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The Linth (pronounced "lint") is a
Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...
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 ...
that rises near the village of Linthal in the mountains of the
canton of Glarus The canton of Glarus (german: Kanton Glarus rm, Chantun Glaruna; french: Canton de Glaris; it, Canton Glarona) is a canton in east central Switzerland. The capital is Glarus. The population speaks a variety of Alemannic German. The majority of ...
, and eventually flows into the Obersee section of
Lake Zurich __NOTOC__ Lake Zurich ( Swiss German/Alemannic: ''Zürisee''; German: ''Zürichsee''; rm, Lai da Turitg) is a lake in Switzerland, extending southeast of the city of Zürich. Depending on the context, Lake Zurich or ''Zürichsee'' can be used to ...
. It is about in length. The water power of the Linth was a main factor in the creation of the textile industry of the canton Glarus, and is today used to drive the
Linth–Limmern power stations The Linth–Limmern Power Stations are a system of hydroelectric power stations located south of Linthal in the canton of Glarus, Switzerland. The system uses five reservoirs and four power stations at steep variations in altitude. Works on the c ...
in its upper reaches. The river and its upper valley forms the boundary between the mountain ranges of the
Glarus Alps The Glarus Alps (german: Glarner Alpen) are a mountain range in central Switzerland. They are bordered by the Uri Alps and the Schwyz Alps to the west, the Lepontine Alps to the south, the Appenzell Alps to the northeast. The eastern part of th ...
, to its east and south, and the
Schwyzer Alps The Schwyz Alps (german: Schwyzer Alpen) are a mountain range in Switzerland. They form part of the North-Eastern Swiss Alps and are bordered by the Glarus Alps to the east, the Appenzell Alps to the north-east, the Emmental Alps in the west, and ...
, to its west.


Course of the river

The river rises to the south-west of the village of Linthal, at the foot the Tödi mountain (elevation ). It collects the water from several glaciers, including the
Clariden Glacier The Clariden is a mountain in the Glarus Alps, located at an elevation of between the Swiss cantons of Uri and Glarus. While on the north the Clariden overlooks the high Klausen Pass, the south side is covered by large glaciers. The Hüfifirn ...
and the
Biferten Glacier The Biferten Glacier (german: Bifertenfirn) is a glacier (2005) situated in the Glarus Alps in the canton of Glarus in Switzerland. In 1973 it had an area of . The glacier is located east of the Tödi. See also *List of glaciers in Switzerland ...
, as well as various tributary streams, including the ''Oberstafelbach'', the ''Bifertenbach'', the ''Sandbach'', the ''Walenbach'' and the ''Limmerenbach''. The last of these is dammed to create the
Limmerensee Limmernsee (or Limmerensee) is a reservoir in the Canton of Glarus, Switzerland, between the peaks of Muttenchopf (2,482 m), Selbsanft (2,950 m) and Kistenstöckli (2,746 m). It may be reached by aerial tramway or by foot from Linthal. The L ...
, a part of the Linth–Limmern hydro-electric scheme. The river then flows north to the village of Linthal, the highest significant settlement on the river, and onwards through the
canton of Glarus The canton of Glarus (german: Kanton Glarus rm, Chantun Glaruna; french: Canton de Glaris; it, Canton Glarona) is a canton in east central Switzerland. The capital is Glarus. The population speaks a variety of Alemannic German. The majority of ...
villages of Rüti,
Betschwanden Betschwanden is a village, and former municipality, in the municipality of Glarus Süd and canton of Glarus in Switzerland. History Betschwanden is first recorded in 1240 in the phrase ''in Beswando''. Until 1395, Betschwanden was obliged to p ...
, Diesbach,
Hätzingen Hätzingen is a village, and former municipality, in the municipality of Glarus Süd and canton of Glarus in Switzerland. History Hätzingen is first recorded in 1350 as ''Hezzinge(n)''. In 2004, the municipality of Hätzingen was merged int ...
,
Luchsingen Luchsingen is a village, and former municipality, in the municipality of Glarus Süd and canton of Glarus in Switzerland. History Luchsingen is first mentioned in 1274 as ''Luchsingen''. In 2004 the former municipalities of Hätzingen and Dies ...
,
Leuggelbach Leuggelbach is a village, and former municipality, in the municipality of Glarus Süd and canton of Glarus in Switzerland. History Leuggelbach is first mentioned in 1350 as ''Löckelbach''. Several factories opened in the 19th century, includ ...
, Haslen,
Nidfurn Nidfurn is a village, and former municipality, in the municipality of Glarus Süd and canton of Glarus in Switzerland. History Nidfurn is first mentioned in 1289 as ''Nitfúre''. Nidfurn belonged to Säckingen Abbey until 1395. During the mid ...
and Schwanden. In Schwanden, the Linth is joined by one of its principal tributaries, the
Sernf The Sernftal or ''Kleintal'' is an alpine valley within Glarus Süd, in the canton of Glarus, Switzerland. It is formed by the Sernf, a right tributary of the Linth. Situated in the Sernftal are the villages of Elm (977 m) and Engi (812 m). T ...
, which drains the south-eastern part of the canton of Glarus. From Schwanden, the river continues to flow north through the villages of
Mitlödi Mitlödi is a village, and former municipality, in the municipality of Glarus Süd and canton of Glarus in Switzerland. History Mitlödi is first mentioned in 1320 as ''Mitlodi''. The coat of arms was officially adopted in 1939. It displays a s ...
and
Ennenda Ennenda is a former Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Glarus (canton), Glarus in Switzerland. Effective from 1 January 2011, Ennenda is part of the municipality of Glarus. History Ennenda is first ...
and the town of Glarus before reaching the village of
Netstal Netstal is a former municipality in the canton of Glarus in Switzerland. Effective from 1 January 2011, Netstal is part of the municipality of Glarus. History Netstal is first mentioned in 1289 as ''Netstal''. Geography Netstal has an area, , o ...
. In Netstal, the Linth is joined by the Löntsch, which drains the
Klöntalersee Klöntalersee is a natural lake in the canton of Glarus, Switzerland and covers the major part of the valley floor. Since 1908, it has been used as a reservoir for electricity production. The dam's construction substantially increased the lake's ...
. The Linth then flows between the villages
Näfels Näfels is a former municipality in the canton of Glarus in Switzerland. Effective from 1 January 2011, Näfels is part of the municipality of Glarus Nord. History Näfels is first mentioned in 1240 as ''Nevels''. In 1388, the Swiss Confederate ...
and
Mollis Mollis is a former municipality in the canton of Glarus in Switzerland. Effective from 1 January 2011, Mollis is part of the municipality of Glarus Nord. History Mollis is first mentioned in 1288. Geography Mollis has an area, , of . Of this ...
, from where it formerly flowed in a northerly direction to a confluence with its tributary outfall from
Lake Walen The Walensee, also known as ''Lake Walen'' or ''Lake Walenstadt'' from Walenstadt, is one of the larger lakes in Switzerland, with about two thirds of its area in the Canton of St. Gallen and about one third in the Canton of Glarus. Other towns ...
(Walensee) on the Linth Plain, and then across that plain in a westerly direction to its mouth at the head of the Obersee section of
Lake Zurich __NOTOC__ Lake Zurich ( Swiss German/Alemannic: ''Zürisee''; German: ''Zürichsee''; rm, Lai da Turitg) is a lake in Switzerland, extending southeast of the city of Zürich. Depending on the context, Lake Zurich or ''Zürichsee'' can be used to ...
. As a result of the river regulation works (see below), the river is today diverted down an artificial channel in an easterly direction into Lake Walen. Another artificial channel (the Linth Channel) then takes the outfall of Lake Walen at Weesen and flows west through the Linth Plain and into the Obersee.


