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The Neckar () is a river in Germany, mainly flowing through the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg, with a short section through Hesse. The Neckar is a major right tributary of the Rhine. Rising in the
Schwarzwald-Baar-Kreis Schwarzwald-Baar () is a ''Landkreis'' (district) in the south of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neighboring districts are (from north clockwise) Ortenaukreis, Rottweil, Tuttlingen, Constance, the Swiss canton of Schaffhausen, and the districts W ...
near Schwenningen in the ''Schwenninger Moos'' conservation area at a height of above sea level, it passes through
Rottweil Rottweil (; Alemannic: ''Rautweil'') is a town in southwest Germany in the state of Baden-Württemberg. Rottweil was a free imperial city for nearly 600 years. Located between the Black Forest and the Swabian Alps, Rottweil has nearly 25,000 in ...
, Rottenburg am Neckar, Kilchberg, Tübingen, Wernau,
Nürtingen Nürtingen () is a town on the river Neckar in the district of Esslingen in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. History The following events occurred, by year: *1046: First mention of ''Niuritingin'' in the document of Speyer. ...
, Plochingen, Esslingen,
Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...
, Ludwigsburg, Marbach,
Heilbronn Heilbronn () is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany, surrounded by Heilbronn (district), Heilbronn District. With over 126,000 residents, it is the sixth-largest city in the state. From the late Mid ...
and Heidelberg, before discharging on average of water into the Rhine at Mannheim, at above sea level, making the Neckar its 4th largest tributary, and the 10th largest river in Germany. Since 1968, the Neckar has been navigable for
cargo ship A cargo ship or freighter is a merchant ship that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year, handling the bulk of international trade. Cargo ships are usu ...
s via 27 locks for about upstream from Mannheim to the river port of Plochingen, at the confluence with the
Fils Fils or FILS may refer to: People * Anton Fils (1733–1760), German composer * Arthur Fils (born 2004), French tennis player * Pascal Fils (born 1984), Canadian football player Other uses * Fils (currency), a subdivision of currency used in ...
. From Plochingen to Stuttgart, the Neckar valley is densely populated and heavily industrialised, with several well-known companies. Between Stuttgart and Lauffen, the Neckar cuts a scenic, meandering, and in many places steep-sided, valley into fossiliferous Triassic limestones and Pleistocene travertine. Along the Neckar's valley in the
Odenwald The Odenwald () is a low mountain range in the German states of Hesse, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. Location The Odenwald is located between the Upper Rhine Plain with the Bergstraße and the ''Hessisches Ried'' (the northeastern section ...
hills many castles can be found, including Hornberg Castle and in Haßmersheim; the now-mothballed
Obrigheim Nuclear Power Plant Obrigheim Nuclear Power Plant (KWO) is a mothballed nuclear power plant in Obrigheim, Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis, on the banks of the Neckar and owned by EnBW. It operated a pressurized water reactor unit from 1969 to 2005. It has been defuelled since ...
and the active Neckarwestheim Nuclear Power Plant are also located there. Traditionally the fertile plains have been intensively used for agriculture and its steep valley sides as vineyards.


Etymology

The name ''Neckar'' may be derived from ''Nicarus'' and ''Neccarus'' from
Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...
''Nikros'', meaning ''wild water'' or ''wild fellow''. The grammatical gender of the name in German is masculine (der Neckar).


Geography


River course

Drainage area


Sources

The headwater region of the Neckar lies in the Schwenninger Moos between Schwenningen and Bad Dürrheim. The traditionally marked
spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season), a season of the year * Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy * Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water * Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a ...
of the river lies in the city park Möglingshöhe in Schwenningen. Prior to the
Landesgartenschau A ''Regional Garden Show'' (''Landesgartenschau'') is an exhibition on horticulture that takes place on a regular basis in several German and Austrian states. In Germany, a state horticultural show at the state level is the smaller counterpart to t ...
Villingen-Schwenningen 2010 the Neckar flowed in the city center of Schwenningen mostly underground. In order to protect the city better from the more frequent flooding through overflow of the duct, the river received more space through a new, mostly open riverbed. This riverbed runs largely on the newly constructed horticultural show ground, which was used as the occasion for the remodeling. Headwaters Up to shortly before
Rottweil Rottweil (; Alemannic: ''Rautweil'') is a town in southwest Germany in the state of Baden-Württemberg. Rottweil was a free imperial city for nearly 600 years. Located between the Black Forest and the Swabian Alps, Rottweil has nearly 25,000 in ...
the Neckar is only a small rivulet on the Baar plateau. In Deißlingen-Lauffen it has is only, 4 meters high waterfall, which is drained today. Afterward, the Neckar joins with the Eschach coming from the eastern slopes of the Black Forest which is much more water bearing. Its main tributary Glasbach, which originates at the Brogen, is
hydrographically Hydrography is the branch of applied sciences which deals with the measurement and description of the physical features of oceans, seas, coastal areas, lakes and rivers, as well as with the prediction of their change over time, for the primary p ...
seen, the main river of the Neckar river system. With this junction above Rottweil the Neckar enters a narrow, wooded valley and for the next 80 km it bores its way towards north between the ranges of the Black Forest and the
Swabian Jura The Swabian Jura (german: Schwäbische Alb , more rarely ), sometimes also named Swabian Alps in English, is a mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, extending from southwest to northeast and in width. It is named after the region of ...
. It has created two cut-off meander spurs at the Neckarburg which is spanned by the Neckarburgbrücke. Further down the river lies high above the river the old town of Oberndorf on a Calcareous sinter terrace, which fills one of the bowl-like side valleys. At Horb it turns from the Gäu Plateau towards north east and then follows the western side of the Swabian Jura (
Albtrauf The term Albtrauf (Alp escarpment) refers to the northwest facing escarpment of the Swabian Alps, situated in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria. It is the most distinctive stepped slope within the alpine region of the South German Scarplands, leadi ...
). Near Weitingen the valley is traversed by the 127 m high Neckar Viaduct of the A 81. At Rottenburg it enters the wider valley of Tübingen. After Tübingen the valley narrows again. From here onwards, the surrounding elevated grounds are considerably more densely populated. Middle reaches At Plochingen the Neckar turns sharply north west at the "Neckarknie" (knee of the Neckar), the mouth of the
Fils Fils or FILS may refer to: People * Anton Fils (1733–1760), German composer * Arthur Fils (born 2004), French tennis player * Pascal Fils (born 1984), Canadian football player Other uses * Fils (currency), a subdivision of currency used in ...
coming down from the east, from the Swabian Jura. Beginning from here the river has been expanded into a canalised waterway. It lies up to Stuttgart in a wide, urbanized meadow, which has been built over with industry and is cut through by transportation structures. Only around the Cannstatter valley bend for a short distance it is interspersed by large park areas. Here again the valley sides show limestone-sinter. Between Stuttgart and Lauffen the Neckar cuts a scenic, meandering, and in many places steep-sided, valley into fossiliferous Triassic limestones and Pleistocene travertine. After Stuttgart it turns again towards the general northern direction. In a winding and narrow valley section through the Ludwigsburg (district) the Rems enters from the right at Remseck and then again from the right north of Marbach the Murr. After passing the Hessigheimer Felsengärten the water-rich Enz enters from the left at
Besigheim Besigheim () is a municipality in the district of Ludwigsburg in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. It is situated 13 km north of Ludwigsburg at the confluence of the Neckar and Enz rivers. The town has many old buildings and a t ...
. The former rapid at the Lauffener avulsion of the meander is today under water due to the canalization. In the Lowlands around
Heilbronn Heilbronn () is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany, surrounded by Heilbronn (district), Heilbronn District. With over 126,000 residents, it is the sixth-largest city in the state. From the late Mid ...
the Neckar runs again through a wide meadow an open landscape. At Bad Friedrichshall it takes up within only two kilometers the other two of its large tributaries: First its water-richest tributary, the
Kocher The Kocher () is a -longincluding its source river Schwarzer Kocher right tributary of the Neckar in the north-eastern part of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The name "Kocher" originates from its Celtic name "cochan" and probably means winding, mea ...
and then the officially longest, the Jagst, in total roughly doubling its discharge. Lower reaches Between Bad Wimpfen with its Stauferpfalz and
Mosbach Mosbach (; South Franconian: ''Mossbach'') is a town in the north of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is the seat of the Neckar-Odenwald district and has a population of approximately 25,000 distributed in six boroughs: Mosbach Town, Lohrbach, N ...
, the Neckar enters the
Odenwald The Odenwald () is a low mountain range in the German states of Hesse, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. Location The Odenwald is located between the Upper Rhine Plain with the Bergstraße and the ''Hessisches Ried'' (the northeastern section ...
, where, again in a gorge-like valley, high, elevated, forested slopes line its riverside and especially on the right side, deeply cut valleys enter. At the last of his distinctive knees at Eberbach it turns west, enters at
Hirschhorn Hirschhorn is derived from German composite word "Hirsch" (deer) and "Horn" (horn), part of a deer's antlers. A variation is Hirshhorn. It may refer to: * Hirschhorn (Neckar), a town in Hesse, Germany * Hirschhorn, Rhineland-Palatinate, a municipal ...
for a short distance Hessian territory and is then up to
Neckarsteinach The four-castle town of Neckarsteinach lies on the Neckar in the Bergstraße district in the southernmost part of Hesse, Germany, 15 km east of Heidelberg. Geography Location Both by way of transport and culture, Neckarsteinach's location ...
on long parts the border between Baden-Württemberg and Hessen. At Neckargemünd the
Elsenz Elsenz is a river of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It passes through Sinsheim and flows into the Neckar in Neckargemünd. See also *List of rivers of Baden-Württemberg A list of rivers of Baden-Württemberg, Germany: A * Aal * Aalbach *Aalen ...
enters from the left, its lower reaches using a part of the Neckars former
Maurer Maurer is a German surname, translating in English to "bricklayer" or "wall builder." Notable people with the surname include: *Adrian Maurer (1901–1943), American football player *Alfred Maurer (politician) (1888–1954), Estonian politician * ...
river loop which extended far south. At the city of Heidelberg, which borders in the north the Odenwald and at the south the Königstuhl (Odenwald), the Neckarvalley is cut in the deepest by over 400m through mountains. After passing the Heidelberger historic city, the river enters the wide Upper Rhine Plain and after further about 25 kilometers in Mannheim roughly at its middle it enters the Rhine from the right.


