The Schwarza is a river in
Lower Austria
Lower Austria (german: Niederösterreich; Austro-Bavarian: ''Niedaöstareich'', ''Niedaestareich'') is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Since 1986, the capital of Lower Austria has been Sankt ...
. It is the left headstream of the
Leitha.
Course
The Schwarza rises near the mountain Tettenhengst, part of the
Gutenstein Alps
The Gutenstein Alps (german: Gutensteiner Alpen) are a mountain range in the Eastern Alps in Central Europe, and the northeasternmost part of the Northern Limestone Alps, reaching heights over 1,000 m.
Topography
Die Gutenstein Alps are ...
, flows through the
Höllental gorge and the Schwarza valley. Near Haderswörth in the parish of
Lanzenkirchen the Schwarza combines with the
Pitten and is then called the
Leitha. It is long. Its basin area is .
The Schwarza is part of the
Natura 2000
Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respectivel ...
region known as "North Eastern Border Alps: Hohe Wand – Schneeberg – Rax" (''Nordöstliche Randalpen: Hohe Wand - Schneeberg - Rax'').
Character
The Schwarza is characterized in its upper reaches by
undercuts, high cliffs,
gravel banks,
pools and deep gullies. The lower reaches are strictly regulated as far as
Schwarzau am Steinfeld. Only between Schwarzau am Steinfeld and
Bad Erlach can the Schwarza spread out into wide
meanders
A meander is one of a series of regular sinuous curves in the channel of a river or other watercourse. It is produced as a watercourse erodes the sediments of an outer, concave bank ( cut bank) and deposits sediments on an inner, convex b ...
again. From
Loipersbach the Schwarza runs along a sinkage section (''Versickerungsstrecke''), where the bulk of the water seeps into the gravel surface of the .
The river bed below the so-called "Dunkelstein
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 ...
" in the municipality of
Ternitz usually only carries water at times of
snowmelt
In hydrology, snowmelt is surface runoff produced from melting snow. It can also be used to describe the period or season during which such runoff is produced. Water produced by snowmelt is an important part of the annual water cycle in many part ...
and during heavy rain. The water flows through several works channels through the town of
Neunkirchen. Here it powers some
small hydro plants.
At the Peisching Weir most of the water from the River Schwarza (maximum ) is fed into the canal, which, in turn, feeds the
Wiener Neustadt Canal.
During heavy rainfall, snowmelt and storms, the Schwarza quickly swells into a raging torrent.
Economic and transportation importance
Initially, the river was economically important for the timber industry. From 1803 wood from the forests on both sides of Schwarza was
floated down the Schwarza and the Kehrbach to
Wiener Neustadt
Wiener Neustadt (; ; Central Bavarian: ''Weana Neistod'') is a city located south of Vienna, in the state of Lower Austria, in northeast Austria. It is a self-governed city and the seat of the district administration of Wiener Neustadt-Land Distr ...
and then loaded onto barges and transported to
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
on the
Wiener Neustadt Canal.
In earlier times, it was turned into
charcoal
Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, ...
in large kilns near the Wind Bridge. From the beginning to the middle of the 19th century numerous factories, especially
paper mill
A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags, and other ingredients. Prior to the invention and adoption of the Fourdrinier machine and other types of paper machine that use an endless be ...
s, were established in the region.
The Schwarza is also used to generate
electricity
Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as describ ...
. For this purpose several works channels were built along the Schwarza, through which through most of the waters of the Schwarza now flow.
Of the once important paper mills, today only the company of
Mayr-Melnhof Karton (MM Karton) in
Hirschwang is still in operation. Numerous factory closures affected the working and social life of the region. For example, after the closure of the paper mill in
Schlöglmühl, a television documentary was produced called ("Postal Address 2640 Schlöglmühl") which portrayed the decline of the former paper industry.
The Höllental Road (B 27) follows the Schwarza valley for the entire length of the river.
Water from the catchment area of the Schwarza has been used to supply
drinking water
Drinking water is water that is used in drink or food preparation; potable water is water that is safe to be used as drinking water. The amount of drinking water required to maintain good health varies, and depends on physical activity level, ...
to Vienna, since the 1st Viennese Spring Water Supply Network (''1. Wiener Hochquellenwasserleitung'') was built in 1869–1873.
Natural region
Typical animal species for the Schwarza are the:
otter
Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine, with diets based on fish and invertebrates. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which also includ ...
,
grey wagtail,
grey heron
The grey heron (''Ardea cinerea'') is a long-legged wading bird of the heron family, Ardeidae, native throughout temperate Europe and Asia and also parts of Africa. It is resident in much of its range, but some populations from the more north ...
,
wallcreeper,
white-throated dipper
The white-throated dipper (''Cinclus cinclus''), also known as the European dipper or just dipper, is an aquatic passerine bird found in Europe, Middle East, Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent. The species is divided into several subspecies ...
,
grayling,
brown trout
The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a European species of salmonid fish that has been widely introduced into suitable environments globally. It includes purely freshwater populations, referred to as the riverine ecotype, ''Salmo trutta'' mor ...
and
bullhead.
In the vicinity of the Schwarza near (belongs to
Reichenau an der Rax), it was switched from the conventional restocking of fish to supporting a natural supply of fishing stock. In particular, the stock of domestic
brown trout
The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a European species of salmonid fish that has been widely introduced into suitable environments globally. It includes purely freshwater populations, referred to as the riverine ecotype, ''Salmo trutta'' mor ...
is supported by "cocooning" and "artificial nests". The goal of this project is to build a native fish stock, capable of sustaining itself. In particular, the use of "artificial nests" (
spawning
Spawn is the eggs and sperm released or deposited into water by aquatic animals. As a verb, ''to spawn'' refers to the process of releasing the eggs and sperm, and the act of both sexes is called spawning. Most aquatic animals, except for aqua ...
beds are directly injected into the substrate) supports the natural supply of brown trout.
References
External links
*
The Schwarza at www.wwf.at
near
Gloggnitz
Gloggnitz is a mountain town in the Neunkirchen district of Lower Austria, Austria.
Gloggnitz is situated in the south-western part of the Vienna Basin in Lower Austria. It is surrounded by the highest mountains in Lower Austria, Mount Rax (2 ...
{{in lang, de
Rivers of Lower Austria
Rivers of Austria