The Samina (also: Saminabach) is a

whitewater Whitewater forms in a rapid context, in particular, when a river's gradient changes enough to generate so much turbulence that air is trapped within the water. This forms an unstable current that froths, making the water appear opaque and ...

river of

Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constitutional monarchy ...

and

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

. It is a tributary of the

Ill ILL may refer to: * '' I Love Lucy'', a landmark American television sitcom * Illorsuit Heliport (location identifier: ILL), a heliport in Illorsuit, Greenland * Institut Laue–Langevin, an internationally financed scientific facility * Interlibra ...

. The Samina originates in Liechtenstein. In the course of time, it formed the (Samina Valley), the most western valley of

Rätikon The Rätikon is a mountain range of the Central Eastern Alps, located at the border between Vorarlberg, Liechtenstein and Graubünden. It is the geological border between the Eastern and Western Alps and stretches from the Montafon as far as t ...

and side valley of the . The Saminatal makes up to one third of the territory of Liechtenstein. It has a length of approximately (Liechtenstein: (including its source rivulets, the 2nd longest river of the

principality A principality (or sometimes princedom) can either be a monarchical feudatory or a sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a regnant-monarch with the title of prince and/or princess, or by a monarch with another title considered to fall under ...

), Austria: ).

Source and course

The Samina comes into existence at ''Ölersegg'' (meeting point of

Triesenberg Triesenberg is a municipality in Liechtenstein with a population of 2,636. Its area of makes it the largest municipality in Liechtenstein. The center of the municipality rests at an elevation of . History Triesenberg is noted for its distinct di ...

, an exclave of

Schaan Schaan () is the largest municipality of Liechtenstein by population. It is located to the north of Vaduz, the capital, in the central part of the country. it has a population of 6,039 making it the most populous administrative district in Lie ...

(Brandegg) and an exclave of

Balzers Balzers is a village located in southern Liechtenstein. As of 2019, the village had a total population of 4,642. The main part of the village is situated along the east bank of the Rhine. History and culture Historically, the present-day form of ...

), where the rivers ''Stägerbach'' and ''Valorschbach'' merge. They flow from south to north through the eastern part of Liechtenstein, the Saminatal, and then cross the border to Austria. In the community aera of

Frastanz Frastanz is a market town in the district of Feldkirch in the westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg. In former times it was known for its production of tobacco. Geography Frastanz is located 510 meters above sea level. It is 32.25 km2 in ...

the river merges with the Ill.

Use

The water is intensively used for electricity production as well as for drinking water supply for the communities of Liechtenstein. The Samina possesses A to B grade quality and sportsmen value the river for

rafting Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...

Liechtenstein

In general the Saminatal is not very populated or exploited, therefore its wildlife is almost untouched. Many endangered animals and plants exist there. There is one hydro-electric power station at Samina, which from 2011 to 2015 was transformed into a pumped-storage power station. The pump-storage reservoir has to always leave some water to the river, the amounts fixed by the Liechtenstein law for protection of water. There are measures taken to ensure the ecological conditions of the river. Nonetheless there is critique from ecologists, that these amounts are by far not enough to protect the wildlife in the river.

Austria

At the lower course the run three power plants. The Austrian part of Samina is a popular destination for rafting. In the middle part of the valley, around the border of Liechtenstein and Austria, there is the European Union nature protection area Spirkenwälder Saminatal.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Samina (River) Rivers of Liechtenstein Rivers of Vorarlberg International rivers of Europe Rivers of Austria