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The Saale (), also known as the Saxon Saale (german: Sächsische Saale) and Thuringian Saale (german: Thüringische Saale), is a river in Germany and a left-bank tributary of the Elbe. It is not to be confused with the smaller
Franconian Saale The Franconian Saale (german: Fränkische Saale) is a 140 km long river in Bavaria, Germany. It is a right-bank tributary of the Main, in Lower Franconia. It should not be confused with the larger Saxon Saale (german: Sächsische Saale), ...
, a right-bank tributary of the
Main Main may refer to: Geography * Main River (disambiguation) **Most commonly the Main (river) in Germany * Main, Iran, a village in Fars Province *"Spanish Main", the Caribbean coasts of mainland Spanish territories in the 16th and 17th centuries ...
, or the
Saale The Saale (), also known as the Saxon Saale (german: Sächsische Saale) and Thuringian Saale (german: Thüringische Saale), is a river in Germany and a left-bank tributary of the Elbe. It is not to be confused with the smaller Franconian Saal ...
in Lower Saxony, a tributary of the
Leine The Leine (; Old Saxon ''Lagina'') is a river in Thuringia and Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a left tributary of the Aller and the Weser and is long. The river's source is located close to the town of Leinefelde in Thuringia. About downriv ...
.


Etymology

The name ''Saale'' comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *''séles'' 'marsh', akin to Welsh ''hêl, heledd'' 'river meadow', Cornish ''heyl'' 'estuary', Greek ''hélos'' 'marsh, meadow', Sanskrit ''sáras'' 'lake, pond', ''Sárasvati'' 'sacred river',
Old Persian Old Persian is one of the two directly attested Old Iranian languages (the other being Avestan language, Avestan) and is the ancestor of Middle Persian (the language of Sasanian Empire). Like other Old Iranian languages, it was known to its native ...
''Harauvati'' ' Hārūt River;
Arachosia Arachosia () is the Hellenized name of an ancient satrapy situated in the eastern parts of the Achaemenid empire. It was centred around the valley of the Arghandab River in modern-day southern Afghanistan, and extended as far east as the In ...
',
Avestan Avestan (), or historically Zend, is an umbrella term for two Old Iranian languages: Old Avestan (spoken in the 2nd millennium BCE) and Younger Avestan (spoken in the 1st millennium BCE). They are known only from their conjoined use as the scri ...
''Haraxvatī'', idem. It may also be related to the Indo-European root *''sal'', "salt". The Slavic name of the Saale, ''Solawa'', still found in Sorbian texts, comes from Old High German ''sol'', "salt", and ''awa'', "water".


