The Zillierbach (until 1558 called the Zilgerbach) is a stream 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 ...

mountains of central

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, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

( Harz district) in the state 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 ...

. It is about long. The stream rises on the western side of the ''Hohneklippen'' crags and runs initially southwards, then swings northeast at

Drei Annen Hohne Drei Annen Hohne is the name of a small settlement within the municipal area of Wernigerode in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. The place is located about southwest of the town within the Harz mountains, on the northeastern edge of the Harz National Park. ...

. South of Drei Annen Hohne it picks up the waters of the

Wormsgraben The Wormsgraben is a waterway in the Harz Mountains of central Germany in the state of Saxony-Anhalt. Location The Wormsgraben is located 1 to 3 km west of Drei Annen Hohne and 1 km south of the Hohneklippen rocks. The River Wormke ...

, its main tributary. The Zillierbach supplies the Zillierbach Dam near

Elbingerode Elbingerode is an ''Ortsteil'' of Oberharz am Brocken in the Harz district, in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. The former town was incorporated into the newly established municipality on 1 January 2010. Geography It is situated in the eastern ...

. In front of the settlement of Voigtstieg it is joined by another two smaller brooks. In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

the Zillierbach powered the mills between Voigtstieg and

Wernigerode Wernigerode () is a town in the district of Harz, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Until 2007, it was the capital of the district of Wernigerode. Its population was 35,041 in 2012. Wernigerode is located southwest of Halberstadt, and is picturesquely s ...

. This section of the valley is still called ''Mühlental'' (Mill Valley) today. In its lower reaches before its mouth the stream is known as the ''Flutrenne''. The stream discharges into the

Holtemme The Holtemme is a long tributary of the river Bode in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It rises in the Harz mountains at the eastern foot of the Brocken, descends during its upper course as the Steinerne Renne, a steep stream bed riddled with granite ...

at Wernigerode northwest of the West Gate (''Westerntor''). It drops through a vertical height of almost from source to mouth.

Habitat and ecology

The Zillierbach is home to a range of rare fish species, including the protected

brown trout The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a European species of salmonid fish that has been widely introduced into suitable environments globally. It includes purely freshwater populations, referred to as the riverine ecotype, ''Salmo trutta'' morph ...

, which features on the coat-of-arms of the town of Wernigerode as well as that of the district of Harz. Besides trout, the stream also supports the

minnow Minnow is the common name for a number of species of small freshwater fish, belonging to several genera of the families Cyprinidae and Leuciscidae. They are also known in Ireland as pinkeens. Smaller fish in the subfamily Leusciscidae are co ...

, the

gudgeon A gudgeon is a socket-like, cylindrical (i.e., ''female'') fitting attached to one component to enable a pivoting or hinging connection to a second component. The second component carries a pintle fitting, the male counterpart to the gudgeon, ...

and the

loach Loaches are fish of the superfamily Cobitoidea. They are freshwater, benthic (bottom-dwelling) fish found in rivers and creeks throughout Eurasia and northern Africa. Loaches are among the most diverse groups of fish; the 1249 known species of ...

. To improve the ecological environment of the Zillierbach a project was carried out from 2000 to 2002 by the German Foundation for the Environment, which envisaged five weirs with

fish ladder A fish ladder, also known as a fishway, fish pass, fish steps, or fish cannon is a structure on or around artificial and natural barriers (such as dams, locks and waterfalls) to facilitate diadromous fishes' natural migration as well as movemen ...

s in order to provide enable trout to negotiate the river more easily. The project was a significant factor in the town of Wernigerode being recognised for outstanding work in nature conservation as part of the competition to select the nation's "Conservation Capital" (''Bundeshauptstadt Naturschutz'').Press release
by the

Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety The Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (german: Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz, nukleare Sicherheit und Verbraucherschutz, ), abbreviated BMUV, is a German Cabinet, ca ...

of 29.10.2007: ''Heidelberg wird Bundeshauptstadt im Naturschutz 2007 - Rastatt, Wernigerode, Wettenberg und Nettersheim für herausragende Leistungen im kommunalen Naturschutz ebenso ausgezeichnet''

References

External links

DBU project handout on the Zillierbach Project
(pdf file; 104 kB)
Wernigerode Fish and Water Conservation Association
{{in lang, de Rivers of Saxony-Anhalt Rivers of the Harz Harz (district) Rivers of Germany

Habitat and ecology

See also

References

External links