The Black Lauter (german: Schwarze Lauter) is the left hand source of the river

Lauter Lauter may refer to: People * Lauter (surname) Places *Lauter, Saxony, town in the district of Aue-Schwarzenberg, Saxony, Germany * Lauter, Bavaria, village in the district of Bamberg, Bavaria, Germany Rivers * Lauter (Baunach), tributary to th ...

. It rises in Schlatstall from the ''Lauterquelle'' well and the ''Golden'' hole. Near

Lenningen Lenningen is a town in the district of Esslingen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. Neighbour communities Those are in the east Wiesensteig (district of Göppingen), in the south Römerstein and Grabenstetten (both district of Reutlingen), in ...

it joins the

White Lauter The White Lauter () is the right hand source of the river Lauter (Neckar), Lauter. It rises southeast of Lenningen below the state road B465. Near Lenningen it joins the Black Lauter, forming the Lauter (Neckar), Lauter. Source of the White Laut ...

, forming the

Wells

At the mouth of the ''Kohlhau'' Valley, where it joins the

valley, lies the village of Schlatstall, which is now a part of the municipality of Lenningen. Near this village, there are a total of six

karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

wells. The sources, the narrow valley and the village are a popular hiking destination. The sources are part of 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 ...

. The two most important wells in terms of volume, are the Lauterquelle and the Goldloch.

Lauterquelle

The ''Lauterquelle'', or Lauter Well, () is ahead of the Lauter Mill, where the water-impermeable valley floor emerges. This source is so strong and rich that it could drive an overshot mill, the Lauter Mill.

Goldloch

The ''Goldloch'', or Golden Hole, is only periodically active. This

cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

() is about east of the other sources. The discharge varies between . The mouth of the cave was extended to its present size by miners in 1824–25. No gold was found.Cave guide Swabian Alb, H. Binder, H. Jantschke. 7. Edition, Leinfelden-Echterdingen 2003

Trout

Trout are bred in the clean, oxygen-rich

spring water. Water from all six wells flows into fish ponds on the eastern edge of the village of Schlattstall.

Tributaries

* Seltenbach, on the left side

References

External links

{{Commons category, Schwarze Lauter
Sources of Black Lauter
(in German)

(in German) Rivers of Baden-Württemberg Rivers of Germany