The Argen is a river in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It flows into
Lake Constance
Lake Constance (german: Bodensee, ) refers to three Body of water, bodies of water on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps: Upper Lake Constance (''Obersee''), Lower Lake Constance (''Untersee''), and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, ca ...
between
Kressbronn am Bodensee
Kressbronn am Bodensee is a municipality and a village in the district of Bodensee in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. It lies on Lake Constance.
Between 1919 and 2011, Kressbronn was the site of the Bodan-Werft shipyard, which built many of the f ...
and
Langenargen
Langenargen is a town in the district of Bodensee in Baden-Württemberg in Germany.
Sports
Langenargen is an ideal venue for sports such as sailing. The town's location on the shores of the Bodensee ( Lake Constance) provides smooth waters e ...
as the third largest tributary to the lake. It is long; if one includes the
Obere Argen
The Obere Argen ("Upper Argen") is a river in southwestern Bavaria and southeastern Baden-Württemberg in Germany.
Northwest of Oberstaufen in the Swabia (Bavaria), Bavarian-Swabian county of Oberallgäu, the ''Seelesgraben'', the ''Moosmühlba ...
and its source river Seelesgraben, the combined length is .
Course
The headwaters of the Argen arise in the
Allgäu
The Allgäu (Standard German: , also Allgovia) is a region in Swabia in southern Germany. It covers the south of Bavarian Swabia, southeastern Baden-Württemberg, and parts of Austria. The region stretches from the pre-alpine lands up to the A ...
. There are two headwaters: the Obere Argen and the Untere Argen. The two arms wrap around the
Große Kreisstadt
''Große Kreisstadt'' (, "major district town") is a term in the municipal law ('' Gemeindeordnung'') of several German states. In some federal states the term is used as a special legal status for a district-affiliated town—as distinct from an ...
of
Wangen im Allgäu
Wangen im Allgäu ( Low Alemannic: ''Wãnge'') is a historic city in southeast Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It lies north-east of Lake Constance in the Westallgäu. It is the second-largest city (Population: 26,927 in 2020) in the Ravensburg dist ...
and meet each other in the Neuravensburg district of Wangen im Allgäu.
Untere Argen
The origin of the Untere Argen is the confluence of Börlasbach and Stixnerbach at the western entrance to
Missen at about above sea level in the Allgäu region of Bavaria. From the confluence, it first flows north to
Isny im Allgäu
Isny im Allgäu ( Low Alemannic: ''Isny im Allgai'') is a town in south-eastern Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is part of the district of Ravensburg, in the western, Württembergish part of the Allgäu region.
Isny was a Free Imperial City (' ...
, then northwest to
Waltershofen, then southwest to Primisweiler. Past Primisweiler, it merges with the Obere Argen.
The main tributaries are the ''Wengener Argen'' and the ''Haslach''.
The Federal highway
A96 crosses it a number of times.
Obere Argen
The Obere Argen originates in a marshy area north-west of
Oberstaufen
Oberstaufen ( Low Alemannic: ''Schtoufe'') is a municipality in the district of Oberallgäu in Bavarian Swabia, Germany, situated on the B 308 road from Lindau to Immenstadt.
History
It is first mentioned as ''Stoufun'' in AD 868. Historically ...
in the Allgäu. It initially flows through the
Eistobel gorge, then underneath the
Argentobelbrücke, and past
Grünenbach
Grünenbach is a municipality in the district of Lindau in Bavaria in Germany.
Geography
Grünenbach is located in the Allgäu region.
It consists of the following districts: Ebratshofen, Grünenbach.
History
Before 1800 Grünenbach had ...
towards Wangen im Allgäu. From there it flows on via Neuravensburg to Pflegelberg, where it is united with the Untere Argen.
Lower reaches
Geomorphologically
Geomorphology (from Ancient Greek: , ', "earth"; , ', "form"; and , ', "study") is the scientific study of the origin and evolution of topographic and bathymetric features created by physical, chemical or biological processes operating at or n ...
, the Argen has cut a deep and wide valley into the landscape, leading to such place names as ''Gitzensteig''. In some places, the valley is over a kilometre wide. The edges of the valley occasionally rise steeply up to , and the valley floor is at the level of Lake Constance.
Further down its course, the river bed becomes increasingly broader. The river here flows past the villages of
Laimnau,
Apflau and Badhütten. In the lower part of its course, the Argen was straightened out considerably. It no longer has
oxbow lake
An oxbow lake is a U-shaped lake or pool that forms when a wide meander of a river is cut off, creating a free-standing body of water. In South Texas, oxbows left by the Rio Grande are called '' resacas''. In Australia, oxbow lakes are call ...
s because of the intensive valley agriculture. In recent years the massive concrete walls alongside the river have been replaced with large boulders in most of the shallower zones. Near the
estuary
An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...
at Kressbronn, gravel is mined in larger quantities, creating new lakes along the river.
