The Rödelbachgraben, usually called the Rödelbach and also incorrectly referred to as the Rieschengraben, is a river of

Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt ( ; ) is a States of Germany, state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of and has a population of 2.17 million inhabitants, making it the List of German states ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. It which was altered for mining purposes. It is the oldest fully functioning part of the Lower Harz Pond and Ditch System in the

Harz The Harz (), also called the Harz Mountains, is a highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The name ''Harz'' der ...

Mountains of Germany. The ditch was first mentioned in the records as the ''Oberer Rödelbachgraben'' in the year 1610.

History

Neither the builder nor the exact date of construction are known. Due to the mining activity within the Rödelbach valley near Straßberg in the 16th and 17th centuries, it was probably built in the late 16th century. The first documented mention in the Straßberg land register in 1610 records the structure as ''oberer Rödelbachgraben mit Dorfrösche'', the name changed from Röschengraben to Rödelbach. Originally it was fed from the first

Kiliansteich The Kiliansteich (literally " St. Kilian's Pond") is one of the oldest reservoirs in Germany. The reservoir is located near Straßberg (Harz) in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt and supplies drinking water. It impounds the Büschengraben stream ...

, later the Lower Kiliansteich – today part of the Kiliansteich Reservoir. The water then went directly to the pond as well as via the Frankenteich to the Maliniusteich. Here part of the water flowed around the silting up zone where it was united with another headwater, probably a natural stream. From the outlet of the Maliniusteich the water flows along the Straßberger Mühlengraben into the River Selke. Kiliansteich 334

In renovating the Kiliansteiche and the associated building of the Kiliansteich Dam and reservoir, the retention of the channel was secured at a constant flow rate of .

Waterfall

Immediately behind the Maliniusteich the Rödelbachgraben runs over a small

waterfall A waterfall is any point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in seve ...

. Visible traces of stone working indicate that it was at least partially man-made. The water pours over a staircase-like

cascade Cascade, or Cascading may refer to: Science and technology Science * Air shower (physics), a cascade (particle shower) of subatomic particles and ionized nuclei ** Particle shower, a cascade of secondary particles produced as the result of a high ...

. The height difference from top to bottom is not great.

Tributaries

The Rödelbachgraben is fed by the Büschengraben that discharges into the

pond. Below the Maliniusteich there exist in place long disused tributaries from collection ditches (''Sammelgräben''). In addition the Malinusteich has other small tributaries. Directly behind the Kiliansteich the Stollengraben branches off to the right.

External links

Bergbautannen–Straßberg

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roedelbachgraben Lower Harz Pond and Ditch System Rivers of Saxony-Anhalt Rivers of Germany

History

Waterfall

Tributaries

See also

External links