Tributaries

The largest tributaries of the Neckar are the Enz with the largest drainage area, the
Kocher The Kocher () is a -longincluding its source river Schwarzer Kocher right tributary of the Neckar in the north-eastern part of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The name "Kocher" originates from its Celtic name "cochan" and probably means winding, mea ...
with the highest average water drainage and the longest one, the Jagst. The Kocher tributary Lein is at its end not only longer than the Kocher, but also more water-abundant. Therefore, according to hydrographic convention, the Lein would have to be regarded as the main river of the Kocher water system, making it with then 201 kilometers the longest tributary of the Neckar.


Diagram of the tributaries with 50 plus km length

TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:xxxx ImageSize = width:440 height:auto barincrement:25 PlotArea = left:10 right:10 top:10 bottom:80 AlignBars = justify Colors = id:canvas value:rgb(0.97,0.97,0.97) id:lightgrey value:gray(0.8) BackgroundColors = canvas:canvas Period = from:0 till:190 ScaleMajor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:50 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:25 start:0 BarData= barset:length Define $left = textcolor:white color:oceanblue Define $right = textcolor:black color:skyblue PlotData= width:18 fontsize:M textcolor:black color:skyblue shift:(5,-6) anchor:from barset:length from:start till:50 $right text:Eyach (50 km) from:start till:63 $right text:Fils (63 km) from:start till:78 $right text:Rems (78 km) from:start till:52 $right text:Murr (52 km) from:start till:106 $left text:Enz (106 km, with Nagold 149 km) from:start till:169 $right text:Kocher (169 km, with Lein 201 km) from:start till:190 $right text:Jagst (190 km) from:start till:53 $left text:Elsenz (53 km) TextData= fontsize:M pos:(10,490) text: "The tributaries are listed in downstream order:" pos:(10,50) text:km pos:(10,30) text:"right tributaries: light blue" pos:(10,10) text:"left tributaries: dark blue"


Tributaries with 20 km length and more

Named from source to mouth. According to LUBW-BRSWEB, LUBW-FG10, LUBW-GEZG and TK25. Drainage area mostly according to LUBW-GEZG, else measured on the background map. Distances preferably according to the data sets of the LUBW-FG10, rarely measured on the background map. Namen preverably according to TK25. * Eschach (left tributary at
Rottweil Rottweil (; Alemannic: ''Rautweil'') is a town in southwest Germany in the state of Baden-Württemberg. Rottweil was a free imperial city for nearly 600 years. Located between the Black Forest and the Swabian Alps, Rottweil has nearly 25,000 in ...
-Bühlingen, 38.1 km) * Prim (right tributary at Rottweil, 21.1 km) *
Schlichem Schlichem is a river of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It passes through Schömberg, Zollernalbkreis, Schömberg and flows, away, into the Neckar in Epfendorf. Geography Course Its source is located north of Tieringen (district of Meßstett ...
(right tributary at Epfendorf, 34.4 km) * Glatt (left tributary at Horb-Neckarhausen, 34.2 km) * Eyach (right tributary at Bf. Eyach, community
Eutingen im Gäu Eutingen is a municipality in the district of Freudenstadt in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in E ...
, 50.4 km) * Starzel (right tributary at Rottenburg-Bieringen, 42.8 km) *
Steinlach The Steinlach is a river with a length of in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is a tributary to the Neckar. It has its source in the ''Eckenbachgraben'', a gap in the Swabian Alb mountain range. The source is on the territory of the town of Mössi ...
(right tributary at Tübingen, 25.1 km) *
Ammer Ammer may refer to: *Amper, or called Ammer, is a river in Bavaria. *Ammer (Neckar), a small river in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, tributary of the Neckar *The upper course of the river Amper in Bavaria, Germany *Thomas Ammer Thomas Ammer (bo ...
(left tributary at Tübingen-Lustnau, 22.5 km) * Echaz (right tributary at
Kirchentellinsfurt Kirchentellinsfurt is a municipality in the district of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany, about 7 km east of the city of Tübingen and 7 km northwest of Reutlingen. Since 2015, Bernd Haug has been the mayor of Kirchentellinsf ...
, 22.8 km) * Erms (right tributary at
Neckartenzlingen Neckartenzlingen is a town in the district of Esslingen in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. Geography It is located 10 km north of Reutlingen, and 25 km south of Stuttgart. Twin towns — sister cities Neckartenzlingen is t ...
, 32.7 km) *
Aich Aich may refer to: *Aich, Styria, a municipality in Styria, Austria * Aich (surname), a Bengali Hindu surname * Aich (river), a river in Baden-Württemberg, Germany * Aich's Alloy, a type of brass *Gut Aich Priory, a Benedictine monastery in St. ...
(left tributary at
Nürtingen Nürtingen () is a town on the river Neckar in the district of Esslingen in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. History The following events occurred, by year: *1046: First mention of ''Niuritingin'' in the document of Speyer. ...
-Oberensingen, 30.4 km) *
Lauter Lauter may refer to: People * Lauter (surname) Places *Lauter, Saxony, town in the district of Aue-Schwarzenberg, Saxony, Germany * Lauter, Bavaria, village in the district of Bamberg, Bavaria, Germany Rivers * Lauter (Baunach), tributary to th ...
(right tributary at
Wendlingen Wendlingen is a town in the district of Esslingen in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. It is situated on the Neckar and Lauter rivers, 27 km southeast of Stuttgart. The town grew in size, officially, on 1 April 1940, when three separ ...
, 25.7 km) *
Fils Fils or FILS may refer to: People * Anton Fils (1733–1760), German composer * Arthur Fils (born 2004), French tennis player * Pascal Fils (born 1984), Canadian football player Other uses * Fils (currency), a subdivision of currency used in ...
(right tributary at Plochingen, 62.8 km) *
Körsch Körsch (; in its upper course: ''Sindelbach'') is a river of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is a left tributary of the Neckar at Deizisau. It is the second largest waterbody in Stuttgart and is formed at the convergence of the right Sindelba ...
(left tributary west of Deizisau, 26.3 km) * Rems (right tributary at Remseck, 78.4 km) * Murr (right tributary at Marbach, 51.5 km) * Enz (left tributary at
Besigheim Besigheim () is a municipality in the district of Ludwigsburg in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. It is situated 13 km north of Ludwigsburg at the confluence of the Neckar and Enz rivers. The town has many old buildings and a t ...
, 105.5 km) * Zaber (left tributary at Lauffen, 22.4 km) * Schozach (right tributary at
Heilbronn Heilbronn () is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany, surrounded by Heilbronn (district), Heilbronn District. With over 126,000 residents, it is the sixth-largest city in the state. From the late Mid ...
-Sontheim, 25.6 km) * Lein (left tributary at Heilbronn-Neckargartach, 27.3 km) * Sulm (right tributary at Neckarsulm, 26.2 km) *
Kocher The Kocher () is a -longincluding its source river Schwarzer Kocher right tributary of the Neckar in the north-eastern part of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The name "Kocher" originates from its Celtic name "cochan" and probably means winding, mea ...
(right tributary at Bad Friedrichshall-Kochendorf, 168.7 km) * Jagst (right tributary at
Bad Friedrichshall-Jagstfeld Bad Friedrichshall Hauptbahnhof is a regionally important junction station and a former border station in the city of Bad Friedrichshall in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. The modern Elsenz Valley Railway and Neckar Valley Railway branch ...
, 190.2 km) * Elz (right tributary at Mosbach-Neckarelz, 39.8 km) *
Itter Itter is a municipality in the Kitzbühel District in the Austrian state of Tyrol located 18.60 km west of Kitzbühel, 5 km southeast of Wörgl, and 2.5 km north of Hopfgarten im Brixental. The village lies on a terrace above the ...
(right tributary at Eberbach, 28.0 km) *
Laxbach Laxbach is a short river of Hesse, Germany. It is formed in Hirschhorn at the confluence of the rivers Ulfenbach and Finkenbach. After 0.7 km it discharges into the Neckar. See also *List of rivers of Hesse A list of rivers of Hesse, Ger ...
(right tributary at
Hirschhorn Hirschhorn is derived from German composite word "Hirsch" (deer) and "Horn" (horn), part of a deer's antlers. A variation is Hirshhorn. It may refer to: * Hirschhorn (Neckar), a town in Hesse, Germany * Hirschhorn, Rhineland-Palatinate, a municipal ...
, 30.0 km with the longest headwaters) * Steinach (right tributary at
Neckarsteinach The four-castle town of Neckarsteinach lies on the Neckar in the Bergstraße district in the southernmost part of Hesse, Germany, 15 km east of Heidelberg. Geography Location Both by way of transport and culture, Neckarsteinach's location ...
, 21.9 km) *
Elsenz Elsenz is a river of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It passes through Sinsheim and flows into the Neckar in Neckargemünd. See also *List of rivers of Baden-Württemberg A list of rivers of Baden-Württemberg, Germany: A * Aal * Aalbach *Aalen ...
(left tributary at Neckargemünd, 53.4 km)


