The Beneden Merwede (Dutch pronunciation: [bəˌneːdə ˈmɛrʋeːdə]; "Lower Merwede") is a stretch of river in the Netherlands, mainly fed by the river Rhine.
It starts as the continuation of the Boven Merwede after the branching-off of the Nieuwe Merwede ship canal.
It flows from Hardinxveld-Giessendam to Dordrecht, where it splits into the Noord and Oude Maas rivers.
[1] The river is part of the main shipping route between the port of Rotterdam and the industrial region of the Ruhr, Germany.
There is a road bridge and, more to the east, a railroad bridge between the railway stations Dordrecht Stadspolders and Hardinxveld-Giessendam on the line Dordrecht-Gorinchem.