![Worms- Pfrimm- im Karl-Bittel-Park 29](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/Worms-_Pfrimm-_im_Karl-Bittel-Park_29.5.2010.jpg)
The Pfrimm is a , left or western
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 drainage ...
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
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 ...
(
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 ...
).
Course
The Pfrimm rises in the southern part of the
Donnersbergkreis
The Donnersbergkreis is a district (''Kreis'') in the middle of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Neighboring districts are Bad Kreuznach, Alzey-Worms, Bad Dürkheim, Kaiserslautern, Kusel.
History
The district was created in 1969 by merging the dis ...
. Its
spring
Spring(s) may refer to:
Common uses
* Spring (season)
Spring, also known as springtime, is one of the four temperate seasons, succeeding winter and preceding summer. There are various technical definitions of spring, but local usage of ...
lies in the northern part of the
Palatinate Forest Nature Park
The Palatinate Forest Nature Park (german: Naturpark Pfälzerwald) lies in the south of Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany and borders on France. The nature park covers an area of and some 76% of its area is under the woods of the Palatinate For ...
, about southeast of the municipality
Sippersfeld
Sippersfeld is a municipality in the Donnersbergkreis district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe ...
in the
protected area
Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...
, which contains several ponds in the area. The spring is in a valley surrounded by the hills ''Sperberhöhe'' () in the east, ''Salweidenkopf'' () in the south and ''Schnepfberg'' () in the southwest. In 1927, the spring was encased in basalt stones. About north of the spring, the Pfrimm river flows through a pond named and subsequently through a pond named . It does not flow thought the nearby pond , which lies nearby to the west.
The Pfrimm flows primarily through agricultural areas, and mostly about parallel to the federal road
B47. The upper part of the river drains the northern parts of the
North Palatine Uplands
The North Palatine Uplands (german: Nordpfälzer Bergland), sometimes shortened to Palatine Uplands (''Pfälzer Bergland''), is a low mountain range and landscape unit in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate and belongs mainly to the Palat ...
. Below the ''Sippersfelder Weiher'', it flows to the north, past Pfrimmerhof, which belongs to the municipality of Sippersfeld, then west past the hill and through the village of
Breunigweiler, where the Mohbach joins from the southeast.
After entering the
Alzey Hills The Alzey Hills (german: Alzeyer Hügelland) form a region of low, rolling hills, or '' Hügelland'', 275 km² in area and up to , in Rhenish Hesse in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. From a natural region perspective they are part of ...
, the Pfrimm takes up the ''Bornbach'' and then flows northeastward past
Standenbühl
Standenbühl is a municipality in the Donnersbergkreis district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe ...
, while the
Donnersberg
The Donnersberg ("thunder mountain") is the highest peak of the Palatinate (german: Pfalz) region of Germany. The mountain lies between the towns of Rockenhausen and Kirchheimbolanden, in the Donnersbergkreis district, which is named after the ...
mountains are a few kilometers further northeast. Between Standenbühl and Dreisen, the Münsterhof, the former
Premonstratensian
The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré (), also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines and, in Britain and Ireland, as the White Canons (from the colour of their habit), is a religious order of canons regular of the Catholic Church ...
abbey , is situated on the Pfrimm's southern shore. An old bulging sandstone bridge from 1770 spans the river at this point. Below
Dreisen, the joins from the west. In
Marnheim
Marnheim is a municipality in the Donnersbergkreis district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe aft ...
, the joins, also from the west; at this point the
Pfrimm Viaduct
The Pfrimm Viaduct (german: Pfrimmtalviadukt), colloquially also called the Marnheim Bridge (''Marnheimer Brücke''), was a railway bridge near Marnheim in the county of Donnersbergkreis in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It was built ...
used to span the river, until it was demolished in 1945. From here, the Pfrimm flows past
Albisheim
Albisheim is a municipality in the Donnersbergkreis, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is in the middle of the Zellertal.
History
In the year 835 the village is first mentioned in a document. It has been a market town for many years. Also t ...
, then the joins from the northwest. It then flows east to
Harxheim, where the joins from the south.
The Pfrimm continues flowing east, into the
Landkreis
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 ...
Alzey-Worms
Alzey-Worms () is a district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by (from the east and clockwise) the district Groß-Gerau (Hesse), the city of Worms and the districts of Bad Dürkheim, Donnersbergkreis, Bad Kreuznach and Mainz-Binge ...
and thereby into
Rhenish Hesse
Rhenish Hesse or Rhine HesseDickinson, Robert E (1964). ''Germany: A regional and economic geography'' (2nd ed.). London: Methuen, p. 542. . (german: Rheinhessen) is a region and a former government district () in the German state of Rhineland- ...
. It flows via
Wachenheim
Wachenheim an der Weinstraße (formerly called ''Wachenheim im Speyergau'') is a small town in the Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, roughly 1 km south of Bad Dürkheim and 20 km west of Ludwigshafen. It is known ...
to
Monsheim
Monsheim is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
Geography
Location
Monsheim lies in the southern Wonne ...
, where it crosses under federal road
B121. The section between Marnheim and Monsheim is known as the
Zellertal valley. Within the municipality Monsheim, the Pfrimm largely forms the boundary between the wards Monsheim and .