Cities and municipalities

The Neckar touches, from the source to the mouth, the following districts, cities and municipalities: *
Schwarzwald-Baar-Kreis Schwarzwald-Baar () is a ''Landkreis'' (district) in the south of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neighboring districts are (from north clockwise) Ortenaukreis, Rottweil, Tuttlingen, Constance, the Swiss canton of Schaffhausen, and the districts W ...
: Villingen-Schwenningen,
Dauchingen Dauchingen is a municipality in the district of Schwarzwald-Baar in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. History Some of the earliest evidence of human habitation of the area of Dauchingen are Roman and suggest a ''villa rustica'' from between the years ...
*
Landkreis Rottweil Rottweil is a ''Landkreis'' (district) in the middle of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is part of the Schwarzwald-Baar-Heuberg region in the Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald regional district. Neighboring districts are (from north clockwise) Freudenstad ...
: Deißlingen, Villingendorf,
Rottweil Rottweil (; Alemannic: ''Rautweil'') is a town in southwest Germany in the state of Baden-Württemberg. Rottweil was a free imperial city for nearly 600 years. Located between the Black Forest and the Swabian Alps, Rottweil has nearly 25,000 in ...
, Epfendorf,
Oberndorf am Neckar Oberndorf am Neckar (; Swabian: ''Oberndorf am Näggô'') is a town in the district of Rottweil, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated on the river Neckar, north of Rottweil. It historically was and currently is a major center of t ...
,
Sulz am Neckar Sulz am Neckar is a town in the district of Rottweil, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated on the river Neckar, 22 km north of Rottweil, and 19 km southeast of Freudenstadt. Sulz am Neckar came in the possession of the Hohe ...
* Landkreis Freudenstadt: Horb am Neckar,
Eutingen im Gäu Eutingen is a municipality in the district of Freudenstadt in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in E ...
(Weitinger Mühle) *
Landkreis Tübingen 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 ...
:
Starzach Starzach is a municipality in the district of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. Starzach is located about 20 kilometers southwest from Tübingen. Geographical location Starzach is located on the Neckar between Rottenburg am Neckar and ...
(municipality districts Börstingen and Sulzau), Rottenburg am Neckar, Tübingen,
Kirchentellinsfurt Kirchentellinsfurt is a municipality in the district of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany, about 7 km east of the city of Tübingen and 7 km northwest of Reutlingen. Since 2015, Bernd Haug has been the mayor of Kirchentellinsf ...
* Landkreis Reutlingen: Reutlingen (municipality districts Altenburg, Oferdingen and Mittelstadt), Pliezhausen *
Landkreis Esslingen Esslingen is a ''Landkreis'' (district) in the centre of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neighboring districts are (from north clockwise) Rems-Murr, Göppingen, Reutlingen, Böblingen and the district-free city Stuttgart. Until 15 October 1964 the ...
:
Neckartenzlingen Neckartenzlingen is a town in the district of Esslingen in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. Geography It is located 10 km north of Reutlingen, and 25 km south of Stuttgart. Twin towns — sister cities Neckartenzlingen is t ...
,
Neckartailfingen Neckartailfingen is a municipality in Germany, located approximately south of Stuttgart. It is located on the river Neckar. History Neckartailfingen was first mentioned in 1090 in the Hirsau codex (Codex Hirsaugiensis) as ''Tagelvingen''. ...
,
Nürtingen Nürtingen () is a town on the river Neckar in the district of Esslingen in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. History The following events occurred, by year: *1046: First mention of ''Niuritingin'' in the document of Speyer. ...
,
Oberboihingen Oberboihingen is a municipality in the district of Esslingen in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. Geography It is located 20 km southeast of Stuttgart on the railway line between Stuttgart and Tübingen. Curiosities At the station ...
,
Unterensingen Unterensingen is a municipality in the district of Esslingen in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. Geography It is located 19 km southeast of Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German ...
,
Wendlingen am Neckar Wendlingen is a town in the district of Esslingen in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. It is situated on the Neckar and Lauter rivers, 27 km southeast of Stuttgart. The town grew in size, officially, on 1 April 1940, when three s ...
, Köngen, Wernau (Neckar), Plochingen, Deizisau,
Altbach Altbach is a municipality in the district of Esslingen in Baden-Württemberg. It belongs to the Stuttgart Region. (until 1992 ''Region Mittlerer Neckar'') and the European Metropolitan Region Stuttgart. Geography Geographical location Altb ...
, Esslingen am Neckar *
Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...
(urban district), city districts Obertürkheim, Hedelfingen, Wangen, Untertürkheim, Stuttgart-Ost, Bad Cannstatt, Münster, Hofen, Mühlhausen) * Rems-Murr-Kreis: Fellbach (municipality district Oeffingen; only right shore) * Landkreis Ludwigsburg:
Remseck am Neckar Remseck am Neckar () is a town in the district of Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated at the confluence of the rivers Rems and Neckar, about 12 km northeast of Stuttgart, and 7 km southeast of Ludwigsburg. The ...
, Ludwigsburg (municipality districts Poppenweiler, Hoheneck and Neckarweihingen), Marbach am Neckar,
Benningen am Neckar Benningen am Neckar is a municipality in the district of Ludwigsburg in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. History By 85 AD, the Neckar-Odenwald line was the frontier of the Roman Empire. The Romans built the Limes Germanicus to secure this borde ...
, Freiberg am Neckar,
Pleidelsheim Pleidelsheim is a municipality in the state of Baden-Württemberg, about north of Stuttgart. Pleidelsheim is situated on the right bank of the Neckar river across from Ingersheim. This historical town has buildings that date back to the 14th ...
,
Ingersheim Ingersheim is a municipality in the district of Ludwigsburg in Baden-Württemberg in Germany, belonging to the Stuttgart Region. Geography Geographical location Ingersheim is located on the western bank of the Neckar about 20 kilometers ...
, Mundelsheim,
Hessigheim Hessigheim is a municipality in the Ludwigsburg district of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. History Hessigheim was first mentioned in 744 as a property of first Lorsch Abbey to Princely Abbey of Fulda. The town was pledged to the Electoral Palatina ...
,
Besigheim Besigheim () is a municipality in the district of Ludwigsburg in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. It is situated 13 km north of Ludwigsburg at the confluence of the Neckar and Enz rivers. The town has many old buildings and a t ...
,
Walheim Walheim is a town in the district of Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany with a considerable viticulture. Besides the village Walheim there are no other places belonging to the municipal area of Walheim. Geography and climate Walheim is s ...
, Gemmrigheim,
Kirchheim am Neckar Kirchheim is a municipality in the district of Ludwigsburg in Baden-Württemberg in Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe afte ...
*
Landkreis Heilbronn Landkreis Heilbronn () is a ''Landkreis'' (district) in the north of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neighboring districts are (from north clockwise) Neckar-Odenwald, Hohenlohe, Schwäbisch Hall, Rems-Murr, Ludwigsburg, Enz, Karlsruhe and Rhein-Necka ...
: Neckarwestheim, Lauffen am Neckar, Talheim, Nordheim *
Heilbronn Heilbronn () is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany, surrounded by Heilbronn (district), Heilbronn District. With over 126,000 residents, it is the sixth-largest city in the state. From the late Mid ...
(urban district) * Landkreis Heilbronn: Neckarsulm,
Untereisesheim Untereisesheim is a municipality in the district of Heilbronn in Baden-Württemberg in Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe a ...
, Bad Friedrichshall, Bad Wimpfen,
Offenau Offenau () is a town in the district of Heilbronn in Baden-Württemberg in 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 ...
, Bad Rappenau (municipality district
Heinsheim Bad Rappenau (; South Franconian: ''Rappene'') is a city municipality in the district of Heilbronn in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. It is situated about northwest of Heilbronn. Geography Bad Rappenau is situated in the northeastern K ...
), Gundelsheim * Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis: Haßmersheim,
Neckarzimmern Neckarzimmern is a municipality in the district of Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neckarzimmern also was the main site of dispersal for the German Anti-Friction Bearings Industry during the Allied bombing of Germany. Thi ...
,
Mosbach Mosbach (; South Franconian: ''Mossbach'') is a town in the north of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is the seat of the Neckar-Odenwald district and has a population of approximately 25,000 distributed in six boroughs: Mosbach Town, Lohrbach, N ...
(municipality districts
Neckarelz Neckarelz is a suburb of Mosbach in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Geography Neckarelz is in northern Baden-Württemberg, between the Odenwald and Kraichgau, at the confluence of the Neckar and Elz rivers. On the other side of the Neckar, are t ...
and Diedesheim),
Obrigheim Obrigheim ( South Franconian: ''Owweringe'') is a town in the district of Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is the location of the Obrigheim Nuclear Power Plant Obrigheim Nuclear Power Plant (KWO) is a mothballed nucl ...
, Binau,
Neckargerach Neckargerach is a municipality in the district of Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country ...
, Zwingenberg * Rhein-Neckar-Kreis: Eberbach,
Schönbrunn (Baden) Schönbrunn () is a municipality in the Rhein-Neckar district, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It consists of the villages Allemühl, Haag, Moosbrunn, Schönbrunn and Schwanheim. It is situated in the southern part of the Odenwald hills, south of t ...
*
Kreis Bergstraße Kreis is the German word for circle. Kreis may also refer to: Places * , or circles, various subdivisions roughly equivalent to counties, districts or municipalities ** Districts of Germany (including and ) ** Former districts of Prussia, al ...
(Hessen):
Hirschhorn Hirschhorn is derived from German composite word "Hirsch" (deer) and "Horn" (horn), part of a deer's antlers. A variation is Hirshhorn. It may refer to: * Hirschhorn (Neckar), a town in Hesse, Germany * Hirschhorn, Rhineland-Palatinate, a municipal ...
(Neckar),
Neckarsteinach The four-castle town of Neckarsteinach lies on the Neckar in the Bergstraße district in the southernmost part of Hesse, Germany, 15 km east of Heidelberg. Geography Location Both by way of transport and culture, Neckarsteinach's location ...
* Rhein-Neckar-Kreis: Neckargemünd * Heidelberg (urban district), city districts Schlierbach,
Ziegelhausen Heidelberg-Ziegelhausen is a residential district (of fourteen) at the eastern perimeter of the city of Heidelberg, Germany. Ziegelhausen lies on the northern banks of the Neckar River and extends northward into the Odenwald Forest. It has a sma ...
, Neuenheim, Altstadt, Bergheim,
Wieblingen Heidelberg (; Palatine German: ') is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914, of which roughly a quarter consisted of students. ...
* Rhein-Neckar-Kreis: Dossenheim (municipality districts Schwabenheim),
Edingen-Neckarhausen Edingen-Neckarhausen is a municipality in the district of Rhein-Neckar-Kreis, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated on the left bank of the Neckar. Geography Edingen-Neckarhausen lies about 12 km south-east of Mannheim and somew ...
, Ladenburg,
Ilvesheim Ilvesheim is a town of about 8700 residents (2012) in the district of Rhein-Neckar in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. It is one of the first towns located along the famous Bertha Benz Memorial Route. History Ilvesheim was first mentioned in a ...
* Mannheim (urban district), city districts Seckenheim, Feudenheim,
Neuostheim Neuostheim/Neuhermsheim is a suburb of the city of Mannheim, Germany, composed of Neuostheim and Neuhermsheim and is considered to be one of the more attractive neighbourhoods of Mannheim. It is located 3.5 km (2.2 mi) east of the city centre. ...
, Oststadt, Neckarstadt-Ost, Innenstadt/Jungbusch, Neckarstadt-West


