The Brunau is a long stream of

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

, in the district of Celle, on the

Lüneburg Heath Lüneburg Heath (german: Lüneburger Heide) is a large area of heath, geest, and woodland in the northeastern part of the state of Lower Saxony in northern Germany. It forms part of the hinterland for the cities of Hamburg, Hanover and Bremen a ...

Source and course

The Brunau rises in the vicinity of

Nindorf Nindorf is a municipality in the district of Dithmarschen, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European ...

, flows initially northeast to south of (a district of Südheide). Here it swings east, runs past

Bonstorf Bonstorf is a village in the municipality of Südheide (municipality), Südheide in the north of Landkreis Celle, Celle district on the Lüneburg Heath in central Germany. Bonstorf lies about 3 km from Hermannsburg on the boundary with the d ...

to the north and then continues in a southeastern direction. North of the village of

Baven Baven is a village in the municipality of Südheide in the north of Celle district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It lies on the western edge of the Südheide Nature Park, on the Lüneburg Heath and currently has a population of 1,638. There is evi ...

the stream is dammed. Originally it powered a

water mill A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in the productio ...

here, the ''Backebergsmühle'', a water-driven

corn mill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that has been separated ...

. The Brunau flows right under the building. Shortly before its mouth the Brunau merges with an old, now overgrown, meadow-irrigation channel. With this channel it discharges into the

Örtze Örtze () is a river of Lower Saxony, Germany. The Örtze rises north of Munster in the ''Große Heide'' (in the ''Raubkammer'' federal forest) and, after , joins the Aller southeast of Winsen. Source and course The Örtze valley is an old g ...

near Baven north of

Hermannsburg Hermannsburg is a village and a former municipality in the Celle district, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Since 1 January 2015 it is part of the municipality Südheide. It has been a state-recognised resort town since 1971. It is situated on the river ...

. File:BackMuehle.jpg, The Brunau near the Backeberg mill File:ÖrtzeAuslassSchleuseBaven.jpg, Old sluice on the Örtze. Right: the Brunau; left: the old meadow irrigation channel

Water quality

The Brunau derives its name from its brown (

Low German : : : : : (70,000) (30,000) (8,000) , familycolor = Indo-European , fam2 = Germanic , fam3 = West Germanic , fam4 = North Sea Germanic , ancestor = Old Saxon , ancestor2 = Middle ...

: ''bruun'') water. Its quality however is Class II throughout: moderately polluted.Gewässergütekarte vom NLWKN
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brunau (Ortze) Rivers of Lower Saxony Lüneburg Heath Rivers of Germany

Source and course

Water quality

See also

References