The Ölschnitz is a right-bank, northern

headstream The headwaters of a river or stream is the farthest place in that river or stream from its estuary or downstream confluence with another river, as measured along the course of the river. It is also known as a river's source. Definition The ...

of the

White Main The White Main (german: Weißer Main or ''Weißmain'', not to be confused with the Weismain), is the larger and shorter of the two headstreams of the river Main. It rises in the Fichtelgebirge and merges near Steinenhausen, southwest of Kulmbach, ...

in the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

province of

Upper Franconia Upper Franconia (german: Oberfranken) is a ''Regierungsbezirk'' (administrative 'Regierungs''region 'bezirk'' of the state of Bavaria, southern Germany. It forms part of the historically significant region of Franconia, the others being Middle F ...

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

. It is long.

Course

The Ölschnitz has its source at an

impoundment Impoundment may refer to: Water control * The result of a dam, creating a body of water ** A reservoir, formed by a dam ** Coal slurry impoundment, a specialized form of such a reservoir used for coal mining and processing * Impounded dock, an enc ...

and granite well stone in Solg, a village in the borough of Münchberg. It discharges into the White Main near Bad Berneck. The Ölschnitz flows from Solg through a wide valley to the village of Ölschnitz. It then flows down to Tennersreuth, passes under the A 9 motorway, supplies water for the Streitau Mill and continues to Böseneck. From here the little river snakes through an ever-narrower valley. After many bends it reaches the ''Entenmühle'' ("duck mill"), then flows around the hill spur near Stein in a large curve before cutting through the hard,

diabase Diabase (), also called dolerite () or microgabbro, is a mafic, holocrystalline, subvolcanic rock equivalent to volcanic basalt or plutonic gabbro. Diabase dikes and sills are typically shallow intrusive bodies and often exhibit fine-graine ...

rock in a steep, rocky, narrow valley, rich in flora, and reaching the spa park (''Kurpark'') at Bad Berneck. After almost 19 km it discharges into the White Main. The Ölschnitz valley between the ''Entenmühle'' and Bad Berneck, through which the ''Westweg'' and ''Jean-Paul-Weg'' trails also run, is one of the most beautiful valleys in the Fichtelgebirge.

Economic utilisation

Along the course of the stream, water power was used to drive many mill wheels. In 1536, the townsfolk of Berneck were giving fishing rights in the ''Ölsnitz'' and, in 1692, it was described as the "best trout stream in the Fichtelberge". In 1732, an ordinance concerning the Ölschnitz was issued by the

Margrave of Bayreuth The Principality of Bayreuth (german: Fürstentum Bayreuth) or Margraviate of Brandenburg-Bayreuth (''Markgraftum Brandenburg-Bayreuth'') was an immediate territory of the Holy Roman Empire, ruled by a Franconian branch of the Hohenzollern dyna ...

for the protection of the

freshwater pearl mussel The freshwater pearl mussel (''Margaritifera margaritifera'') is an endangered species of freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusc in the family Margaritiferidae. Although the name "freshwater pearl mussel" is often used for this species ...

s introduced there. Between 1733 and 1810, 6,000 pearls were harvested. Pearl fishing came under the supervision of a pearl inspector and, after 1810, the Bavarian Forestry Department.''Die Ölschnitz''
by Dietmar Herrmann at www.bayern-fichtelgebirge.de. Retrieved 30 Jan 2019

Places

Tributaries

* Querenbach (left) * Lahmabach (right) * Benkersbach (left) * Grundbach (right) * Angerbach (right) * Rieglersbach (left) * Schleifenbach (right) * Lübnitzbach (left) * Steingraben (right) * Metzlersreuther Bach (left) * Bärnreuther Graben (left)

Sources

* Konrad Arneth/Ernst Eichler: Slawische Flurnamen in der ehemaligen Markgrafschaft Bayreuth, in: Jahrbuch für Fränkische Landesforschung 1966, p. 191 * Dietmar Herrmann: Perlen in der Ölschnitz, in: The Siebenstern 2003, p. 11 * Dietmar Herrmann: Lexikon Fichtelgebirge, Hof 2000 (A-Z) Ölschnitz * Rudolf Klupp: Fischerei in Oberfranken, 1985, p. 214 * Seidel Chr.: Eine Ölschnitzwanderung von der Quelle bis zur Mündung,in: The Siebenstern 1937, p. 169 * Vogt Ludwig: The Gewässernamen des Fichtelgebirges, in: The Siebenstern 1959, p. 113 * Max Wirth: The Ölschnitzquelle in Solg bei Münchberg, in: The Siebenstern 1970, p. 118

References

External links

Gauge in Bad Berneck

{{Authority control Rivers of Bavaria Bayreuth (district) Hof (district) Rivers of Germany