River history

The primal Neckar started off as an escarpment riverlet due to the slow rise of the Black Forest and the connected slow erosive retraction of the
South German Scarplands The South German Scarplands is a geological and geomorphological natural region or landscape in Switzerland and the south German states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. The landscape is characterised by escarpments. It is variously referred to ...
. For a long time it flowed on the high plains of the different
Gäu Plateaus The Gäu PlateausElkins, T.H. (1972). ''Germany'' (3rd ed.). London: Chatto & Windus, 1972, pp 186-188. ASIN B0011Z9KJA. (german: Neckar- und Taubergäuplatten) form the largest natural region in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. Not surp ...
created through the hard chalks of the Muschelkalk. At Horb the river was redirected to the northeast due to the rift structure of the so-called ''
Swabia Swabia ; german: Schwaben , colloquially ''Schwabenland'' or ''Ländle''; archaic English also Suabia or Svebia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany. The name is ultimately derived from the medieval Duchy of ...
n Lineament'', which lies roughly parallel to the escarpment of the
Swabian Jura The Swabian Jura (german: Schwäbische Alb , more rarely ), sometimes also named Swabian Alps in English, is a mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, extending from southwest to northeast and in width. It is named after the region of ...
. Following that the Neckar cut into the Muschelkalk plateau between Rottweil and Rottenburg as well as the younger
Keuper The Keuper is a lithostratigraphic unit (a sequence of rock strata) in the subsurface of large parts of west and central Europe. The Keuper consists of dolomite, shales or claystones and evaporites that were deposited during the Middle and Late ...
and Jura layers in the northeast, and created narrow water gaps in the area of the morphologically hard chalks and sandstones. The river deepening was also caused by the further rise of the Black Forest as well as the retracting erosion of the attacking younger Neckar route. This younger Neckar route tapped the primal Neckar system at Plochingen (hence the ''Neckarknie''), which flowed through the primal
lone Lone may refer to: People *Lone (given name), a given name (including a list of people with this name) * Lone (musician), Matt Cutler, an electronic musician from Nottingham, United Kingdom *Lone (surname), a surname (including a list of people w ...
to the primal Danube. Another influence on this river area was the Schurwald, a dissected cuesta of the filder rift, working as a river guideline. Today's lower reaches used to be those of the primal Enz. Until, through the erosive retraction of a tributary of the primal Enz near Besigheim, the Neckar river network was tapped. That is how the Enz became a tributary of the Neckar. Another trace of the former north western extent of the Danube river network is the Eschach running from north west to south east, hence towards the primal Danube. With the retraction of the escarpment, it was tapped by a Neckar tributary and redirected by about 90° to the east. Considering river history, it was never a headstream of the Neckar. Until 2000 years ago the Neckar flowed through a pastureland in the
Oberrheinische Tiefebene The Upper Rhine Plain, Rhine Rift Valley or Upper Rhine Graben (German: ''Oberrheinische Tiefebene'', ''Oberrheinisches Tiefland'' or ''Oberrheingraben'', French: ''Vallée du Rhin'') is a major rift, about and on average , between Basel in the s ...
in a tangle of meanders, slings, old waters and cut of arms between the Rhine in the west and the foot of the Odenwald in the east until it finally entered the Rhine only north of
Darmstadt Darmstadt () is a city in the States of Germany, state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Area, Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it th ...
at
Trebur Trebur is a municipality in Groß-Gerau district in Hessen, Germany. It is 13 km southeast of Mainz, and 8 km south of Rüsselsheim. Geography Location Trebur is located in the Frankfurt Rhein-Main Region. The cities of Mainz, Wiesbade ...
; roughly 50 km north of today's confluence in Mannheim. On large stretches you can still see it on aerial photos. In the 13th century, the confluence was south of Mannheim. A great flood changed the course of the Neckar in around 1275. Since then it enters the Rhine north of the city. The last change here took place in connection with the
straightening of the Rhine "Straightenin" is a song by American hip hop trio Migos. It was released through Quality Control and Motown on May 14, 2021, as the second single from their fourth studio album, ''Culture III''. Background In March 2021, Quavo previewed the song' ...
by the Friesenheimer breakthrough west of today's Friesenheimer Island. Previously the Neckar entered the Rhine in the area of today's industrial port of Mannheim. Its new riverbed was also the reason for the relocation of the Neckar. After the old Neckar was cut off in early 1869, it followed the path of the new Neckar breakthrough, which was finished by 1880.


River landscape


Natural landscape

Narrow and widening valleys alternate along the Neckar's course. The narrows are mostly deepenings into the Muschelkalk plateau and the Buntsandstein below. Widenings developed in the area of morphologically soft clay and marl. Wide valley meadows also developed through the strong backfilling with Aue clay since the start of settlement in the Neolithic and the accompanying deforestation and
soil erosion Soil erosion is the denudation or wearing away of the upper layer of soil. It is a form of soil degradation. This natural process is caused by the dynamic activity of erosive agents, that is, water, ice (glaciers), snow, air (wind), plants, and ...
. In the area of the narrows the meander and cut-off meander spurs stand out. The meanders were formed through the primal Neckar, which sluggishly flowed through the almost even Muschelkalk plateau, forming the basic structures during the deepening phases and cutting into the hard Muschelkalk. The best known cut-off meander spur is the one at Lauffen; it cut through in historical times and created a waterfall (historic: ''Laufen''). At the cutbanks one can find rocks, formed by the limestone of the upper Muschelkalk. For example, the rock gardens at
Hessigheim Hessigheim is a municipality in the Ludwigsburg district of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. History Hessigheim was first mentioned in 744 as a property of first Lorsch Abbey to Princely Abbey of Fulda. The town was pledged to the Electoral Palatina ...
. They lie on the marls and clays of the middle Muschelkalks and can sag in whole stone packages, so-called ''Schollen'', down towards the Neckar. In the Odenwald narrow ravines and gorges lead into the Neckar from both sides, as for example, the Wolfschlucht and the Margarethenschlucht.


Cultural landscape

Due to the risk of flooding the valley plains remained unsettled for a long time, but the nutritious and, due to its good structure, very arable land was intensively used for agriculture, and to a large degree the valley plains are still used agriculturally today. The fertile soil allows the cultivation of lucrative specialty crops like vegetables or
hops Hops are the flowers (also called seed cones or strobiles) of the hop plant ''Humulus lupulus'', a member of the Cannabaceae family of flowering plants. They are used primarily as a bittering, flavouring, and stability agent in beer, to whi ...
, for example, between Rottenburg and Tübingen. Gravel pit quarrying in the valley plains takes away agricultural land, but created large lakes, nowadays used for recreational purposes. These borrow pits also became habitat for birds, amphibians and aquatic creatures. Such large borrow pits can be found for example near
Kirchentellinsfurt Kirchentellinsfurt is a municipality in the district of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany, about 7 km east of the city of Tübingen and 7 km northwest of Reutlingen. Since 2015, Bernd Haug has been the mayor of Kirchentellinsf ...
and between Freiberg am Neckar and
Pleidelsheim Pleidelsheim is a municipality in the state of Baden-Württemberg, about north of Stuttgart. Pleidelsheim is situated on the right bank of the Neckar river across from Ingersheim. This historical town has buildings that date back to the 14th ...
. The gravel bodies of the Neckar have an additional role as water reservoir and are in many places used for drinking water production. The paths usually went over the heights and only crossed the valleys where there were fords over the Neckar. This changed with the onset of
industrialisation Industrialisation ( alternatively spelled industrialization) is the period of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an industrial society. This involves an extensive re-organisation of an econo ...
in the 19th century. It brought fundamental conflicts regarding the land usage of the flat valley plain. Large even spaces became sought after for industrial sites. The Neckar was mostly straightened in order to prevent flooding and to gain areas for industrial buildings. The river itself was expanded over the course of centuries. With the development into a heavy shipping lane in the early 20th century, the last freely flowing parts between Plochingen and the mouth disappeared and the whole river in this part nowadays is characterized by dam areas. In the strongly textured Neckar area the valley became the only possibility for modern transportation infrastructure. Construction of railway lines and avenues in the valley plains changed the Neckar valley from a cultural to an industrial landscape. One example is the densely populated and industrialised Neckar valley between Plochingen and Bad Cannstatt, which harbors large companies such as Daimler AG (the maker of Mercedes Benz cars) and
Mahle GmbH MAHLE GmbH is a German automotive parts manufacturer based in Stuttgart, Germany. It is one of the largest automotive suppliers worldwide. As a manufacturer of components and systems for the combustion engine and its periphery, the company is one ...
and recreational facilities with large area consumption like the Mercedes-Benz Arena, the Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle or the
Cannstatter Wasen The Cannstatter Wasen is a 35 hectare festival area on the banks of the Neckar river in the part of Stuttgart known as Bad Cannstatt. The Cannstatter Wasen form part of the Neckar Park Fairground. Each year the Wasen hosts the Cannstatter Vol ...
, the second-largest fair of Germany. The term ''Wasen'' gives a clue, that there used to be a floodplain on which the fair was held. Distinctive points in the industrial landscape of the Neckar valley are the high chimneys of the
coal-fired power station A coal-fired power station or coal power plant is a thermal power station which burns coal to generate electricity. Worldwide, there are about 8,500 coal-fired power stations totaling over 2,000 gigawatts Nameplate capacity, capacity. They ...
Altbach/Deizisau and
Heilbronn Heilbronn () is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany, surrounded by Heilbronn (district), Heilbronn District. With over 126,000 residents, it is the sixth-largest city in the state. From the late Mid ...
as well as the assembly halls of the Daimler-engine plant in Untertürkheim and the Audi plant in Neckarsulm. Along the Neckar's valley in the
Odenwald The Odenwald () is a low mountain range in the German states of Hesse, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. Location The Odenwald is located between the Upper Rhine Plain with the Bergstraße and the ''Hessisches Ried'' (the northeastern section ...
hills many castles can be found, including Hornberg Castle and Guttenberg Castle in Haßmersheim; the now-mothballed
Obrigheim Nuclear Power Plant Obrigheim Nuclear Power Plant (KWO) is a mothballed nuclear power plant in Obrigheim, Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis, on the banks of the Neckar and owned by EnBW. It operated a pressurized water reactor unit from 1969 to 2005. It has been defuelled since ...
and the active Neckarwestheim Nuclear Power Plant are also located there. In contrast to the plains, the mostly steep slopes are often forested and in forestry use. The sun-exposed south-facing sites are frequently used for vineyards and are terraced with dry walls. There the local red wine grapes Trollinger, Schwarzriesling and
Lemberger Lemberger is a surname of German origin demonym for a person from the Polish city Lwów (German: ''Lemberg''), now Lviv, Ukraine. Notable people with the surname include: * Georg Lemberger (c.1490–1500 – c.1540–1545), German painter and wood ...
are cultivated, which are also traditionally mostly drunk in Württemberg. Especially the middle Neckar around Besigheim and Lauffen is characterized by in parts extremely steep vineyards, which can be cultivated only by hand. The vine terrasses at the Neckar together with the drainage area of the tributaries deliver the largest part of the cultivation area of the Württemberg wine region. The vineyards at the lower reaches from Heinsheim to Heidelberg are part of the Baden wine region. Until the end of the 19th century, vineyard cultivation was more extensive in the Neckar valley including unfavorable sites. Today these have been abandoned and gone fallow, reclaimed by wildlife. One example is the southern slopes of the Spitzberg above the Neckar near Tübingen. The river's course provides a popular route for cyclists, especially during the summer months. The slopes of the Neckar are preferred areas for high-level residential areas because they allow wide, unobstructed views.


