Eschach (upstream from
Horgen
Horgen is a municipality in the district of Horgen in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.
It is one of the larger towns along the south bank of the Lake of Zurich.
On 1 January 2018 the former municipality of Hirzel merged into the municipal ...
also: ''Württembergische Eschach'') is a river of
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 ...
. It flows into the
Neckar south of
Rottweil.
Geography
Source flows
The Eschach arises from two spring waters. The longer one is hydrographically classified as its upper course, the much more water-rich one as its third important inflow.
Northern headwaters
The longest flow path begins today as ''Eschach'' (without name addition), after older name as ''Württembergische Eschach'' or also ''Horgener Eschach''. It has its source at the homestead "Heimliswald" in the district Rötenberg of
Aichhalden
Aichhalden is a municipality in the district of Rottweil, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
Geography
Geographical location
Aichhalden is located in the east of the Black Forest. Its around 640 to 720 meters above sea level. It borders on Sch ...
at an elevation of 699 m above sea level and flows first in southeast direction. After the Eschach has limited the Winzeln-Schramberg Airfield to the west - the municipal area of
Fluorn-Winzeln borders there on the left bank - at km 3.258 of its course it is fed from the right side of the Bannmoosgraben. At km 4,7, the Seltenbach also comes from the right, before it runs along the northeastern edge of the
Schramberg
Schramberg is a town in the district of Rottweil, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated in the eastern Black Forest, 25 km northwest of Rottweil. With all of its districts (Talstadt, Sulgen, Waldmössingen, Heiligenbronn, Schönbron ...
town of
Heiligenbronn. The Mollenmoosgraben flows towards it at km 6,13. At km 8,1 it reaches the center of
Seedorf in the community
Dunningen at the turning point of a loop to the east, after which it continues south.
At km 11,47 the
Eberbach, also called ''Aitenbach'', flows from the right. Shortly afterwards it underruns the
B 462 and reaches Dunningen itself, almost entirely on the left side of the river. After it has meandered around several hills, it flows on its 20th kilometre along
Lackendorf. In the now formed valley it then passes the villages
Stetten ob Rottweil and
Flözlingen of the community
Zimmern ob Rottweil. In their last valley village
Horgen
Horgen is a municipality in the district of Horgen in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.
It is one of the larger towns along the south bank of the Lake of Zurich.
On 1 January 2018 the former municipality of Hirzel merged into the municipal ...
at km 26,57 from the right the Fischbach finally flows.
Eschbach and Fischbach
The most productive source is that of the Eschbach and the Glasbach, which merge with other waters to form the
Fischbach.
The Eschbach is reached at km 1.85 by the 3.5 km long Birkenmoosgraben, in the village
Eschbronn-''Mariazell''. At km 4,7 it connects with the Reutenbach coming from the right to the Hinterbach, this at km 5,46 with the Mittelbach to the ''Eschbach''. At km 7,46 it meets in the village Fischbach the ''Glasbach'' coming from the right. Herewith the river section begins as ''Fischbach''. At km 11,76 after the source of the Eschbach this Fischbach flows together with the ''Badische Eschach''. Since this is the weaker and with 13,9 km km also opposite the main stream, which has measured 16,8 km km until here, the name Fischbach is maintained until the confluence with the Württembergische Eschach in Horgen.
In the valley slope north of the Fischbach are the ruins of a Roman estate and a Roman bath.
After the confluence of Eschach and Fischbach, according to the older interpretation of Württemberg and Badischer Eschach, the river flows through a partly narrow valley with
Muschelkalk
The Muschelkalk (German for "shell-bearing limestone"; french: calcaire coquillier) is a sequence of sedimentary rock, sedimentary rock strata (a lithostratigraphy, lithostratigraphic unit) in the geology of central and western Europe. It has a Mid ...
rock faces on the impact slopes, a popular hiking area.
At
Rottweil-Bühlingen the Eschach merges with the Neckar. The confluence transforms the Neckar from a stream into a small river. At this point the course of the Eschach is almost twice as long as that of the Neckar, and its catchment area, as well as its water flow, is about three times as large. Nevertheless, the Neckar, which maintains its flow direction, is considered the main river. However, the main hydrological source of the Neckar system can be considered the Glasbach, which has its source on the Brogen (''Glasbach''→''Fischbach''→''Badische Eschach''→''Eschach'').
Tributaries
''Tributaries of the Württembergische Eschach
*''Bannmoosgraben'' (right)
*''Seltenbach'' (right)
*''Weiherbach'' (right)
*''Weilergraben'' (right)
*''Zundelwäldlegraben'' (right)
* ''Eberbach'' (right), 4,7 km
*''Steppe ditch'' (left)
*''Kimmichgraben'' (right)
*Brook from the ''Miller Pond'' (right)
*''Haselbach'' (right)
*''Heckenweiherbach'' (right)
*Brook from the ''Bärenwiesen'' (left)
*''Holderbrunnen'' (right)
*''Sulzbach'' (left)
''Tributaries of the Badische Eschach''
*''Crab Grave'' (right)
*''Augenmoosbach'' (right)
*''Moosbach'' (right)
*''Bohlbächle'' (right)
*''Schorenbächle'' (right)
*''Light ditch'' (left)
*''Ammelbach'' (right)
*''Neuhauser Bächle'' (left)
*''Schlierbach'' (left)
*''Wannenbächle'' (right)
*''Langentalbächle'' (right)
*''
Fischbach'' (left)
*''Teufenbach'' (left)
''Tributaries of the Eschach''
*''Sailersbach'' (right)
*''Lausenhärdtles Graben'' (left)
Conservation
Both the ''Badische'' and the ''Württembergische Eschach'' as well as the lower reaches of ''Teufenbach'' and ''
Fischbach'' are part of the
FFH-areas ''Baar, Eschach and south-east Black Forest''. They are home to populations of
European Protected Species.
bullhead,
brook lamprey
The brook lamprey (''Lampetra planeri'', also known as the European brook lamprey and the western brook lamprey) is a small European lamprey species that exclusively inhabits freshwater environments. The species is related to, but distinct from, ...
,
thick shelled river mussel,
stone crayfish
''Austropotamobius torrentium'', also called the stone crayfish, is a European species of freshwater crayfish in the family Astacidae. It is mostly found in tributaries of the Danube, having originated in the northern part of the Balkan Peninsul ...
and
beaver and are in parts themselves protected as "flowing waters with flooded aquatic vegetation". Also the high herb fields and strips of floodplain forest along the banks are protected as FFH-
habitat type
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physica ...
. In addition, numerous other habitat types can be found on the adjacent meadows and valley slopes.
See also
*
List of rivers of Baden-Württemberg
A list of rivers of Baden-Württemberg, Germany:
A
* Aal
* Aalbach
* Aalenbach
* Ablach
* Ach
*Acher
* Adelbach
*Aich
* Aid
* Aischbach, tributary of the Kinzig
* Aischbach, tributary of the Körsch
*Aitrach, tributary of the Danube
*Aitrach, tr ...
References
{{Reflist
Rivers of Baden-Württemberg
Rivers of Germany