The Alte Schwentine ("Old Schwentine") is a river in the region of

Holstein Holstein (; nds, label=Northern Low Saxon, Holsteen; da, Holsten; Latin and historical en, Holsatia, italic=yes) is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is the southern half of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of German ...

in North

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. Its different sections are also known as the Bornau, Depenau, Kührener Au, Postau and Mühlenau.

Course

It rises near

Bornhöved Bornhöved () is a municipality in the '' Kreis'' (district) of Segeberg in Schleswig-Holstein, north Germany. It is situated some 16 km east of Neumünster. Bornhöved is part of the ''Amt'' (municipal confederation) of Bornhöved Bornh ...

on the hill of Grimmelsberg by the road from Bornhöved to Tarbek in a meadow and in the mill pond of Bornhöved. Initially, it flows through the Bornhöveder See and from there to the Schmalensee. From there it flows past former Slavic Belauburg into the Belauer See. Behind the lake it passes the Perdöl Mill, an old water mill, and flows into the Stolper See in an old carr wood at Perdöl Manor House (''Gut Perdöl''). It leaves the Stolper See at Depenau Mill and flows past Depenau Moor (''Depenauer Hochmoor'') towards Depenau Manor House (''Gut Depenau''). Beyond the manor house the river is also called the Kühren Au and meanders through meadows to the west of the town of

Preetz Preetz () is a town southeast of Kiel in the district of Plön, in Schleswig-Holstein, Northern Germany. Preetz is also known as "Schusterstadt" (English: 'shoemaker town') named after shoemakers who used to live and work in this town. Preetz has ...

located on the Postsee lake. Here it joins the

Schwentine The Schwentine is a river in the North German state of Schleswig-Holstein. It is approximately long and rises on the hill of Bungsberg, the highest point in the state, near the village of Kasseedorf in Ostholstein. It then runs from its source to ...

, which rises on the

Bungsberg The Bungsberg () is the highest point in the north German state of Schleswig-Holstein (elevation: ). It lies in the region known as Holstein Switzerland in the municipality of Schönwalde am Bungsberg between Scheelholz and Mönchsneversdorf. T ...

and empties into the

Kiel Fjord Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021). Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the Jutland pe ...

in the Baltic Sea. Between Postsee and Schwentine the names ''Postau'' or ''Mühlenau'' (after the old water mill of

Preetz Priory Preetz Priory (german: Kloster Preetz) is a former German Benedictine nunnery in the town of Preetz, Schleswig-Holstein. It operates today as a residence for ladies. History The monastery was founded in 1211 by Graf Albrecht of Orlamünde, nephew ...

which stood nearby) are used.

Names

This use of different names came about as a result of a mistake by the

cartographer Cartography (; from grc, χάρτης , "papyrus, sheet of paper, map"; and , "write") is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an im ...

, Caspar Danckwerth, who, in 1652, gave the real Schwentine — associated with ''Sventanafeld'', the field of battle at the Battle of Bornhöved, different names such as the Bornhöved Bornau, Depenau, Kühren Au and Mühlenau. As a result the Bungsberg

was declared to be the real Schwentine.

Limes

A section of the

Limes Saxoniae The Limes Saxoniae (Latin for "Limit of Saxony"), also known as the Limes Saxonicus or Sachsenwall ("Saxon Dyke"), was an unfortified limes or border between the Saxons and the Slavic Obotrites, established about 810 in present-day Schleswig-Hol ...

, the fortified border rampart between

Saxons The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

and

Wends Wends ( ang, Winedas ; non, Vindar; german: Wenden , ; da, vendere; sv, vender; pl, Wendowie, cz, Wendové) is a historical name for Slavs living near Germanic settlement areas. It refers not to a homogeneous people, but to various peopl ...

, which was built by the Emperor

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Holy ...

, ran along the chain of lakes on the Old Schwentine.

Course

Names

Limes

See also