The Isenach is a left
tributary
A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drai ...
of the
Rhine
), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source1_coordinates=
, source1_elevation =
, source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein
, source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source2_coordinates=
, so ...
in the northeastern
Palatine
A palatine or palatinus (in Latin; plural ''palatini''; cf. derivative spellings below) is a high-level official attached to imperial or royal courts in Europe since Roman times. region of
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 ...
. It is nearly long.
Course
The Isenach rises in the northern
Palatinate Forest, southwest of
Carlsberg Hertlingshausen. Its source in the
Diemerstein Forest on the southeast flank of a
saddle
The saddle is a supportive structure for a rider of an animal, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. The most common type is equestrian. However, specialized saddles have been created for oxen, camels and other animals. It is not k ...
between the peaks Krummes Eck, elevation , and
Hohe Bühl, elevation , is marked with
Ritterstein number 277, with the inscription "Isenach source". The first of the river flow in a southeasterly direction. After the Isenach passes the
Isenachweiher reservoir, it flows east through a valley it shares with Bundesstraße 37,
Kaiserslautern-
Bad Dürkheim
Bad Dürkheim () is a spa town in the Rhine-Neckar urban agglomeration, and is the seat of the Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
Geography
Location
Bad Dürkheim lies at the edge of Palatinate Forest on the German Win ...
.
In Bad Dürkheim, the Isenach breaks through the
Haardt, the eastern edge of the Palatinate Forest, and enters the hills flanking the
German Wine Road. It the flows northeast through 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 ...
. Between
Lambsheim
Lambsheim is a municipality in the Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' Lambsheim-Heßheim.
Geography
Lambsheim is situated approximately 6 km southwest of Frankenthal, and 11 ...
and the
Frankenthal
Frankenthal (Pfalz) ( pfl, Frongedahl) is a town in southwestern Germany, in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate.
History
Frankenthal was first mentioned in 772. In 1119 an Augustinian monastery was built here, the ruins of which — known, af ...
district of Eppstein, the Isenach is joined by the
Floßbach from the right.
In the city of Frankenthal, the Isenach turns northwards. It is then joined by the Fuchsbach from the left. It then flows through the suburb of Mörsch, where the Isenach is known as the ''Mörschbach'', before passing through the southeast of
Bobenheim-Roxheim
Bobenheim-Roxheim is a municipality in the Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated approximately 5 km south of Worms, and 13 km northwest of Ludwigshafen. It is mentioned in the Wormser wall-building ordinance ...
into a loop of the Roxheimer Altrhein (Old Rhine) known as the Silbersee (Roxheim), and finally discharges into the
Upper Rhine
The Upper Rhine (german: Oberrhein ; french: Rhin Supérieur) is the section of the Rhine between Basel in Switzerland and Bingen in Germany, surrounded by the Upper Rhine Plain. The river is marked by Rhine-kilometres 170 to 529 (the ...
south of
Worms Worms may refer to:
*Worm, an invertebrate animal with a tube-like body and no limbs
Places
*Worms, Germany
Worms () is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, situated on the Upper Rhine about south-southwest of Frankfurt am Main. It had ...
.
History
Isenachweiher
A dam was constructed in the Isenach in 1736–37 at about from the source, forming a reservoir named the Isenachweiher. The aim was to ensure an even flow of the river. This was necessary because until 1850 the pumps of the Bad Dürkheim Salt Works (also built in 1736) were operated using the Isenach as a source of water power. The dam also ensured the water supply of a
water wheel
A water wheel is a machine for converting the energy of flowing or falling water into useful forms of power, often in a watermill. A water wheel consists of a wheel (usually constructed from wood or metal), with a number of blades or bucket ...
below the
dam
A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...
. The dam was renovated and restored in the mid-1980s.
Raising the river
In the mid-18th century a mill was constructed as Lambsheim, the . In order to provide this mill with a stronger gradient, the stream bed above the mill with raised by over a length of about , and some of the river's water was diverted into a new mill channel. However, the combination of this situation and a later straightening of the Isenach further upstream, caused floods in Lambsheim whenever it rained heavily. In 2008, after more than 250 years, the raising of the riverbed was reverted and the stream was restored to its old riverbed. The dirt excavated from the old riverbed contained naturally occurring
arsenic
Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As and atomic number 33. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in combination with sulfur and metals, but also as a pure elemental crystal. Arsenic is a metalloid. It has various allotropes, ...
and had to be treated as chemical waste. The mill channel was considered
industrial heritage
Industrial heritage refers to the physical remains of the history of technology and industry, such as manufacturing and mining sites, as well as power and transportation infrastructure. Another definition expands this scope so that the term a ...
and was preserved. Water is continuously pumped into the channel to prevent it from falling dry. The total cost of the restautation project was ; the state of Rhineland-Palatinate contributed over .
Diversion
Until the 1780s, the Isenach flowed from the southern edge of Frankenthal to the east. However, when the city of Frankenthal had dug its ("Canal Harbour"), the Isenach and the Fuchsbach were diverted to fill it. For more than a century and a half, the Isenach flowed via the Frankenthal Canal into the Rhine. It 1944, however, the canal had to be closed due to severe bomb damage. The Isenach was diverted further north, to its current mouth, which is about from its original confluence with the Rhine.
