Schwarzbach (lit. "black stream") is a river of the

Canton of Zürich The canton of Zürich (german: Kanton Zürich ; rm, Chantun Turitg; french: Canton de Zurich; it, Canton Zurigo) is a Swiss canton in the northeastern part of the country. With a population of (as of ), it is the most populous canton in the ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, and of

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...

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 ...

. It is a left tributary of the

Klingengraben Klingengraben is a river of the Canton of Schaffhausen, northern Switzerland and Baden-Württemberg, south-western Germany. It passes through Klettgau and flows into the Wutach in Lauchringen. See also *List of rivers of Baden-Württemberg A ...

Geography

Schwarzbach has its origin in the southern range of hills that separates

Klettgau Klettgau (High Alemannic: ''Chleggau'') is a municipality in the district of Waldshut in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is the centre of the ''Klettgau'' historical region stretching across the Swiss border into the cantons of Aargau, Schaffhau ...

from the

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...

. Its headwaters lie approximately two kilometers northwest of the municipality of

Rafz Rafz is a municipality in the district of Bülach in the northwest of the canton of Zürich in Switzerland. Rafz was first mentioned in 1413 as ''Rafsa''. Geography Rafz has an area of . Of this area, 52% is used for agricultural purposes, wh ...

in Switzerland and one kilometer east of the village Berwangen in Dettighofen, Germany. South of Dettighofen, the river forms a short section of the

Germany–Switzerland border The border between the modern states of Germany and Switzerland extends to , mostly following the High Rhine between Lake Constance and Basel. Much of the border is within the sphere of the Zurich metropolitan area and there is substantial tr ...

. After about four kilometers the Schwarzbach runs entirely on German territory, passing the villages Bühl and Riedern am Sand, and leaving its valley near Riedern am Sand to flow across the plain of Klettgau. Shortly after it enters the plain, roughly halfway through its course, the creek Seegraben flows into it from the east. Like Schwarzbach, Seegraben also originates along Switzerland's northern border in the southern hills of Klettgau, near the Swiss village of Osterfingen and the valley Wangental. On the plain in Klettgau, the Schwarzbach flows further west with a gentle slope. It flows through the village Grießen and passes Geißlingen further south. Near upper

Lauchringen Lauchringen is a village in the district of Waldshut in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. It is divided in two districts: Oberlauchringen and Unterlauchringen. Geography Lauchringen lies on the Rhine Plain in the lower Klettgau at the foot of ...

, it flows into the Klingengraben from the left with a flow of approximately .Geoportal Baden-Württemberg:
LUBW-Dienst Fließgewässer – Abfluss-Kennwerte
', Stand: 9. Juni 2016

Infrastructure

The main route along the plain of Klettgau is

Bundesstraße ''Bundesstraße'' (German for "federal highway"), abbreviated ''B'', is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways. Germany Germany's ''Bundesstraßen'' network has a total length of about 40,000 km. German ''Bundesstraßen'' ...

34, which accompanies the

Kotbach Kotbach is a small river of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It flows into the Schwarzbach near Dettighofen. See also *List of rivers of Baden-Württemberg A list of rivers of Baden-Württemberg, Germany: A * Aal * Aalbach * Aalenbach * Ablac ...

and Schwarzbach in their lower reaches. From Geißlingen, Landesstraße 163 follows the course of the Schwarzbach and passes through its valley, to finally connect to

Bundesstraße 27 Bundesstraße 27 or B27 is a German federal road. It connects Blankenburg am Harz with Rafz in Switzerland. Route The Bundesstraße 27 crosses the following states and towns (north to south): * Saxony-Anhalt: Blankenburg am Harz * Lower Sax ...

in Jetstetten.

Castles along the stream

The ruins of Burg Neu-Krenkingen, one of the castles of the nobile family of Krenkingen, lie above the stream.

References

Rivers of Baden-Württemberg Rivers of the canton of Zürich Rivers of Switzerland Rivers of Germany Germany–Switzerland border International rivers of Europe Border rivers {{BadenWürttemberg-river-stub