Course

The Saale originates on the slope of the Großer Waldstein mountain near
Zell Zell may refer to: Places Austria * Zell am See, in Salzburg state * Zell am Ziller, in Tyrol * Zell, Carinthia, in Carinthia * in Upper Austria: ** Bad Zell ** Zell am Moos ** Zell an der Pram ** Zell am Pettenfirst Germany * Zell im Fich ...
in the
Fichtelgebirge The Fichtel MountainsRandlesome, C. et al. (2011). ''Business Cultures in Europe'', 2nd ed., Routledge, Abingdon and New York, p. 52. . (german: Fichtelgebirge, cs, Smrčiny), form a small horseshoe-shaped mountain range in northeastern Bavari ...
in Upper Franconia (
Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
), at an elevation of . It pursues a winding course in a northern direction, and after passing the manufacturing town of Hof, enters Thuringia. It flows amid well-wooded low mountains of the
Thuringian Forest The Thuringian Forest (''Thüringer Wald'' in German), is a mountain range in the southern parts of the German state of Thuringia, running northwest to southeast. Skirting from its southerly source in foothills to a gorge on its north-west side ...
until it reaches the valley of Saalfeld. After leaving Saalfeld the Saale reaches Rudolstadt. Here it receives the waters of the Schwarza, in whose valley lies the ruined castle of Schwarzburg, the ancestral seat of the formerly ruling House of Schwarzburg. From Saalfeld the Saale enters the limestone hill region north of the Thuringian Forest, and sweeps beneath the hills enclosing the university town of
Jena Jena () is a German city and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 inhabitants, while the city itself has a popu ...
. It enters Saxony-Anhalt and passes the spa of
Bad Kösen Bad Kösen () is a spa town on the Saale river in the small wine-growing region of Saale-Unstrut, Germany. It is a former municipality in the Burgenlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt. Bad Kösen has a population of around 5,300. Since 1 Janua ...
and, after receiving the deep and navigable
Unstrut The Unstrut () is a river in Germany and a left tributary of the Saale. The Unstrut originates in northern Thuringia near Dingelstädt (west of Kefferhausen in the Eichsfeld area) and its catchment area is the whole of the Thuringian Basin. ...
at
Naumburg Naumburg () is a town in (and the administrative capital of) the district Burgenlandkreis, in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, Central Germany. It has a population of around 33,000. The Naumburg Cathedral became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2018 ...
, flows past
Weißenfels Weißenfels (; often written in English as Weissenfels) is the largest town of the Burgenlandkreis district, in southern Saxony-Anhalt, central Germany. It is situated on the river Saale, approximately south of Halle. History Perhaps the fi ...
, Merseburg, Halle,
Bernburg Bernburg (Saale) is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, capital of the Salzlandkreis district. The former residence of the Anhalt-Bernburg princes is known for its Renaissance castle. Geography The town centre is situated in the fertile Magdeburg ...
and
Calbe Calbe (official name: ''Calbe (Saale)'') is a town in the district of Salzlandkreis, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Geography It is situated on the river Saale, approx. north of Bernburg, and southeast of Magdeburg. It is known as Calbe an d ...
. It finally joins the Elbe just above Barby, after traversing a distance of —shortened by a bypass from its natural length of . The Saale is navigable from Naumburg and is also planned connected from Leuna with the White Elster near Leipzig by an unfinished canal. The soil of the lower part of its valley is exceptionally fertile, and produces, amongst other crops, large supplies of
sugar beet A sugar beet is a plant whose root contains a high concentration of sucrose and which is grown commercially for sugar production. In plant breeding, it is known as the Altissima cultivar group of the common beet (''Beta vulgaris''). Together w ...
. Among its tributaries are the White Elster,
Southern Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, M ...
and
Northern Regnitz The Northern Regnitz (german: Nördliche Regnitz) is a river in Bavaria, Germany. It flows into the Saale northwest of Hof. See also *List of rivers of Bavaria A list of rivers of Bavaria, Germany: A * Aalbach *Abens * Ach * Afferbach * A ...
and
Orla Orla may refer to: Places *Orla, Missouri, USA *Orla, Texas, USA *Orla, Jharkhand, India *Orla, Podlaskie Voivodeship (north-east Poland), a village **Gmina Orla, a commune centred on the village *Orla, Krotoszyn County in Greater Poland Voivodesh ...
on the right bank, and the
Ilm Ilm or ILM may refer to: Acronyms * Identity Lifecycle Manager, a Microsoft Server Product * ''I Love Money,'' a TV show on VH1 * Independent Loading Mechanism, a mounting system for CPU sockets * Industrial Light & Magic, an American motion pic ...
, Unstrut, Salza, Wipper and Bode on the left. Its upper course is rapid. Its valley, down to Merseburg, contains many castles which crown the enclosing heights.