Swimming pool
The first public swimming facility in the town of Frankenthal was a pond-like widening of the Isenach, just outside the southern edge of the city, near the Post Bridge. It was operated until the Frankenthal
lido
Lido may refer to:
Geography Africa
* Lido, a district in the city of Fez, Morocco
Asia
* Lido, an area in Chaoyang District, Beijing
* Lido, a cinema theater in Siam Square shopping area in Bangkok
* Lido City, a resort in West Java owned by MN ...
was opened in the east of the city in 1934.
Gallery
File: Isenachweiher, Kahnpartie 043.jpg , Isenachweiher reservoir
File: Isenachweiher mit Blockhaus zur Isenach 007.jpg , Forest guest house on the Isenach
File: Hardenburg (Hof).jpg , Ruins of the castle Hardenburg
File: Limburg.jpg , Ruins of Limburg Abbey
Sights
''Isenachweiher'' – At the spot where once the house of the keeper stood, who had to supervise the reservoir, there is now a spacious forest guest house, built as a
log cabin. Row boats can be rented here.
''Iron Mill'' – The guest house , below the Isenachweiher dam still contains part of the Iron Mill, which was driven by water from the Isenach.
''Castle and Abbey'' – Just before the Isenach breaks through the eastern edge of the Palatinate Forest, the ruins of two medieval buildings can be seen above Dürkheim valley: the castle
Hardenburg and
Limburg Abbey. The castle was owned by the noble Leiningen family; the abbey was founded by Emperor
Conrad II.
''
Graduation tower
A graduation tower (occasionally referred to as a thorn house) is a structure used in the production of salt which removes water from a saline solution by evaporation, increasing its concentration of mineral salts. The tower consists of a wood ...
'' – The graduation tower Bad Dürkheim produced medicinal salts, until it was destroyed by arson attacks in 1992 and 2007. Rebuilding the plant is expected to begin in 2009.
''Frankenthal Canal'' – The
Frankenthal Canal used to be the lower of the Isenach. After the canal was abandoned, most of it was filled in 22 years later in 1966, except for the old
lock
Lock(s) may refer to:
Common meanings
*Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance
*Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal
Arts and entertainment
* ''Lock ...
, which was expanded to a
retention basin
A retention basin, sometimes called a wet pond, wet detention basin, or stormwater management pond (SWMP), is an artificial pond with vegetation around the perimeter and a permanent pool of water in its design. It is used to manage stormwater r ...
in the second half of the 20th century.
Celtic and Roman finds
On the left of the Dürkheim valley, there are several ancient sights:
* the , a
Celtic hill fort
A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post-Roma ...
from about 500 BCE
* the , a quarry dating back to
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
times
* the
Teufelsstein, a
monolith
A monolith is a geological feature consisting of a single massive stone or rock, such as some mountains. For instance, Savandurga mountain is a monolith mountain in India. Erosion usually exposes the geological formations, which are often ma ...
which was used in religious rites during the Celtic period.
Image: Heidenmauer.JPG , Celtic ring wall
Image: Kriem.JPG , Roman quarry
Image: Bad Dürkheimer Gradierwerk 21-04-2005.jpg , Graduation tower
A graduation tower (occasionally referred to as a thorn house) is a structure used in the production of salt which removes water from a saline solution by evaporation, increasing its concentration of mineral salts. The tower consists of a wood ...
Bad Dürkheim
Image: Ftkanal.JPG , Former lock of Frankenthal Canal
Economy
The Isenach is still important as a source of water for the paper manufacturing industry in the Dürkheim valley. For a long time, sewage water was fed back into the stream untreated. This cause the water of the river to be coloured brown, giving it the nickname "Cola Brook". Today, sewage is properly treated before being allowed back into the river. Some of the damage done to the environment in the past, however, has not been put right, yet. The ("Structure and Planning Directorate South") in
Neustadt an der Weinstrasse Neustadt (German for ''new town'' or ''new city'') may refer to:
Places
* Neustadt (urban district)
Czech Republic
*Neustadt an der Mettau, Nové Město nad Metují
*Neustadt an der Tafelfichte, Nové Město pod Smrkem
*Nové Město na Mora ...
has started a "Pilot Project Isenach",
SGD Süd: ''Pilotprojekt Isenach''
which aims at restoring the natural state of the Isenach. On a municipal level, the Isenbach is a responsibility of the ("Water District Isenach Eckbach"), which is subordinate to the Landkreis Bad Dürkheim
In all German states, except for the three city states, the primary administrative subdivision higher than a ''Gemeinde'' (municipality) is the (official term in all but two states) or (official term in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia a ...
.
See also
*List of rivers of Rhineland-Palatinate
A list of rivers of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany:
A
* Aar
* Adenauer Bach
* Ahr
* Alf
* Alfbach
*Appelbach
*Asdorf
* Aubach
B
* Birzenbach
*Blattbach
* Breitenbach
* Brexbach
* Brohlbach, tributary of the Moselle
* Brohlbach, tributary of the ...
Footnotes
External links
Water management master plan for the catchment area of Isenach and Eckbach
{{Authority control
Rivers of Rhineland-Palatinate
Palatinate Forest
Rivers and lakes of the Palatinate Forest
Anterior Palatinate
Rivers of Germany