Renaturation

The diverse usage of
raw water Raw water is water found in the environment that has not been treated and does not have any of its minerals, ions, particles, bacteria, or parasites removed. Raw water includes rainwater, ground water, water from infiltration wells, and water from ...
and waterway, as well for the production of hydropower brought with it substantial interventions into the ecological structure of the river. Multiple initiatives are advocated for the land restoration the Neckar, the ecological enhancement of the river network, the improvement of the water quality, improved flood control and the creation of attractive local recreational areas alongside the river. Only recently within the frame of the nationwide campaign lively rivers and the initiative ''Lebendiger Neckar'' (German: lively Neckar), it was begun to free it from its partly-existing concrete corset. The river has in parts been redeveloped as a local recreational area and habitat for animals and plants. It still remains a symbol of endangered nature with the highest power plant density in Germany. At an oxygen content of below 4 mg/L power plant owners have to run specially designed turbines to inject air into the water. As of 2003, no mass die-off of fish due to lack of oxygen had occurred for 20 years.


Climate

The Neckar valley functions as a
cold air basin Cold is the presence of low temperature, especially in the atmosphere. In common usage, cold is often a subjective perception. A lower bound to temperature is absolute zero, defined as 0.00K on the Kelvin scale, an absolute thermodynamic ...
, which means that under cloudless skies the heavier, cold, night air which develops on the sparsely vegetated plateaus and hills, flows into the basin and concentrates there. Especially during the cold season, such "cold lakes" can contribute to the creation of fog while all around on the plateaus the sun shines. The orography of the Neckar valley facilitates such inversive weather conditions. The Neckar valley is known for its wine cultivation climate and the cultivation of Trollinger,
Lemberger Lemberger is a surname of German origin demonym for a person from the Polish city Lwów (German: ''Lemberg''), now Lviv, Ukraine. Notable people with the surname include: * Georg Lemberger (c.1490–1500 – c.1540–1545), German painter and wood ...
, Kerner,
Müller-Thurgau Müller-Thurgau is a white grape variety (sp. ''Vitis vinifera'') which was created by Hermann Müller from the Swiss Canton of Thurgau in 1882 at the Geisenheim Grape Breeding Institute in Germany. It is a crossing of Riesling with Madeleine R ...
amongst other locally grown grape varieties. Wine cultivation has receded over the 20th century and cultivation of the "Württemberger Wein" is mostly restricted to the southfacing slopes with high radiation gain in the Neckar valley and its side valleys, as wine cultivation is labor-intensive and in Württemberg competitive only in the best sites.


Navigation

Various excavations of harbor installations and findings lead to the conclusion that the Neckar navigation already existed during the Roman Age in the first century. Especially on the lower Neckar. Main purpose was probably the transportation of construction material for the Limes and provisions. Later the Neckar navigation was probably restarted by the Franks.


Historical Development


Timber floating from 1100

Starting from 1100 the usage of the Neckar as a waterway with line boats and rafts has been attested. The river was already blocked by weirs in the surroundings of several cities during the High Middle Ages. In Heilbronn a harbour was mentioned for the first time in 1146. The
Neckar privilege The Neckar () is a river in Germany, mainly flowing through the southwestern States of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg, with a short section through Hesse. The Neckar is a major right tributary of the Rhine. Rising in the Schwarzwald-Baar- ...
granted by Holy Roman Emperor Louis IV in 1333 allowed the free imperial city the construction of a weir. After its construction, the continuous traffic on the river was for several centuries blocked. An annoyance for the neighbours. The permission of passage for raftsman therefore had to be determined contractually. In 1342 Württemberg, the Markgrafschaft Baden and the free imperial city signed an agreement for the opening of the Neckar for rafts between Besigheim and Heilbronn. A treaty from 1476 between the free imperial city Esslingen, Württemberg and Austria fixed free rafting trade as well. The last raft went through Tübingen down the Neckar river on October 26, 1899. The wood from the eastern
Northern Black Forest The Northern Black Forest (german: Nordschwarzwald) refers to the northern third of the Black Forest in Germany or, less commonly today, to the northern half of this mountain region. Geography The Northern Black Forest is bounded in the north b ...
was shipped through the Neckar and then Rhine up to Holland. Because of the developing seafaring the shipbuilding had a large demand for wood. The
firewood Firewood is any wooden material that is gathered and used for fuel. Generally, firewood is not highly processed and is in some sort of recognizable log or branch form, compared to other forms of wood fuel like pellets or chips. Firewood can ...
from the Schurwald was combined to up to 260 Meter long rafts in Plochingen.


Navigation from the 16th century onward

The Neckar gained importance as a waterway in the middle of the 16th century due to the beginning upper German trade. Despite many interventions in the river course in order to improve navigation, the river which had a towpath, was because of dangerous rapids and shallows only navigable for smaller barges and this mostly only up to Heilbronn. Making the upper Neckar navigable was then pushed ahead by Christoph, Duke of Württemberg who got the necessary permission from Emperor Karl V. in 1553. The city of Heilbronn still insisted on its rights so that the river was blocked at Heilbronn which meant that the upper Neckar and therefore Württemberg remained cut off from the navigation coming from the Rhine. All shipped goods were subject to Heilbronner staple right. In the late 16th century, Duke of Württemberg, Frederick I had plans for the navigation passage but discarded those in 1598 and instead planned to construct a württembergian trade port in Kochendorf. – which was as unsuccessful as his successors plans to build one in
Untereisesheim Untereisesheim is a municipality in the district of Heilbronn in Baden-Württemberg in Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe a ...
. During the times of need in the 17th century, the navigation was insignificant. Immediately above Mannheim interventions were necessary due to regular floods. After 1622, smaller corrections were made at the back then-existing Neckar loops between Mannheims Feudenheim and today's Friedrich-Ebert-Bridge. Floods still occurred and threatened the city, lastly in 1784 and 1789. The situation was then relaxed through the straightening of the river bed by means of for breakthroughs in combination with the lowering of the river bed as well as fortifications and dams. After consolidation of the situation in the 18th century, electoral palatinate market ships regularly travelled on the lower Neckar river. On the upper Neckar boats regularly travelled between Heilbronn and Cannstatt for several years around 1720; the expansion of the navigation to the Württembergian Plochingen further up the river failed due to the free imperial city of Esslingen. While the electoral palatinate shipping on the lower Neckar was quite successful, the shipping on the upper Neckar was soon stopped again as the river was not suitably enough expanded for a navigation and moreover no funding was available for the further upgrading. Württemberg and the Electoral Palatinate signed a trade agreement in order to start up the Neckar navigation between Mannheim and Cannstatt during a time of economical rise in the late 18th century. In 1782 the previous two and the free imperial city of Heilbronn agreed upon facilitations in the Neckar trade but which were only of administrative nature. The Neckar still remained blocked at the weir in Heilbronn. The
Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
ic times around 1800 brought a downfall to the Neckar navigation. On the one hand – because most parts of the lower Neckar area had fallen to Baden and the free imperial cities of Heilbronn and Esslingen to Württemberg – the many disputes and obstructions of the former small states did not hamper the trade anymore. But during the Continental System the navigation was restricted and ships and material were confiscated. The introduction of the Mannheimer Stapels ("Mannheim stable") in 1808 meant that the merchants of Mannheim gained control over almost all Neckar trade. During the
German Campaign The German campaign (german: Befreiungskriege , lit=Wars of Liberation ) was fought in 1813. Members of the Sixth Coalition, including the German states of Austria and Prussia, plus Russia and Sweden, fought a series of battles in Germany ag ...
of 1813 only small ships travelled on the Neckar, mainly military transports. The Congress of Vienna demanded the freedom of traffic on the Neckar and Rhine rivers in 1814/1815.


Continuous navigability with the Wilhelmskanal in 1821

The 550-meter-long Wilhelmskanal ("Wilhelms canal") was constructed in Heilbronn from 1819 to 1821. The reason was the bypassing of the entire weir area and many mills. After further river construction measures, the Neckar became navigable all the way between the Rhine and Cannstatt. A
lock gate A lock is a device used for raising and lowering boats, ships and other watercraft between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water lev ...
at the upper end of the canal could turn it during floods into a port of refuge which was, already in 1829, expanded into a port of transshipment. In 1827 the Mannheimer Stapel was lifted through which the Neckar navigators gained back free access to the Rhine river. The Rheinschiffahrtsakte ("Mannheim Act") from 1831 and in consequence of it the ("Neckar navigation regulations") from 1832 brought, through simplified regulations and tariffs a significant rise for the navigation. But because of its shallows and rapids the river was considered one of the most dangerous in Germany. In 1836 the ("Neckar shipping guild") was dissolved, which had since 1810 tried to gain a monopoly on the Neckar trade. With the ratification of the in 1842 all Guilds were dissolved and thereby economic freedom created. From 1841/42 onwards the Heilbronn-based Neckar-Dampfschifffahrt introduced a regular passenger and general cargo transport from Heilbronn to Mannheim. Despite the usage of modern steam ships, horses still pulled the heavy barges on the towpath upriver. The reason was that the steam ships were not yet strong enough herefore. The competition of rail transport made steam ships as well as towing barges gradually uneconomic in the second half of the 19th century. Rafting on the other hand kept its importance, but adapted to the age of the railroad. Because trunks from the Black forest did more and more go by train to Heilbronn and only from there continued their trip on the water, a new rafting harbour was constructed in Heilbronn in 1875. Above Esslingen the rafting was only of little importance. The last raft passed the city on 28. Oktober 1899. A new recovery for the Neckar navigation came with the
chain boat navigation Chain-boat navigation or chain-ship navigation is a little-known chapter in the history of shipping on European rivers. From around the middle of the 19th century, vessels called chain boats were used to haul strings of barges upstream by using ...
begun in 1878. Despite the construction of a railroad line along the Neckar. Between Mannheim and Heilbronn steam towboats with attached barges were now able to pull themselves upriver on a 115 km long chain which had been put into the river. Through that, the trip between Mannheim and Heilbronn was shortened to two to three days. On the horse drawn ships it had previously taken five to eight days. But often the water depth was not deep enough. The vernacular name for the chain boats was Neckaresel ("Neckar donkey"). The last chain boat navigation was still done 1933 – 1935 between Neckargerach and the barrage Kochendorf. The world's first motorboat made during the summer of 1886 by Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach was named "Neckar" when their ''Standuhr'' ( grandfather clock) petrol engine was tested on the river near Bad Cannstatt. The motorized cargo navigation began on the Neckar in 1925. The first motor cargo ship on the river was ordered by the brothers Ludwig (1887–1955) and Jakob Götz (1890–1977) already in 1924 at the Anderssen Werft ("Anderssen shipyard"). It was put into service in 1925 and christened "Gebrüder Götz". The motor cargo ship was operated by the shipping company drove for the shipping company Ludwig und Jakob Götz, founded in 1920. One of the best known
shipping companies The following articles list companies that operate ships: * List of freight ship companies for companies that own and operate the freight ships (Bulk Carriers, Container Ships, Roll-on/Roll-off (for Freights), Tankers and Gas Carriers). ** List o ...
on the Neckar, which was also involved in the upgrading of the river to a heavy shipping waterway. In 1946 the first transportation order for coal after the second world war on the Neckar was awarded and shipped by Johann Friedrich Boßler with his motor cargo ship Elisabeth.