Ruins
The ruins of several castles and palaces flank the lower reaches of the Argen:
Altsummerau,
Neusummerau, the late medieval
Gießen Castle at Kreisbrunn,
Achberg Castle and
Neuravensburg Castle. Remains of an ancient
hill fort
A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post-Roma ...
can be found in the woods above the river.
Mouth
The mouth into
Lake Constance
Lake Constance (german: Bodensee, ) refers to three Body of water, bodies of water on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps: Upper Lake Constance (''Obersee''), Lower Lake Constance (''Untersee''), and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, ca ...
is flanked on both sides by small harbours for pleasure boats. On the left is a camping grounds name ''Gohren''. There is another camping grounds with restaurant at Laimnau. At its mouth, the Argen is wide. To prevent flooding, several protective walls have been constructed along the river.
Kayaking
Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving over water. It is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat in which the paddler sits fac ...
is possible; bathing facilities are available.
Level
![D-BW-Kressbronn aB - Pegel Gießen](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/D-BW-Kressbronn_aB_-_Pegel_Gie%C3%9Fen.jpg)
About below the
Gießenbrücke bridge in Kressbronn (river km 5.8), a water level measuring station exists on the Kressbronn side of the river. It is operated by the "Flood Forecasting Centre Baden-Württemberg," the "State Institute for Environment, Measurements and Nature Conservation Baden-Württemberg," and by the
Regierungsbezirk
A ' () means "governmental district" and is a type of administrative division in Germany. Four of sixteen ' ( states of Germany) are split into '. Beneath these are rural and urban districts.
Saxony has ' (directorate districts) with more res ...
Tübingen
Tübingen (, , Swabian: ''Dibenga'') is a traditional university city in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, and developed on both sides of the Neckar and Ammer rivers. about one in thr ...
. The zero level for this station is at an elevation of .
Statistical values
* Mean lowest water level 1980–2003: ,
* Average water level in the years 1980–2003: ,
* Historical record levels, flooding on 22 May 1999:
Nature reserve
An area of approximately flanking the Argen was declared a
nature reserve
A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...
by the regional council of Tübingen on 16 December 1997. Its official name is ''Naturschutzgebiet Argen'' and it is registered as reserve number 4282. The reserve covers the area between the confluence of the Obere and Untere Argen and the mouth into Lake Constance. It includes the river, steep slopes, floodplain forest and swamp forests, valleys and flood embankments. Of the total, of the reserve are in the
Bodenseekreis
Bodenseekreis ("Lake Constance district") is a ''Landkreis'' (district) in the south-east of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neighboring districts are (from west, clockwise) Konstanz, Sigmaringen and Ravensburg, and in Bavaria, Lindau district. T ...
district and in the
Ravensburg
Ravensburg ( Swabian: ''Raveschburg'') is a city in Upper Swabia in Southern Germany, capital of the district of Ravensburg, Baden-Württemberg.
Ravensburg was first mentioned in 1088. In the Middle Ages, it was an Imperial Free City and an impo ...
district.
History
In
Alamannia
Alamannia, or Alemannia, was the kingdom established and inhabited by the Alemanni, a Germanic peoples, Germanic tribal confederation that had broken through the Roman ''Upper Germanic Limes, limes'' in 213.
The Alemanni expanded from the Main ...
, a
Carolingian
The Carolingian dynasty (; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charlemagne, grandson of mayor Charles Martel and a descendant of the Arnulfing and Pippin ...
county named ''Argungowe'' (i.e.
Argen County) was recorded from the end of the 8th century.
Marathon
The roads along the Argen between Argensteg and Gießenbrücke are used in the annual
Bodensee-Marathon. Runners must run on the road on the Kressbronn side to Gießenbrücke, cross the bridge and run along the river on the Langenargen side to Argensteg, then via Gohren to the finish at Kressbronn Lakeside Sports Hall.
Gallery
File: D-BW-Kressbronn - Argensteg.JPG , Argensteg
File: D-BW-Kressbronn - Bruecke Bodenseeguertelbahn ueber Argen.JPG , Lake Constance Belt Railway Bridge
File: D-BW-Kressbronn-Kochermühle - Argenbrücke.jpg , Kocher Bridge
File: D-BW-Kressbronn_-_Argenbruecke.JPG , Federal Road B 467
File: D-BW-Kressbronn aB - Gießenbrücke.jpg , Gießen Bridge
File: D-BW-Tettnang-Heggelbach - Argensteg.jpg , Bridge at Heggelbach
File: D-BW-Achberg - Argensteg.jpg , Bridge at Achberg Castle
References and sources
* Norbert Kruse: ''Die Argen und ihre Namen'', in: ''Im Oberland'', issue 2, 2002, pp. 55–64.
* .
References
External links
Pictures around the ArgenData from the level measuring station below Gießen BridgeVibrational modes of the suspension bridge over the Argen at Achberg
{{Authority control
Rivers of Baden-Württemberg
Rivers of Germany