The Elz is a
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...
in
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...
,
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 ...
, a right tributary of the
Rhine
), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source1_coordinates=
, source1_elevation =
, source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein
, source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source2_coordinates=
, so ...
. It rises in the
Black Forest
The Black Forest (german: Schwarzwald ) is a large forested mountain range in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany, bounded by the Rhine Valley to the west and south and close to the borders with France and Switzerland. It is t ...
, near the source of the
Breg. The Elz flows through
Elzach
Elzach (; Low Alemannic German, Low Alemannic: ''Elze'') is a town in the Emmendingen (district), district of Emmendingen, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated on the river Elz (Rhine), Elz, 26 km northeast of Freiburg.
Geography ...
,
Waldkirch
Waldkirch is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located 15 kilometers northeast of Freiburg im Breisgau. While the English translation of its name is ''Forest Church'', it is known as the "town of mechanical organs", where fairground organs ...
and
Emmendingen
Emmendingen (; Low Alemannic: ''Emmedinge'') is a town in Baden-Württemberg, capital of the district Emmendingen of Germany. It is located at the Elz River, north of Freiburg im Breisgau. The town contains more than 26,000 residents, which ...
before reaching the Rhine near
Lahr
Lahr (officially Lahr/Schwarzwald since 30 September 1978) (); gsw, label= Low Alemannic, Lohr) is a town in western Baden-Württemberg, Germany, approximately 50 km north of Freiburg im Breisgau, 40 km southeast of Strasbourg, and 95&nb ...
. Its length is approx. .
The lower reaches of the Elz are by-passed by the
Leopold Canal, a flood relief canal.
Course
![Elzquelle](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/Elzquelle.jpg)
The Elz rises north of
Furtwangen
Furtwangen im Schwarzwald (; Low Alemannic: ''Furtwange im Schwarzwald'') is a small city located in the Black Forest region of southwestern Germany. Together with Villingen-Schwenningen, Furtwangen is part of the district (German: Kreis) of Sc ...
in the area of the
Brend and the
Rohrhardsberg
The Rohrhardsberg is a mountain in the Central Black Forest in southern Germany. At 1,152.1 metres (3,780 ft) above sea level, it is the northernmost summit of the elongated, north-south oriented Farnberg Plateau that has several high points ...
mountains (between the Furtwänglehof and the Kolmenhof) not far from the source of the
Breg which is
hydrographically
Hydrography is the branch of applied sciences which deals with the measurement and description of the physical features of oceans, seas, coastal areas, lakes and rivers, as well as with the prediction of their change over time, for the primary p ...
the
source of the Danube
Source may refer to:
Research
* Historical document
* Historical source
* Source (intelligence) or sub source, typically a confidential provider of non open-source intelligence
* Source (journalism), a person, publication, publishing institute o ...
.
In its upper reaches the Elz flows in a northerly direction, initially through a
high valley
High Valley is a Canadian country music band from Blumenort, Alberta, a small community near the hamlet of La Crete. The group is composed of Brad Rempel (lead vocals) and his supporting band, Dave Myers (bass guitar), Sam Bergeson (vocals), Ray ...
with pasture land, bog and
ice age
An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gree ...
glacial landforms. Then after a steep drop at the little ''
Elz Falls'', it continues through a deeply incised, wooded and sparsely populated V-shaped valley.
![Rohrhardsberg-Elztal](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/Rohrhardsberg-Elztal.jpg)
In the ''Oberprechtal'' valley it bends sharply towards the southwest. This is the start of the middle (actual) Elz valley, which runs in a straight line towards the southwest, separating the
High Black Forest
The High Black Forest (german: Hochschwarzwald) is a touristic and geographical region in the south-west of the German federal state Baden-Württemberg, primarily in the Southern Black Forest.
History of the name
The term ''Hochschwarzwald'' o ...
(700 to 900 m) to the southeast from the far lower parts of the
Central Black Forest. In the now densely populated valley are the town of
Elzach
Elzach (; Low Alemannic German, Low Alemannic: ''Elze'') is a town in the Emmendingen (district), district of Emmendingen, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated on the river Elz (Rhine), Elz, 26 km northeast of Freiburg.
Geography ...
, the villages of
Winden and
Gutach im Breisgau
Gutach ( Low Alemannic: ''Guetich im Brisgau'') is a municipality in the district of Emmendingen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany.
Gutach includes six villages:
* Gutach
* Bleibach
* Siegelau
* Stollen
* Kregelbach
* Oberspitzenbach
Twin towns ...