Upgrading to a heavy shipping waterway between 1921 and 1968

In order to provide the rising industrial area around Stuttgart a waterway connection for fully rigged ships, first plannings for channelling of the Neckar between Mannheim and Plochingen began already in 1904. The goal was to be mostly independent from natural impacts as for example low waters or floating ice. With the Württembergian side
Otto Konz Otto is a masculine German given name and a surname. It originates as an Old High German short form (variants ''Audo'', ''Odo'', ''Udo'') of Germanic names beginning in ''aud-'', an element meaning "wealth, prosperity". The name is recorded fro ...
(1875–1965) was assigned who remained connected to the Neckar upgrading the rest of his life. A memorandum from 1910 allowed for ships up to 1000 tons, according to plans from 1919 the transportation was planned for the 1200-t-ship. Because the Neckar was earmarked as a Reichswasserstraße (literally:"realm waterway") in the Weimar Constitution in 1919 (officially from 1. April 1921), Neckarbaudirektion (literally: "Neckar construction department") was introduced in 1920 whose head Otto Konz became. The department was directly subordinated to the German Reich (often called "Weimar Republic"). In 1921 the German Reich, the Neckar adjoining states Württemberg, Baden and Hessen agreed in a state treaty the upgrading of the Neckar to a heavy shipping waterway. In order to finance the construction project they founded the Neckar AG with a construction loan from the German Reich, the three States and several municipalities in the same year. As compensation the AG received the right to use the simultaneously expanded hydropower until 2034 and to redeem the construction loan with the profits; this right transferred to the Federal Republic of Germany. As chairman of the Neckar AG were elected
Otto Hirsch Otto is a masculine German given name and a surname. It originates as an Old High German short form (variants ''Audo'', '' Odo'', ''Udo'') of Germanic names beginning in ''aud-'', an element meaning "wealth, prosperity". The name is recorded f ...
from the Württembergian ministry of internal affairs and Otto Konz. In consideration of the world famous cityscape of Heidelberg and in order to bring the further barrages in unison with nature and landscape, the architect Paul Bonatz worked for the project (1877–1956). Construction began immediately along the entire distance in 1921. Along a stretch of 113 km length the first eleven barrages between Mannheim and the new canal harbour in Heilbronn were finished in 1935. This canal harbour became later through the further expansion the barrage channel Heilbronn. The expansion of the Neckar to a heavy shipping waterway lead to a
shipbuilding industry Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to befo ...
exclusively for the passenger traffic on the river. Already in 1926 the brothers Georg (1881–1946) and Andreas Boßler (1884–1961) founded the Personenschiffahrt Gebr. Bossler, which makes the Gebrüder Bossler pioneers for passenger navigation on the Neckar. While the river was upgraded and the barrages constructed, the Neckar-Enz-Stellung, a defensive fortification against enemies approaching from the West was constructed between 1935 and 1938. It was based between Eberbach and
Besigheim Besigheim () is a municipality in the district of Ludwigsburg in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. It is situated 13 km north of Ludwigsburg at the confluence of the Neckar and Enz rivers. The town has many old buildings and a t ...
on the natural obstacle of the Neckar river and from thereon followed the Enz upriver up to Enzweihingen. Upgrading works were begun near Plochingen at the upper end of the intended waterway and plans existed to make the
Fils Fils or FILS may refer to: People * Anton Fils (1733–1760), German composer * Arthur Fils (born 2004), French tennis player * Pascal Fils (born 1984), Canadian football player Other uses * Fils (currency), a subdivision of currency used in ...
between Plochingen and Göppingen navigable. The area for a harbour in Göppingen remained reserved in spatial planning until 1978. The construction chairman Konz also ordered the planning of a tunnel through the
Swabian Jura The Swabian Jura (german: Schwäbische Alb , more rarely ), sometimes also named Swabian Alps in English, is a mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, extending from southwest to northeast and in width. It is named after the region of ...
for a waterway Ulm at the Danube in order to create a waterway between upper Rhine and upper Danube, as the State treaty from 1921 had planned. But those plans were dropped from 1968 onwards. After 1935 the upgrading slowed down. Until 1943 only six barrages above Heilbronn were constructed, but without locks. Hirsch was forced out of office and murdered in the KZ Mauthausen in 1941. Konz went into provisional retirement because of national socialist repressions. The constructions were mostly stopped during the second world war. Only in 1948 the barrage construction above Heilbronn was continued, until 1952 again led by Otto Konz. The section up to Stuttgart was finished in 1958 and Stuttgart harbour was opened by the president Theodor Heuß together with Otto Konz. With the opening of the Plochingen harbour in 1968 the expansion goal for the Neckar was reached after 47 years of construction. The river was dammed up at 27 locks and thereby had become a heavy shipping waterway from Mannheim to Plochingen. Every barrage consists of a weir with two to six openings and different gates, a double lock and a remote-controlled hydropower plant next to each other. At seven barrages, where a larger damming up was not possible due to the landscape, a parallel barrage and hydropower canal varying in length from 1.5 to 7.5 km has been constructed. At two further barrages a breakthrough exists which cuts of a river bend. In total only 17% of the entire distance from the Rhine up to the mouth of the Rems lie in an artificial waterbed, which means the river character dominates. On the last 32 km of the waterway in the area of the less water carrying upper river which is at the same time heavily used economically, almost the entire river bed had to be constructed artificially.


Today

Neckar at Stuttgart-Untertürkheim through heavily industrialized area The Neckar (Ne) is being administered after taking over step-by-step from the Neckar AG since 1970 from Mannheim to Plochingen as a Bundeswasserstraße (literally "federal waterway") by the water- and navigation offices
Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...
and Heidelberg. The Federal Republic is owner of the waterway. Sport boats including paddle and rowing boats are subject to the Binnenschifffahrtsstraßen-Ordnung, valid on the Neckar which for example defines the need of identification and the rules for the right of way. 159 water abstraction points and 628 water intakes show the heavy water economical usage. On the Neckar, which is nowadays classified as a "Wasserstraße des Typs Va" (waterway Type Va) from km 201.5 at Plochingen to its mouth (km 0), 7332 river boats transported in 2012 7.5 million tons. The largest parts of these tons were made up of construction material (1,9 Millionen t) and coal (1,6 Millionen t) as well as salt (1,3 Millionen t). 21.000 TEU Containers were transported. Leisure ships run by various companies travel on the river for tourists. On the upper Neckar the passenger navigation is handled by the company Neckar-Käpt'n.


Harbour


Plochingen harbour

On December 8, 1954, the ''Neckarhafen Plochingen GmbH'' was founded. From 1960 until 1963 the last barrage was constructed near Deizisau. The construction of the ''Neckarhafen Plochingen'' started on April 29, 1964. The first ship landed in Plochingen on July 12, 1968, after it had been blessed with the name "Plochingen" by Gertrud Hartung, the mayor's wife. In the harbour 15 companies generated an annual revenue of about 500 to 600 Million Euro in 2004.


Stuttgart harbour

The Neckarhafen Stuttgart was constructed in two steps, from 1954 until 1958 and from 1966 until 1968. The harbour area covers a total area of 100 ha. The three basins including the federal waterway have a water surface of 30,7 ha.


Cannstatt harbour

The first Cannstatter "Hafen am Mühlgrün" was inaugurated by duke Eberhard Louis in 1713. It remained insignificant.


Heilbronn harbour

The Heilbronn harbour with a total factory area of 78 ha and a quay length of 7,2 km based on the turnover the 7th largest inland harbour in Germany (2010) and the largest of the Neckar. Over 50% of the Neckar turnover is done here. In total about 4 million tons per year. About 60% of the turnover are
domestic trade Domestic trade, different from international trade, is the exchange of domestic goods within the boundaries of a country. This may be subdivided into two categories, wholesale and retail. Wholesale trade is concerned with buying goods from manufactu ...
, the rest are international goods and commodities. Additionally to commodities and construction material ( coal, Salt) grain, iron, steel and timber are loaded.


Mannheim harbour

The Mannheim harbour is one of the most important inland harbours in Europe and the second-largest in Germany. The harbour has a total water surface of 267,9 ha, additionally there is 863,5 ha land area. About 500 companies with 20.000 employees have settled in the harbour area. In 1968 the first Container-Terminal in an inland harbour was opened here. Furthermore, a RoRo-facility and since 1991 a combined transport terminal. On the water side 7.64 million tons of goods were turned over in 2010. The largest stakes have bituminous coal 2.2 million t, food- and fodder with 0.92 million t and chemical goods with 1.59 million t. At the container terminal on the water side 120.568 units were turned over. The harbour basin spreads out around the mouth of the Neckar along the Rhine and Neckar. The overall complex includes the Ludwigshafener Rheinhafen, which is situated directly on the opposite side of the Rhine river.


