The Selke is a river of

Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt (german: Sachsen-Anhalt ; nds, Sassen-Anholt) is a state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of and has a population of 2.18 million inhabitants, making it the ...

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 ...

. It is a right-hand tributary of the Bode that starts in the

Harz The Harz () 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'' derives from the Middle High German w ...

Mountains before breaking out onto the northeastern Harz Foreland. It has a length of , of which lie in the forested mountains of the Harz and the rest on the agricultural lowlands of the Harz Foreland.

Course

The Selke rises near the village of Friedrichshöhe in the borough of Güntersberge at a height of about above NN. From Friedrichshöhe to Mägdesprung in the borough of Harzgerode, it is accompanied by the

Selke Valley Railway The Selke Valley Railway (''Selketalbahn''), ''Gernrode-Harzgerode Railway'' (''Gernroder-Harzgeroder Eisenbahn'') and the ''Anhalt Harz Railway'' (''Anhaltische Harzbahn'') were different names for the metre gauge railway in the Lower Harz, Germa ...

for a distance of . The Selke has cut deeply into the Harz Mountains in some places whilst in others it runs in a broad valley, depending on the bedrock. In

Meisdorf Meisdorf is a village in the town of Falkenstein/Harz in the district of Harz in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. Location Meisdorf lies at the eastern foot of the Harz Mountains in the east of the Harz/Saxony-Anhalt Nature Park at around . ...

on the northeastern edge of the Lower Harz, the Selke leaves the forested mountain region and winds across a cultivated plain, continuing to flow in an easterly or northeasterly direction as far as Ermsleben. Beyond Ermsleben the river swings through 90° to the northwest and runs from here in an almost straight line to its mouth on the Bode near , a village in the borough of Wegeleben. The Selke empties into the Bode at an elevation of . In the past Selke burst its banks on several occasions causing significant damage. This led to plans by the state government for the expansion of existing floodwater retention basins and the creation of a new one. Particularly controversial is a medium-term high embankment for the Selke Valley at Meisdorf. The citizens' initiative "Save the Selke Valley in the East Harz" is fighting this plan because they argue that it will destroy a scenically beautiful section of the Selke Valley that is important for nature conservation.

Castles

High above the Selke Valley is a striking and largely preserved medieval castle,

Falkenstein Falkenstein or Falckenstein ("falcons' stone" in German) may refer to: Places Austria * Falkenstein, Lower Austria, a market town in the district of Mistelbach Germany * Falkenstein, Bavaria, a market town in the district of Cham * Falkenst ...

, which is open to the public. On the other side of the valley, on a prominent spur, is a lofty viewing point, the ''Selkesicht'', above sea level, and at the site of another castle, the

Ackeburg The Ackeburg, also called the Ackenburg, in the Harz Mountains of central Germany, is the site of a high medieval hill castle, , in the borough of Falkenstein/Harz in Harz district in the state of Saxony-Anhalt. It was first mentioned in 1216 and ...

, with good views of Falkenstein Castle and the Selke valley. Both locations are checkpoints in the Harzer Wandernadel hiking network.

Tributaries

* Katzsohlbach ''(right)'' * Limbach ''(left)'' * Steinfurtbach ''(left)'' * Westerbach ''(right)'' *

Rödelbach The Rödelbachgraben, usually called the Rödelbach and also incorrectly referred to as the Rieschengraben, is a river of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It which was altered for mining purposes. It is the oldest fully functioning part of the Lower Harz ...

''(right)'' *

Hüttenstollen The Hüttenstollen, also Straßberger Hüttenstollen, was the central drainage adit in the Straßberg mining field and was also part of the Lower Harz Pond and Ditch System in the Harz Mountains of Germany. The adit lies at a depth of 50 m and is ...

* Glasebach ''(right)'' * Uhlenbach ''(left)'' *

Teufelsgrundbach The Teufelsgrundbach, also Teufelsbach, is a tributary of the Selke in the Lower Harz in Saxony-Anhalt in Germany. The stream flows through the valley of the Teufelsgrund. See also *List of rivers of Saxony-Anhalt A list of rivers of Saxony- ...

* Pulverbach ''(right)'' *

Schwefelbach Schwefelbach is a river in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany that flows into the Selke in Alexisbad. See also *List of rivers of Saxony-Anhalt A list of rivers of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany: A * Aland *Aller * Allerbach, tributary of the Rappbode (Rappbo ...

''(left)'' * Friedenstalbach ''(left)'' * Krebsbach ''(left)'' * Schiebecksbach ''(right)'' * Nagelbach ''(left)'' *

Titanbach Titanbach is a river of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It flows into the Selke near Pansfelde. See also *List of rivers of Saxony-Anhalt A list of rivers of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany: A * Aland *Aller * Allerbach, tributary of the Rappbode (Rappbod ...

''(right)'' * Sauerbach ''(left)'' * Getel ''(left)'' * Hauptseegraben ''(right)'' * Grenzgraben ''(left)''

References

External links

Rettet das Selketal!
nbsp;– The citizen action group's web page with map of the Selke
Dissertation: ''Der Einfluß der Bergbaugschichte im Ostharz auf die Schwermetalltiefengradienten in historischen Sedimenten und die fluviale Schwermetalldispersion in den Einzugsgebieten von Bode und Selke im Harz''
(pdf; 2.2 MB) {{Authority control Rivers of Saxony-Anhalt Rivers of the Harz Rivers of Germany