, where the Elz receives the waters of the
Wild Gutach
The Wild Gutach (german: Wilde Gutach) is a river in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It flows into the Elz (Rhine), Elz in Gutach im Breisgau.
Sights and structures
* Hexenlochmühle with two overshot water wheels in a ravine-like witch's hole (' ...
, which is just under half its size. Below the town of
Waldkirch
Waldkirch is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located 15 kilometers northeast of Freiburg im Breisgau. While the English translation of its name is ''Forest Church'', it is known as the "town of mechanical organs", where fairground organs ...
the Elz enters the
Upper Rhine Plain
The Upper Rhine Plain, Rhine Rift Valley or Upper Rhine Graben (German: ''Oberrheinische Tiefebene'', ''Oberrheinisches Tiefland'' or ''Oberrheingraben'', French: ''Vallée du Rhin'') is a major rift, about and on average , between Basel in the s ...
near
Denzlingen
Denzlingen is a municipality in the district of Emmendingen, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated north of Freiburg.
Geography
Denzlingen is located in the Upper Rhine Valley (''Oberrheinische Tiefebene'') at the edge of the Black F ...
in the
Freiburg Bay. From now on it flows in a northwesterly direction, past
Emmendingen
Emmendingen (; Low Alemannic: ''Emmedinge'') is a town in Baden-Württemberg, capital of the district Emmendingen of Germany. It is located at the Elz River, north of Freiburg im Breisgau. The town contains more than 26,000 residents, which ...
and
Teningen
Teningen is a municipality in the district of Emmendingen, in the state Baden-Württemberg in Germany. It is situated on the river Elz, 15 km north of Freiburg.
Geography
Location
Teningen is set on the edge of the Black Forest moun ...
. Some of the water of the Elz is diverted into a
millstream Millstream may refer to:
Places
* Millstream, Queensland, a locality in the Tablelands Region, Queensland, Australia
*Millstream, a headstream of the Herbert River
The Herbert River is a river located in Far North Queensland, Australia. T ...
through Emmendingen, where it drives several
hydropower station
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined an ...
s and enhances the appearance of the town. Near
Riegel on the
Kaiserstuhl the Elz merges with the
Dreisam
The Dreisam ( Celtic: ''*tragisamā'', "the very fast one") is a 29 km long river (48.8 km including its source river Rotbach), and a tributary of the Elz in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. The waters of the Dreisam feed the fa ...
from
Freiburg im Breisgau
Freiburg im Breisgau (; abbreviated as Freiburg i. Br. or Freiburg i. B.; Low Alemannic German, Low Alemannic: ''Friburg im Brisgau''), commonly referred to as Freiburg, is an independent city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With a population o ...
and the
Old Dreisam.
Soon thereafter the Elz forks again: a certain amount of water (up to 8.5 m
3/s) flows down the Old Elz (''Alte Elz'') through the
Europapark Rust
Europa-Park is the largest theme park in Germany, and the second most popular theme park in Europe, after Disneyland Paris. Europa-Park is located in Rust, Baden-Württemberg, Rust, south-western Germany, between Freiburg im Breisgau and Strasbo ...
to its mouth on the Rhine. Other quantities of water, on average about 13.2 m
3/s, is fed along the
Leopold Canal, built by
Johann Gottfried Tulla
Johann Gottfried Tulla (20 March 1770, in Karlsruhe – 27 March 1828, in Paris) was a German engineer who accomplished the straightening of the Rhine, improving navigation and alleviating the effects of flooding. His measures gave the Upper Rhine ...
, northwest of
Rheinhausen
Rheinhausen () is a district of the city of Duisburg in Germany, with a population of 78,203 (December 31, 2020) and an area of 38.68 km². It lies on the left bank of the river Rhine.
Rheinhausen consists of the neighbourhoods: Rumeln-Kald ...
into the Rhine. The Old Elz empties higher up, near
Schwanau, into the Rhine. Today it is led down various Old Rhine channels parallel to the Rhine to the southern edge of
Kehl
Kehl (; gsw, label= Low Alemannic German, Low Alemannic, Kaal) is a town in southwestern Germany in the Ortenaukreis, Baden-Württemberg. It is on the river Rhine, directly opposite the French city of Strasbourg, with which it shares some munic ...
, a distance of 121 kilometres from the source; formerly it was over 90 kilometres long.
Tributaries
The table shows all tributaries that are longer than 5 kilometres, with the exception of millstreams alongside rivers.