Geography

Originating in
Zell Zell may refer to: Places Austria * Zell am See, in Salzburg state * Zell am Ziller, in Tyrol * Zell, Carinthia, in Carinthia * in Upper Austria: ** Bad Zell ** Zell am Moos ** Zell an der Pram ** Zell am Pettenfirst Germany * Zell im Fich ...
, the Saale flows through – SparneckWeißdorf – Seulbitz – Förbau – Schwarzenbach an der Saale – Fattigau – OberkotzauHof – Brunnenthal – Saalenstein – Joditz – Landesgrenze Bayern/Thüringen – Hirschberg
Sparnberg Sparnberg is a village in Thuringia, Germany. It was an independent municipality until 1994, when it became a district of the town Hirschberg.
– Rudolphstein – Blankenberg
Blankenstein Blankenstein is a village and a former municipality in the district Saale-Orla-Kreis, in Thuringia, Germany. Since 1 January 2019, it is part of the municipality Rosenthal am Rennsteig Rosenthal am Rennsteig is a municipality in the district Sa ...
Harra Harra is a village and a former municipality in the district Saale-Orla-Kreis, in Thuringia Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the ...
– Saaldorf –
Saalburg The Saalburg is a Roman fort located on the main ridge of the Taunus, northwest of Bad Homburg, Hesse, Germany. It is a cohort fort, part of the Limes Germanicus, the Roman linear border fortification of the German provinces. The Saalburg, lo ...
– Poeritzsch – Gräfenwarth –
Burgk Burgk is a village and a former municipality in the district Saale-Orla-Kreis, in Thuringia, Germany. Since December 2019, it is part of the town Schleiz Schleiz is a town in the district of Saale-Orla-Kreis in Thuringia, Germany. The form ...
– Walsburg –
Ziegenrück Ziegenrück is a town in the Saale-Orla-Kreis district, in southern Thuringia, Germany. It is situated on the river Saale, 22 km east of Saalfeld, and 35 km south of Jena Jena () is a German city and the second largest city in Thur ...
– Neidenberga –
Hohenwarte Hohenwarte is a municipality in the district Saalfeld-Rudolstadt, in Thuringia, Germany. Geography The municipality is situated in Naturpark Thüringer Schiefergebirge-Obere Saale on the Hohenwarte-Stausee. History Honewarte was first menti ...
EichichtKaulsdorf – Fischersdorf – Weischwitz – Reschwitz – BreternitzSaalfeld – Schwarza – Volkstedt – Rudolstadt – Catharinau – Kolkwitz – Weißen – Uhlstädt – Rückersdorf – Zeutsch – Niederkrossen – OrlamündeFreienorlaGroßeutersdorfKleineutersdorf
Kahla Kahla () is a town in the Saale-Holzland district, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated on the river Saale, 14 km south of Jena. Mayors *1990–2012: Bernd Leube *2012–2018: Claudia Nissen *2018–incumbent: Jan Schönfeld People w ...
Großpürschütz – Jägersdorf – Rothenstein – Maua – Lobeda –
Jena Jena () is a German city and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 inhabitants, while the city itself has a popu ...
– Zwätzen – Porstendorf – DornburgDorndorf-SteudnitzWichmar
Camburg Camburg is a town in the Saale-Holzland district, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated on the river Saale, 18 km northeast of Jena, and 13 km southwest of Naumburg. Since 1 December 2008, it is part of the town Dornburg-Camburg. The ...
– Tümpling –
Großheringen Großheringen is a municipality in the Weimarer Land district of Thuringia Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German stat ...
– Kleinheringen – Landesgrenze Thüringen/Sachsen-Anhalt – Stendorf – Saaleck –
Bad Kösen Bad Kösen () is a spa town on the Saale river in the small wine-growing region of Saale-Unstrut, Germany. It is a former municipality in the Burgenlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt. Bad Kösen has a population of around 5,300. Since 1 Janua ...
Naumburg Naumburg () is a town in (and the administrative capital of) the district Burgenlandkreis, in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, Central Germany. It has a population of around 33,000. The Naumburg Cathedral became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2018 ...
– Schellsitz - Schönburg – Eulau –
Goseck Goseck is a municipality lying on the river Saale, in the Burgenlandkreis district of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. Geography Goseck is located on the north bank of the Saale, about halfway between Naumburg and Weißenfels. The municipal ...
Leißling Leißling (or ''Leissling'') is a village and a former municipality in the Burgenlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 September 2010, it is part of the town Weißenfels. Location Leißling lies south-west of Weißenfels on t ...
– Lobitzsch – Uichteritz – Markweben –
Weißenfels Weißenfels (; often written in English as Weissenfels) is the largest town of the Burgenlandkreis district, in southern Saxony-Anhalt, central Germany. It is situated on the river Saale, approximately south of Halle. History Perhaps the fi ...
– Dehlitz – Schkortleben – Kleinkorbetha – GroßkorbethaOebles-SchlechtewitzWengelsdorf
Bad Dürrenberg Bad Dürrenberg is a spa town in the Saalekreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the river Saale, approx. 8 km southeast of Merseburg. It is known for its graduation tower, the largest one in Germany. Geography The ...
– Kröllwitz – Leuna – Trebnitz – Merseburg – Meuschau – Freiimfelde –
Schkopau Schkopau is a municipality in the Saalekreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Geography It is situated at the confluence of the Saale River with its White Elster and Luppe tributaries, approx. north of Merseburg, and south of Halle. Sc ...
– Korbetha – Hohenweiden – Rockendorf – Holleben – Halle – Kröllwitz – Lettin – Brachwitz – Schiepzig –
Salzmünde Salzmünde is a village and a former municipality in the district Saalekreis, in Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt (german: Sachsen-Anhalt ; nds, Sassen-Anholt) is a state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and ...
– Pfützthal – Döblitz – Zaschwitz – WettinKloschwitz – Rumpin – Dobis –
Friedeburg Friedeburg is a municipality in the district of Wittmund, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 14 km southeast of Wittmund, and 20 km west of Wilhelmshaven Wilhelmshaven (, ''Wilhelm's Harbour''; Northern Low S ...
– Zickeritz – Rothenburg – Nelben – Gnölbzig – Trebnitz –
Alsleben Alsleben () is a town in the district of Salzlandkreis, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the river Saale, south of Bernburg. It is part of the ''Verbandsgemeinde A Verbandsgemeinde (; plural Verbandsgemeinden) is a low-level admin ...
– Poplitz – Großwirschleben –
Plötzkau Plötzkau is a municipality in the district of Salzlandkreis, in Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt (german: Sachsen-Anhalt ; nds, Sassen-Anholt) is a state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It ...
Gröna Gröna is a village and a former municipality in the district Salzlandkreis, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2010, it is part of the town Bernburg Bernburg (Saale) is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, capital of the Salzlandkreis d ...
– Neuborna –
Bernburg Bernburg (Saale) is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, capital of the Salzlandkreis district. The former residence of the Anhalt-Bernburg princes is known for its Renaissance castle. Geography The town centre is situated in the fertile Magdeburg ...
– Dröbel – NienburgWedlitz – Damaschkeplan – Wispitz –
Calbe (Saale) Calbe (official name: ''Calbe (Saale)'') is a town in the district of Salzlandkreis, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Geography It is situated on the river Saale, approx. north of Bernburg, and southeast of Magdeburg. It is known as Calbe an d ...
– Trabitz –
Groß Rosenburg Groß Rosenburg is a village and a former municipality in the district Salzlandkreis, in Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt (german: Sachsen-Anhalt ; nds, Sassen-Anholt) is a state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuring ...
– Werkleitz