The Pfrimm then reaches the urban district 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 ...
. It flows through the western ward of
Pfeddersheim, where in 1525 the
Battle of Pfeddersheim
The Battle of Pfeddersheim (german: Schlacht bei Pfeddersheim) was a battle during the German Peasants' War that took place in June 1525 near Pfeddersheim. The peasants of the Palatinate region had previously joined the uprising in southwest Germ ...
took place. To the west of the village, we find the recreational area and the first of two so-called ''ox pianos'' (river crossings, see
below). The Pfrimm then crosses under the high and long bridge of the
Autobahn
The (; German plural ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official German term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track'. ...
A61.
The Pfrimm then flows through the city of Worms itself. This is the most straightened and canalized section of the river. It follows the (also known as the ), which was constructed in the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
and raised in 1841 as part of a Pfrimm improvement project. A footpath runs on top of the dam alongside the river since 1890. The Pfrimm flows through the long pond and into the (also known as ''Pfrimmpark''), where the other "ox piano" can be found.
The Pfrimm then flows through the city center of Worms and turns north-northeast. It crosses under the federal highway
B9 and the . About north of the city center, it flows 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 sc ...
at Rhine kilometer 446.7. The
Rhine
), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source1_coordinates=
, source1_elevation =
, source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein
, source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source2_coordinates=
, so ...
also forms the Worms city limit and the boundary between the states 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 ...
and
Hesse
Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major histor ...
.
Discharge
In some years, the Pfrimm causes major flooding, for example in 1882, 1892, 1902, 1940, 1950, 1978, 1995 and 2003. A particularly high flood occurred on 27 November 1882, when all the mills along the river were flooded and the fields along the river were transformed into a series of lakes. The water flowed into street in the district of , north of the
Worms Central Station
Worms Hauptbahnhof is, along with ''Worms Pfeddersheim'' station, one of two operational passenger stations in the Rhenish Hesse city of Worms, Germany. The station with its pedestrian underpass is also an essential link between the eastern and th ...
. The water flowed into the Rhine near the Church.
Ox pianos
Between Pfiffligheim and Hochheim
In the late 19th century, and were independent municipalities; they are now boroughs of Worms. A
weir
A weir or low head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the river level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...
was constructed across the Pfrimm in the 1890s slightly above the modern Karl-Bittel-Park. Directly below the weir a series of stepping stones was deployed below the weir in 1898. It is a combination of stone stairs leading down to Pfrimm steps and stepping stones lying in the river allowing pedestrians to cross. In the local vernacular it was called an "ox piano": "ox", because Karl Bittel, who constructed it, claimed even an ox would be capable of crossing, and "piano" because the stones were raised above the water like the black keys on a piano.
Later a regular
footbridge
A footbridge (also a pedestrian bridge, pedestrian overpass, or pedestrian overcrossing) is a bridge designed solely for pedestrians.''Oxford English Dictionary'' While the primary meaning for a bridge is a structure which links "two points at a ...
was built above the weir, so that the ox piano lost its importance. Nevertheless, the stones are still there and when the water level isn't too high, it can still be crossed.
Also, a
fish ladder
A fish ladder, also known as a fishway, fish pass, fish steps, or fish cannon is a structure on or around artificial and natural barriers (such as dams, locks and waterfalls) to facilitate diadromous fishes' natural migration as well as move ...
was added, allowing fish to overcome the weir.
In Pfeddersheim
A much older ox piano could be found in the western part of in Pfeddersheimer, approximately in the middle of the . Here, a concrete dam and a weir were used to hold back the water and divert it into the (now abandoned) ''Mühlbach'' ("Mill Brook"). Water not needed by the mill was drained using an adjustable weir or, at higher water levels, across the entire width of the concrete barrier. Here, too, and "ox piano" was constructed, allowing pedestrians to cross the Pfrimm with dry feet, if the water level permitted. The Mill Brook was about a meter deep, near the weir even over two meters, and was used by local residents for swimming and diving, as was the waterfall created by the weir.
Traffic
The Pfrimm is classified as a water body of the second category and can only be navigated in a
canoe
A canoe is a lightweight narrow water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using a single-bladed paddle.
In British English, the term ...
or a
kayak
A kayak is a small, narrow watercraft which is typically propelled by means of a double-bladed paddle. The word kayak originates from the Greenlandic word ''qajaq'' ().
The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each se ...
.
Many
state roads run through the Pfrimm valley and cross the river. The federal road
B47 run parallel to the river. At Monsheim, the river passes under
B271. The
Autobahn
The (; German plural ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official German term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track'. ...
A63 accompanies the upper reaches of the Pfrimm from Standenbühl to Marnheim. East of Pfeddersheim, the
A61 crosses the river. Near the mouth, the Pfrimm is crossed by the federal highway
B9.
The
Zeller Valley Railway, a regional branch line, serves the Pfrimm valley.
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 ...
External links
Heimatverein Worms-Pfiffligheim: Origin of the "ox piano" between Pfiffligheim and Hochheim
{{Authority control
Rivers of Rhineland-Palatinate
North Palatinate
Rivers of Germany