Inn River

Inn River, a major right- (south-) bank tributary of the Danube River. The Inn River is 317 miles (510 km) long. It rises in Lake Lughino in Switzerland and flows northeast across western Austria and southern Germany. The river’s Swiss section is called the Engadin. In Austria the river first enters the narrow Oberinntal (upper Inn Valley) lying above Zirl and then the Unterinntal (lower Inn Valley), which includes Innsbruck. In the Unterinntal the river is wide, except at Kufstein, where it cuts between the Bavarian Alps on the west and the Kaisergebirge on the east. Entering Bavaria in Germany, the Inn flows north and then east before receiving its major tributary, the Salzach River. A short distance downstream it forms part of the Austro-German border to its confluence with the Danube at Passau, Germany. Agricultural areas lie along the middle and lower sections of the river, which is harnessed at points for hydroelectric power.