Tributaries


See also

*
Saale-Unstrut Saale-Unstrut is a region (''Anbaugebiet'') for quality wine in Germany,Wein.de (Germa ...
, a wine-growing region *
List of rivers of Bavaria A list of rivers of Bavaria, Germany: A * Aalbach *Abens * Ach * Afferbach * Affinger Bach * Ailsbach * Aisch * Aiterach *Alpbach *Alster *Altmühl * Alz * Amper * Anlauter * Arbach * Arbachgraben *Aschaff * Aschbach * Attel * Aubach, tributary ...
* List of rivers of Thuringia *
List of rivers of Saxony-Anhalt A list of rivers of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany: A * Aland * Aller * Allerbach, tributary of the Rappbode (Rappbode Auxiliary Dam) * Allerbach, tributary of the Warme Bode * Alte Elbe B * Bauerngraben * Beber * Biese * Black Elster * Bode * Born-Dor ...


References


Sources

* Ernst-Otto Luthardt, Reinhard Feldrapp: ''An der Saale. Vom Fichtelgebirge durch Thüringen bis zur Elbe.'' Würzburg 1990. * Wolf Thieme, Markus Altmann (Fotos): ''Mitten ins Herz. Sie entspringt in Bayern, durchquert Thüringen und fließt in Sachsen-Anhalt in die Elbe – die Saale ist ein Fluss, der alles verbindet. Und jedem Spaß macht: dem Sportler, dem Kulturfreund, dem Faulenzer.'' In: stern Nr. 26 (22. Juni 2006), S. 84-89.
Online-Version
*


External links

* {{Authority control Federal waterways in Germany Fichtel Mountains Rivers of Bavaria Rivers of Saxony-Anhalt Rivers of Thuringia Saale Rivers of Germany