The Krems is a river in
Waldviertel
The (Forest Quarter; Central Bavarian: ) is the northwestern region of the northeast Austrian state of Lower Austria. It is bounded to the south by the Danube, to the southwest by Upper Austria, to the northwest and the north by the Czech Repu ...
in northern
Lower Austria
Lower Austria (german: Niederösterreich; Austro-Bavarian: ''Niedaöstareich'', ''Niedaestareich'') is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Since 1986, the capital of Lower Austria has been Sankt P ...
. Its
drainage basin
A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, t ...
is .
There are actually two rivers: the so-called "Große Krems" (Greater Krems), denoting either the whole river system or the main tributary only, and the smaller one called "Kleine Krems" (Lesser Krems). The Krems originally flowed into the
Danube
The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...
by
Krems an der Donau
Krems an der Donau () is a town of 23,992 inhabitants in Austria, in the federal state of Lower Austria. It is the fifth-largest city of Lower Austria and is approximately west of Vienna. Krems is a city with its own statute (or '' Statutarstad ...
, but when the Danube was built at (part of
Kirchberg am Wagram
Kirchberg am Wagram is a municipality in the district of Tulln in the Austrian state of Lower Austria
Lower Austria (german: Niederösterreich; Austro-Bavarian: ''Niedaöstareich'', ''Niedaestareich'') is one of the nine states of Austria, locate ...
), the mouth of the river — together with that of the
Kamp — was moved to Altenwörth.
In the upper course both rivers flow through the rough granite landscape of the Waldviertel; important places are at the Große Krems, and
Kottes-Purk at the Kleine Krems. The Krems is the backbone of the wine region of
Kremstal Kremstal is an Austrian wine region. Downstream of the Wachau
The Wachau () is an Austrian valley with a picturesque landscape formed by the Danube river. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations of Lower Austria, located midway be ...
, it passes
Senftenberg
Senftenberg ( wen, Zły Komorow) is a town in Lower Lusatia, Brandenburg, Germany, capital of the Oberspreewald-Lausitz district.
Geography
Senftenberg is located in the southwest of the historic Lower Lusatia region at the border with Saxony. It ...
and the ruins of
Lengenfeld
Lengenfeld is a town in the Vogtlandkreis district, in the Free State of Saxony in eastern Germany. The town is situated 19 km southwest of Zwickau, and 18 km northeast of Plauen.
History
During World War II, in the town, Germany op ...
, and after emerging from the
granite and gneiss plateau (part of the
Bohemian Massif
The Bohemian Massif ( cs, Česká vysočina or ''Český masiv'', german: Böhmische Masse or ''Böhmisches Massiv'') is a geomorphological province in Central Europe. It is a large massif stretching over most of the Czech Republic, eastern Germ ...
), it flows through the
Tulln Basin The Tulln Basin (german: Tullnerfeld) is a sedimentary basin north to the Eastern Alps, thrown up by the river Danube.
Geography
The fairly level area is a fertile alluvial plain and has the shape of a spindle, over an area of by . The Danube ent ...
near Krems.
Beneath the castle
Burg Hartenstein, at the confluence of the headstreams, is the
Gudenus cave
The Gudenus cave (german: Gudenushöhle) is an archaeological site near the city of Krems in north-eastern Austria. It is noted for its fossils and remains of Palaeolithic human settlers.
Description
The Gudenus cavern is situated northwest of ...
by the riverbank, which was inhabited in the
Stone Age
The Stone Age was a broad prehistoric period during which stone was widely used to make tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years, and ended between 4,000 BC and 2,000 BC, with t ...
.
See also
*
Krems (Upper Austria)
The Krems is an approximately tributary of the Traun in Upper Austria.
It originates at the foot of the mountain in Micheldorf, runs northwards in the Traunviertel through the Upper Austrian Prealps, and flows into the Traun in , a district ...
References
External links
*
Rivers of Lower Austria
Rivers of Austria
{{LowerAustria-geo-stub