Barrages

The maximum size of the river boats driving on the Neckar is limited by the locks of the 27 barrages. Those are in general 110 m long and 12 m wide; the allowed dimensions are therefore 105 m x 11.45 m. Since 1952 almost every Barrage got a second lock. 23 of those locks use almost 50% of the water of one chamber to fill the other empty chamber in order to save water (so-called
twin locks Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of TwinLast Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two em ...
). In order to prevent jams at the mouth of the Neckar, the first barrage Feudenheim received a further lock in 1973 (190 m × 12 m). The barrages have an average distance of 7 km between each other (between 0.9 and 13.7 km, see table) and are used to cover the difference in altitude of 160.70 m to the Rhine at low water. The waterway depth is since 2000 continuously 3.80 m. This means that the Stuttgart harbour can be reached by the large motor ships of the Rhine, which have a draft of 2.6 m and a loading capacity of 2200 t. In the coming years it is planned to refurbish the locks and partly extend them. In total the federal government invests 575 Million Euro for this project. For its execution, the
Amt für Neckarausbau Heidelberg Amt is a type of administrative division governing a group of municipalities, today only in Germany, but formerly also common in other countries of Northern Europe. Its size and functions differ by country and the term is roughly equivalent to ...
was founded in 2007. In order to make the Neckar navigable for 135 m long ships, one of each dual lock chamber is going to be lengthened. Furthermore, the old chambers are going to be refurbished and certain sections and turn around spots expanded. The barrages between Mannheim and Heilbronn are supposed to be lengthened until 2026. The Gundelsheim lock received the title "most water sport friendly lock" in 2012. Table of the locks at the Neckar with river kilometers and aimed stowage height in meters above Normalnull ( NN) and difference in level ( de) in meters.
In contrast to other waterways as for example the Mosel or Main there are no boat locks except for Bad Cannstatt. Therefore, yachts and sailing boats are normally locked in the river boat locks. The rails installed at the other 26 barrages to pull boats from one side to the other are often in a bad condition or even unusable. In some places canoes can, if allowed by the locks staff, use the lock as well. This is especially used on group trips. Since 2004 the remote control center in Stuttgart-Obertürkheim (Fernbedienzentrale, FBZ) controls all locks from Deizisau to Stuttgart-Hofen on the upper Neckar.


Stream gauge and flood

Crucial for the professional and recreational navigation on the Neckar are its stream gauges. According to the Hochwassermeldeordnung (HMO, flood report regulation) of the State Baden-Württemberg the following Hochwassermeldehöhen are valid at the
stream gauge A stream gauge, streamgage or stream gauging station is a location used by hydrologists or environmental scientists to monitor and test terrestrial bodies of water. Hydrometric measurements of water level surface elevation ("stage") and/or volu ...
: Gauge Plochingen The gauge in Plochingen (since 1905) was the only gauge at the waterway that lay in free descent. In 1962 the moveable barrage in Deizisau was constructed. In order to keep water level differences caused by the barrage, a ridge was constructed about 100 m below the Plochingen street bridge and moved the gauge there. The large flood in February 1970 destroyed the ridge made of stones. Because the costs for a new ridge made out of concrete seemed to be too high, a more economic solution was found. Out of the stream gauges and discharge of the gauges in Wendlingen (Neckar-km 206,5 – for the upper Neckar) and Reichenbach (Fils-km 2,5 – for the Fils) water gauges and discharges are algorithmically calculated and published. Flood * 1824: The most serious flood in the Neckar area happened in October 1824. Estimates conclude for a HQ4000, that means a return period of 4000 years. A study has been done to clustering simultaneous occurrences of the Extreme Floods in the Neckar Catchment and the results shows the Neckar catchment has been divided into three major clusters. The first cluster mainly covers the western part and is bounded by the Black Forest and Swabian Alps. The second cluster is mostly located in the eastern part of the upper Neckar. The third cluster contains the remaining lowland areas of the Neckar basin


Freeze up

* 1709: From January 18 until January 28 and from January 31 until February 13 as well as shortly after February 13 until March 23 the Neckar was frozen up.


Structures


Mills

The hydropower of the Neckar drove numerous mills, of which some are surviving to today: * In
Rottweil Rottweil (; Alemannic: ''Rautweil'') is a town in southwest Germany in the state of Baden-Württemberg. Rottweil was a free imperial city for nearly 600 years. Located between the Black Forest and the Swabian Alps, Rottweil has nearly 25,000 in ...
a powder mill existed since the 15th century which merged to the
Powder factory Rottweil A powder is a dry, bulk solid composed of many very fine particles that may flow freely when shaken or tilted. Powders are a special sub-class of granular materials, although the terms ''powder'' and ''granular'' are sometimes used to distin ...
in 1863. * In Gundelsheim the building of the ''Alten Neckarmühle'' (old Neckar mill) dates back to 1604. The milling was stopped following the Neckar regulation. The last miller was Meister Batz around 1935/36. There is no equipment in place anymore, for a time it was used gastronomically. Worth seeing are a large stone with a coat of arms and old inscriptions.


Power stations

At least since the early 20th century, power stations replaced the historical mills. Since then the Neckar has been used for commercial electricity production through hydroelectric power. Several transregionally known hydro plants can be found at the Neckar: * In Horb the construction of a hydroelectric plant was begun at the island front at the level of the Schillerstraße in February 2010. It started producing electricity on April 13, 2011. The hydroelectric plant is expected to produce 2.3 kWh yearly in the future – enough in order to supply about 600 four-person households with electricity. Together with the already existing, refurbished facilities it has an average total power of 437 kW. The total investments were about 5.5 million Euro. * In Rottenburgs district
Bad Niedernau Bad Niedernau is a suburban district of Rottenburg am Neckar in the administrative district of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg (Germany). Geography Bad Niedernau is located 3 km (1.86 mi) southwest of Rottenburg am Neckar in the Nec ...
the Wasserkraftwerk Bad Niedernau can be found. * In Rottenburg am Neckar the two power plants Beim Preußischen and Tübinger Straße. * In Kiebingen the Rottenburger clock factory Junghans did run since 1903 their own power plant, which still produces electricity today. For the clock factory the plant run by water and steam was over-dimensioned, therefore the overproduction was sold. Today the historic powerhouse is under monumental protection. Despite its age, the power plant is a very modern plant with three characteristics: The turbines have an innovative scoop shape which has been developed with computer simulations, special Thordon-Turbine bearings and inflatable rubber dam. A fish pass recreates since the modernization the pervasiveness for the fish migration at the weir.EnBw: ''Wasserkraft Standorte''
/ref> * The
hydroelectric plant Tübingen-Hirschau Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other Renewabl ...
is located between Hirschau and Tübingen as well as the ''Wasserkraftwerk Rappenberghalde'' which was constructed in 1930. It was refurbished in 1999 and today the two Kaplan turbines produce together with the residual water turbine at the weir upstream in Hirschau 7 million kWh electricity per year. Per second more than 22 cubic metres of water flow through a 1.7 km long supply canal to the plant. The plant uses the incline of the Neckar of 7.5 meters. * The Wasserkraftwerk Neckarwerk in Tübingen was constructed together with the weir within the frame of the Neckar regulation as one of the first
roller dam A Roller dam is a type of hydro-control device specially designed to mitigate erosion. They are most often used to divert water for irrigation but the largest and most notable examples are used to ease river navigation. The world's first roller d ...
s in Germany in 1910/1911. It is used for electricity generation as well as control of the river. Through the weir the water level of the Neckar in Tübingen center is managed. Before the construction of the weir the Neckar was full of gravel banks and hat a very flat waterfront. This can be seen on many photographs and drawings prior to the construction. Moreover, floods, which now and then flooded the back then only few buildings in Wöhrd and sometimes threatened the Neckar bridge have been eliminated with this weir and the other weirs (e.g. in Rottenburg). For fish a fish ladder has been constructed later on. The pedestrian bridge over the weir is an important connection of the two waterfronts between Lustnau and the central Eberhards or Neckar bridge. It also provides a nice view of Neckar, historic city center, abbey church and castle. * The Kraftwerk Oberesslingen is a run-of-the-river hydroelectricity plant between two Neckar islands at river kilometer 195.6 in
Oberesslingen Esslingen am Neckar ( Swabian: ''Esslenga am Neckor'') is a town in the Stuttgart Region of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany, seat of the District of Esslingen as well as the largest town in the district. Within Baden-Württemberg it is th ...
. The plant was constructed in 1929 in the frame of the upgrading to a heavy waterway according to a design made by the architect
Paul Bonatz Paul Bonatz (6 December 1877 – 20 December 1956) was a German architect, member of the Stuttgart School and professor at the technical university in that city during part of World War II, and from 1954 until his death. He worked in many styl ...
. It has a capacity of 2.1 MW and delivers per year about 12.3
GWh A kilowatt-hour (unit symbol: kW⋅h or kW h; commonly written as kWh) is a unit of energy: one kilowatt of power for one hour. In terms of SI derived units with special names, it equals 3.6 megajoules (MJ). Kilowatt-hours are a common bil ...
energy. The average flow ist 45 cubic meter per second. * In Esslingen a new run-of-the-river hydroelectricity plant has been constructed on the Hechtkopf. With a power of 1.25 MW and a yearly electricity production of 7.1 GWh 4000 people can be supplied with electricity. With the construction of this new power plant the last of the barrages on the Neckar has been equipped with turbines. It is framed by a weir in the Neckar on one side and the historical bridge house over the Hammerkanal (hammer canal) on the other side. * The Drehstromübertragung Lauffen–Frankfurt was on August 25, 1891, the worldwide first transmission of electric energy with high voltage alternating three-phase current. On the occasion of the International Electrotechnical Exhibition 1891 the electricity generated by the hydropower plant at the Mühlgraben in Lauffen am Neckar was upvolted to 15 kV and transported over 175 km to Frankfurt am Main where it did run an artificial waterfall. The power plant was moved up river during the upgrading of the Neckar. The original generator is now located in the Deutschen Museum (German Museum) in Munich. * The
hydropower plant Heilbronn Hydropower (from el, ὕδωρ, "water"), also known as water power, is the use of falling or fast-running water to produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by converting the gravitational potential or kinetic energy of a wa ...
lies on the old Neckar in the city center and not on the canal. Therefore, no lock exists here. * At the Heidelberger Karlstor is another barrage with lock; the corresponding power plant is the only underwater hydropower plant at the Neckar. The construction permission the Neckar AG 1994 received for it in 1994 had a number of requirements. Neither were visible changes at the weir which is under monumental protection, nor should the new power plant change the historic cityscape of Heidelberg. The technical solution was a power plant embbeded invisibly under the riverbed. * At the weir in Heidelberg the weir bridge connects the city districts Wieblingen and Neuenheim. Additionally, the Neckar is and has been a cooling water supply for coal and nuclear power plants. Near Esslingen-Zell the Neckar cools the
Altbach Power Station Altbach Power Station is a coal-fired power plant owned and operated by EnBW at Altbach, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It has an output capacity of 1,036 MWe, 783MW being coal fired divided amongst two 420-30MW units and 253MW of gas fired capacity ...
, one of the most modern bituminous coal power plants in Europe. It consists of two blocks and is located on the area of the two municipalities
Altbach Altbach is a municipality in the district of Esslingen in Baden-Württemberg. It belongs to the Stuttgart Region. (until 1992 ''Region Mittlerer Neckar'') and the European Metropolitan Region Stuttgart. Geography Geographical location Altb ...
and Deizisau. It can including its gas turbines and the combination block 4 produce a maximum of about 1270 MW of electrical power. The Heizkraftwerk Stuttgart-Gaisburg, the incineration facility of the Kraftwerks Stuttgart-Münster, the
Kraftwerk Marbach Kraftwerk (, "power station") is a German band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk were among the first successful acts to popularize the ...
, the
Kraftwerk Walheim Kraftwerk (, "power station") is a German band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk were among the first successful acts to popularize the ...
, the
Neckarwestheim Nuclear Power Station Neckarwestheim is a municipality with 3524 inhabitants in the Heilbronn district, Baden-Württemberg, in south-west Germany. It is located on the Neckar river and is well known as the location of a nuclear power station, the Neckarwestheim Nuclea ...
, the
Kraftwerk Heilbronn Kraftwerk (, "power station") is a German band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk were among the first successful acts to popularize the ...
and the mothballed
Obrigheim Nuclear Power Plant Obrigheim Nuclear Power Plant (KWO) is a mothballed nuclear power plant in Obrigheim, Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis, on the banks of the Neckar and owned by EnBW. It operated a pressurized water reactor unit from 1969 to 2005. It has been defuelled since ...
source their cooling or evaporation water from the Neckar as well.