Based on the
waterbody number
{{Unreferenced, date=May 2019, bot=noref (GreenC bot)
A waterbody number, waterbody index number or waterbody ID is used for the Hydrography, hydrographic classification of waterbodies. Where classification only covers bodies of flowing water such ...
(''
Fließgewässerkennziffer''), the Frischnaubach is the highest tributary - it discharges into the Elz in the parish of
Prechtal. The Ettenbach is the lowest tributary and empties into the Elz just before
Grafenhausen
Grafenhausen is a town in the district of Waldshut in Baden-Württemberg in Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russi ...
. All tributaries have their catchment areas in the county of
Emmendingen
Emmendingen (; Low Alemannic: ''Emmedinge'') is a town in Baden-Württemberg, capital of the district Emmendingen of Germany. It is located at the Elz River, north of Freiburg im Breisgau. The town contains more than 26,000 residents, which ...
, with the exception of the Ettenbach, which flows through in
Ortenaukreis
Ortenaukreis ( gsw, label= Low Alemannic, Ortenaukrais; french: Arrondissement de l'Ortenau) is a ''Landkreis'' (district) in the west of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neighboring districts are (clockwise from north) Rastatt, Freudenstadt, Rottwe ...
.
Fauna
Commonly found species of fish in the Elz are the:
[Schaubild IG-Elz]
*
Barbel Barbel may refer to:
*Barbel (anatomy), a whisker-like organ near the mouth found in some fish (notably catfish, loaches and cyprinids) and turtles
*Barbel (fish), a common name for certain species of fish
**''Barbus barbus'', a species of cyprinid ...
*
Chub
*
Dace
A dace is a small fish that can be one of many different species. The unmodified name is usually a reference to the common dace (''Leuciscus leuciscus''). This, like most fish called "daces", belongs to the family Cyprinidae, mostly in subfamily ...
*
Riffle minnow
*
Common minnow
The Eurasian minnow, minnow, or common minnow (''Phoxinus phoxinus'') is a small species of freshwater fish in the carp
family Cyprinidae. It is the type species of genus ''Phoxinus''. It is ubiquitous throughout much of Eurasia, from Britain and ...
*
River trout
''Salmo trutta fario'', sometimes called the river trout, and also known by the name of its parent species, the brown trout, is a predatory fish of the family Salmonidae and a subspecies or morph of the brown trout species, '' Salmo trutta'', w ...
*
Grayling
*
Eel
Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 19 families, 111 genera, and about 800 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the early larval stage to the eventual adult stage ...
*
Pike
Pike, Pikes or The Pike may refer to:
Fish
* Blue pike or blue walleye, an extinct color morph of the yellow walleye ''Sander vitreus''
* Ctenoluciidae, the "pike characins", some species of which are commonly known as pikes
* ''Esox'', genus of ...
*
Roach
Roach may refer to:
Animals
* Cockroach, various insect species of the order Blattodea
* Common roach (''Rutilus rutilus''), a fresh and brackish water fish of the family Cyprinidae
** ''Rutilus'' or roaches, a genus of fishes
* California roach ...
*
Rudd
''Scardinius'' is a genus of ray-finned fish in the family Cyprinidae commonly called rudds. Locally, the name "rudd" without any further qualifiers is also used for individual species, particularly the common rudd (''S. erythrophthalmus''). Th ...
Gallery
Wiki B3.001.650.jpg, View upriver via Emmendingen to the Kandel
Elz.jpg, The "Old Elz" between Kenzingen and Rheinhausen (Breisgau)
20160521-00379-Obere-Elz.jpg, Upper Elz, looking north
References
* [Length from the ''Gewässernetz (]AWGN
Additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) is a basic noise model used in information theory to mimic the effect of many random processes that occur in nature. The modifiers denote specific characteristics:
* ''Additive'' because it is added to any nois ...
)'' layer from
* [Einzugsgebiet abgemessen auf dem Hintergrundlayer ''Topographische Karte'' des Online-Kartenservers der LUBW.]
* [Der Altersbach mündet in einen nahen, etwa parallelen Gewerbekanal. Stationierung ungefähr auf die Elz übergepaust, entsprechend die Mündungshöhe.]
External links
Course of the Elzat:
Interessengemeinschaft-Elz e. V.– numerous photographs, including some historical photographs.
EG Wasserrahmenrichtlinie Bericht zur Bestandsaufnahme Teilbearbeitungsgebiet 31 Elz-Dreisam(pdf file; 1.15 MB)
{{Rhine Tributaries
Rivers of Baden-Württemberg
Rivers of the Black Forest
Rivers of Germany