{{infobox river , name = Erlenbach , map = , map_size = , map_caption = , image = , image_size = , image_caption = , subdivision_type1 = Country , subdivision_name1 =

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 ...

, subdivision_type2 = Location , subdivision_name2 =

Wasgau The Wasgau (german: Wasgau, french: Vasgovie) is a Franco-German hill range in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate and the French departments of Bas-Rhin and Moselle. It is formed from the southern part of the Palatine Forest and the north ...

Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...

, subdivision_type3 = Reference no. , subdivision_name3 = DE: 23728 , length = 9.04 km , width_avg = , depth_avg = , source1_location = The Löffelsberg near Oberschlettenbach , source1_coordinates = {{Coord, 49.150342, 7.888929, type:river_region:DE-RP, format=dms, display=inline,title , source1_elevation = {{Höhe, 272, DE-NN, link=true , mouth_location =

Wieslauter The Lauter (in its upper course also: ''Wieslauter'') is a river in Germany and France. The Lauter is a left tributary of the Rhine. Its length is , of which 39 km is in France and on the France–Germany border. It is formed by the confluence of ...

Niederschlettenbach Niederschlettenbach is a municipality in Südwestpfalz district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country i ...

, mouth_coordinates = {{Coord, 49.083778, 7.848000, type:river_region:DE-RP, format=dms, display=inline , mouth_elevation = {{Höhe, 203, DE-NN, link=true , basin_population = , basin_landmarks = Villages: Oberschlettenbach, Vorderweidenthal, Erlenbach,

, progression = {{RLauter (Rhine) , basin_size = 18.815 km² , discharge1_location = , discharge1_min = , discharge1_avg = , discharge1_max = , tributaries_right = , tributaries_left = , waterbodies = , ports = , bridges = , custom_label = References , custom_data = , extra = The Erlenbach is a

stream A stream is a continuous body of water, body of surface water Current (stream), flowing within the stream bed, bed and bank (geography), banks of a channel (geography), channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream ...

, over 9 km long, in the South Palatine

region of the German state of

. It is a left tributary of the

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 ...

which, here in its upper reaches is still called the ''Wieslauter''.

Geography

Course

The Erlenbach has a main source and a rather smaller subsidiary source, which are only a few hundred metres from one another on the eastern flank of the 445-metre-high Löffelsberg. They are located in the Wasgau, which comprises the southern part of the Palatinate Forest and the adjoining northern part of the French

Vosges Mountains The Vosges ( , ; german: Vogesen ; Franconian and gsw, Vogese) are a range of low mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a single ...

. Initially the stream flows eastwards passing through the parish of Oberschlettenbach, its two headstreams meeting after 2 km, the smaller brook emptying from the right into the bigger one. The combined Erlenbach swings south and passes the villages of Vorderweidenthal and Erlenbach. In

it discharges into the Wieslauter from the left.

Tributaries

*Wüstenborn (''right'') *Kleisterbach (''right''), 1.4 km *Zimbach (''right'') *Eisenbach (''right''), 1.4 km

Sights

;Wildlife park, Lindelbrunn Castle Immediately east of the source area lies the Südliche Weinstraße Wildlife Park and the castle of Lindelbrunn. ;Drachenfels Castle Drachenfels Castle, 3 km west of the middle reaches of the stream, was destroyed in 1523, because part of it had belonged to the rebel knight

Francis of Sickingen Franz von Sickingen (2 March 14817 May 1523) was an Imperial Knight who, with Ulrich von Hutten, led the so-called "Knights' Revolt," and was one of the most notable figures of the early period of the Protestant Reformation. Sickingen was nickn ...

. ;Berwartstein Castle The Berwartstein, still occupied and managed today, was once the possession of the knight, Hans von Trotha who, as ''Hans Trapp'' has been absorbed into local legend. The castle rises above the left bank of the Erlenbach over the village of the same name, whilst on the opposite hillside is the tower of

Little France Little France is a suburb of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It is on the A7 road (Great Britain), A7, approximately south of the city centre. The area falls within the parish of Liberton, Edinburgh, Liberton in the south-east of the city. ...

. ;St. Anne's Chapel Hans von Trotha died in 1503 and was interred in St. Anne's Chapel just above the mouth of the Erlenbach. The chapel was commissioned by the nearby Weissenburg Abbey and was completed in 1462 in order to enable the miners of the

iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the fo ...

pit at the ''Bremmelberg'' the opportunity to go to church. At the end of the 18th century it was heavily damaged by

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

ary troops and was not rebuilt until 1908. Since then it has been the destination of an annual

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

on the last Sunday in July.

References

Rivers of Rhineland-Palatinate South Palatinate Rivers and lakes of the Palatinate Forest Südwestpfalz Rivers of Germany