan den Rijn, the
Aar Canal joins the river and the
Gouwe branches off to the south. It then flows through
Koudekerk aan den Rijn and
Hazerswoude-Rijndijk. After
Zoeterwoude-Rijndijk and
Leiderdorp, where the short River Does ends, the Oude Rijn flows through
Leiden. The
Rhine-Schie Canal and the
Zijl stream begin here. The Nieuwe Rijn ("New Rhine") is a short branch that, together with the Oude Rijn, forms part of Leiden's moat system; the two branches merge in the city's centre. The stream
Korte Vliet discharges into the Oude Rijn and it continues through
Valkenburg and
Rijnsburg to
Katwijk. At
Katwijk aan den Rijn the
Oegstgeesterkanaal merges with the Oude Rijn. From here the river has been straightened into a canal (called the
Uitwateringkanaal); it empties into the
North Sea through a pumping station, preventing high tides inland and silting up of the river mouth. ==Water management & Waterworks==