Bridges

Famous bridges include the
Neckar Valley Bridge Weitingen The Neckar Viaduct at Weitingen is a bridge that crosses the valley of the River Neckar, near the town Horb am Neckar. The bridge is an important part of motorway A81's section Stuttgart - Singen. Characteristics Measurements The bridge has an ...
, near the town Horb am Neckar and the Old Bridge, in Heidelberg. The ladder is amongst the best known historic bridges. It already existed in the High Middle Ages and was erected in today's form in 1788. Further historic Neckar bridges are the Neckarbrücke in Lauffen am Neckar, in the core dating back to 1532, the Neckar bridge in Sulz constructed in 1742, the Pliensaubrücke, the Alte Agnesbrücke (old Agnes bridge) and the Ulrichsbrücke in Köngen. The oldest still remaining Neckar bridge is the Innere Brücke in Esslingen. The 230 meter long construction was built in the 13th century and consists of eleven stone arches. The Neckartalbrücke Heilbronn is with 1348 meter the longest Neckarbridge. The prestressed concrete construction built in 1967 is ailing and since early 2018 being replaced by a new bridge. In Neckargröningen the 85-meter longest free spanning wooden pedestrian bridge was created in 1990. The unusual structure has a triangle profile. Die älteste Spannbeton-Eisenbahnbrücke Deutschlands – erbaut 1957 – steht in Heilbronn. In the year 1905, there were already 119 bridges over the Neckar, of which, with a total length of 230 meters, the longest was the Neckargartacher Neckarbrücke built between 1903 and 1905. In 1985 the heavy waterway was crossed by 159 railroad-, street- and pedestrian-bridges and also by 126 overhead power lines and 67
Düker Düker is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Bernd Düker (born 1992), German footballer *Heinrich Düker (1898–1986), German psychologist, politician, and academic *Julius Düker (born 1996), German footballer See also

* ...
. In total there are today about 400 Neckar bridges of various sizes, half of it on the upper and half of it on the middle and lower reaches.


Castles and palaces

From Mannheim over Heidelberg, Eberbach, Mosbach up to Heilbronn the
Castle Road The Castle Road (german: Burgenstraße) is a theme route in southern Germany (in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg) and a small portion in the Czech Republic, between Mannheim and Prague. It was established in 1954. In 1994 it was possible to ext ...
runs almost parallel to the Neckar and passes on this about 100 km long section of the lower Neckar numerous castles and palaces. Most notably the
Heidelberg Castle Heidelberg Castle (german: Heidelberger Schloss) is a ruin in Germany and landmark of Heidelberg. The castle ruins are among the most important Renaissance structures north of the Alps. The castle has only been partially rebuilt since its demoli ...
zu nennen. Unter den Neckarburgen sind aber auch die vier Burgen in Neckarsteinach,
Dilsberg Castle Dilsberg Castle (german: Bergfeste Dilsberg) is a ruined castle located in Neckargemünd, Germany. It was built by the counts of Lauffen in the 12th century, but in the 14th century became part of the Electorate of the Palatinate. The castle becam ...
,
Burg Eberbach The German word Burg means castle. Burg or Bürg may refer to: Places Placename element * ''-burg'', a combining form in Dutch, German and English placenames * Burg, a variant of burh, the fortified towns of Saxon England Settlements * Burg, Aar ...
,
Burg Hirschhorn The German word Burg means castle. Burg or Bürg may refer to: Places Placename element * ''-burg'', a combining form in Dutch, German and English placenames * Burg, a variant of burh, the fortified towns of Saxon England Settlements * Burg, Aar ...
,
Zwingenberg Castle Zwingenberg Castle (german: Burg Zwingenberg), also called Zwingenberg or Schloss Zwingenberg, stands on the right bank of the River Neckar where it cuts through the Odenwald hills in central Germany. The castle is located in the municipality of ...
,
Burg Stolzeneck The German word Burg means castle. Burg or Bürg may refer to: Places Placename element * ''-burg'', a combining form in Dutch, German and English placenames * Burg, a variant of burh, the fortified towns of Saxon England Settlements * Burg, Aar ...
, die Minneburg, Burg Dauchstein,
Schloss Neuburg (Baden) ''Schloss'' (; pl. ''Schlösser''), formerly written ''Schloß'', is the German term for a building similar to a château, palace, or manor house. Related terms appear in several Germanic languages. In the Scandinavian languages, the cognate ...
, die Hornberg Castle (the castle of Götz von Berlichingen) and the Guttenberg Castle (
Deutsche Greifenwarte Deutsch or Deutsche may refer to: *''Deutsch'' or ''(das) Deutsche'': the German language, in Germany and other places *''Deutsche'': Germans, as a weak masculine, feminine or plural demonym *Deutsch (word), originally referring to the Germanic ve ...
), Horneck Castle,
Burg Ehrenberg The German word Burg means castle. Burg or Bürg may refer to: Places Placename element * ''-burg'', a combining form in Dutch, German and English placenames * Burg, a variant of burh, the fortified towns of Saxon England Settlements * Burg, A ...
. In the further course upriver to Stuttgart and continuing on, on the upper Neckar stand the
Burg Horkheim The German word Burg means castle. Burg or Bürg may refer to: Places Placename element * ''-burg'', a combining form in Dutch, German and English placenames * Burg, a variant of burh, the fortified towns of Saxon England Settlements * Burg, Aar ...
and the Neippergsche Schloss Klingenberg,
Schloss Lichtenegg ''Schloss'' (; pl. ''Schlösser''), formerly written ''Schloß'', is the German term for a building similar to a château, palace, or manor house. Related terms appear in several Germanic languages. In the Scandinavian languages, the cognate ...
, the
Esslinger Burg Esslinger (or Eßlinger) is a German surname. It may refer to: People *Hartmut Esslinger (born 1944), German-American industrial designer and inventor *Tilman Esslinger (born ?), German experimental physicist *Willi Eßlinger (1916–1944), German ...
, Burg Remseck,
Schloss Liebenstein ''Schloss'' (; pl. ''Schlösser''), formerly written ''Schloß'', is the German term for a building similar to a château, palace, or manor house. Related terms appear in several Germanic languages. In the Scandinavian languages, the cogna ...
, the Weiler Burg, the Ruine Herrenzimmern, the
Schloss Hohentübingen ''Schloss'' (; pl. ''Schlösser''), formerly written ''Schloß'', is the German term for a building similar to a château, palace, or manor house. Related terms appear in several Germanic languages. In the Scandinavian languages, the cognate ...
, the Schloss Weitenburg, the Ruine Albeck near
Sulz am Neckar Sulz am Neckar is a town in the district of Rottweil, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated on the river Neckar, 22 km north of Rottweil, and 19 km southeast of Freudenstadt. Sulz am Neckar came in the possession of the Hohe ...
as well as the ruins Wehrstein and Neckarburg.


Towers

*
Rottweil Test Tower The TK Elevator Test Tower (TK-Elevator-Testturm) is an elevator test tower in Rottweil, Germany. It is owned by TK Elevator, who have their elevator research campus nearby. It stands tall and was built to test the company's MULTI elevator syst ...
* Fernmeldeturm Mannheim


The Neckar in literature


Der Neckar
poem by Friedrich Hölderlin * Friedrich Hölderlin wrote a poem entitled "Der Neckar". *The Neckar is mentioned prominently in
Gustav Mahler Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and the modernism ...
's 1893 "Rheinlegendchen" ('Little Rhine Legend'), first published in 1899 in a cycle of 12 songs under the title ''Humoresken'' ('Humoresques'), today known as one of Mahler's '' Songs from Des Knaben Wunderhorn'' (Songs from ''The Youth's Magic Horn'').


Literature

* Dr. Hanns Heiman: ''Beiträge zur Geschichte des Neckarschiffergewerbes und der Neckarschiffahrt''. ''Die Neckarschiffer'' Band 1, C. Winter's Universitätsbuchhandlung, Heidelberg 1907,
Digitalisat
* Dr. Hanns Heiman: ''Die Lage der Neckarschiffer seit Einführung der Schleppschiffahrt''. ''Die Neckarschiffer'' Band 2, C. Winter's Universitätsbuchhandlung, Heidelberg 1907,
Digitalisat
*
Jan Bürger Jan, JaN or JAN may refer to: Acronyms * Jackson, Mississippi (Amtrak station), US, Amtrak station code JAN * Jackson-Evers International Airport, Mississippi, US, IATA code * Jabhat al-Nusra (JaN), a Syrian militant group * Japanese Article Numb ...
: ''Der Neckar. Eine literarische Reise''. C. H. Beck, München 2013, . * Der Neckar. Das Land und sein Fluss, hrsg. von der Landesanstalt für Umwelt, Messungen und Naturschutz Baden-Württemberg.
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