HAVEL

havel, a river of prussia, germany, having its origin in lake dambeck (223 ft.) on the mecklenburg plateau, a few miles north-west of neu-strelitz, and after threading several lakes flowing south as far as spandau. thence it curves south-west, past potsdam and brandenburg, traversing another chain of lakes, and finally continues north-west until it joins the elbe from the right some miles above wittenberge after a total course of 221 m. and a total fall of only 158 ft. its banks are mostly marshy or sandy, and the stream is navigable from the mecklenburg lakes downwards. several canals connect it with these lakes, as well as with other rivers--e.g. the finow canal with the oder, the ruppin canal with the rhin, the berlin-spandau navigable canal (5(1/2) m.) with the spree, and the plaue-ihle canal with the elbe. the sakrow-paretz canal, 11 m. long, cuts off the deep bend at potsdam. the most notable of the tributaries is the spree (227 m. long), which bisects berlin and joins the havel at spandau. area of river basin, 10,159 sq. m.