River regulation of the Linth

The taming of the Linth (german: Linthkorrektur) from 1807 to 1823 was one of the great engineering feats of the early 19th century, the earliest project of such a size undertaken by the new Swiss state, and a great example of solidarity in early Switzerland. In the second half of the 18th century, the situation of the population in the lower Glarus valley, the Linth Plain and around Lake Walen, was pretty disastrous: cutting down the woods of the Glarus valley during early industrialization led to more and more gravel coming down with the yearly spring high water which was deposited at the joining of Linth and Maag, the outflow of the Lake Walen, in the plain between Lake Walen and Lake Zurich. This caused frequent floodings and backing up of water which made the level of Lake Walen rise several meters and turned the whole countryside into swamps. Agriculture became more and more difficult, the poverty increased, and diseases like
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...
and
malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...
were rampant. The
statesman A statesman or stateswoman typically is a politician who has had a long and respected political career at the national or international level. Statesman or Statesmen may also refer to: Newspapers United States * ''The Statesman'' (Oregon), a n ...
,
scientist A scientist is a person who conducts Scientific method, scientific research to advance knowledge in an Branches of science, area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, ...
,
painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...
and
manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...
Conrad Escher (later named "von der Linth") from Zurich developed and executed the plan of channeling the Linth into Lake Walen, where the gravel could be deposited without damage. A second channel, the Linth Channel, connected the lakes of Walen and Zurich, replacing the former Maag. The river regulation put an end to the floodings, lowered the level of Lake Walen by some 5.4 meters which greatly improved living conditions for the population, and dried up the swamps, resulting in 20 km2
arable land Arable land (from the la, arabilis, "able to be ploughed") is any land capable of being ploughed and used to grow crops.''Oxford English Dictionary'', "arable, ''adj''. and ''n.''" Oxford University Press (Oxford), 2013. Alternatively, for the ...
in the Linth plain.


References


External links

*
Doctoral Thesis of Daniel Speich, ETH Zurich (German)


* ttps://maps.google.com/maps?ll=46.983032,9.009476&spn=0.312458,0.481407&t=k&hl=en the Linth valley on Google Maps {{Authority control Rivers of Switzerland Rivers of the canton of Glarus Rivers of the canton of St. Gallen Rivers of the canton of Schwyz Tributaries of Lake Zurich Glarus–St. Gallen border Schwyz–St. Gallen border