The Ölschnitz is a right-bank, northern

headstream The headwater of a river or stream is the geographical point of its beginning, specifically where surface runoff water begins to accumulate into a flowing channel of water. A river or stream into which one or many tributary rivers or streams flo ...

of the

White Main The White Main ( or ''Weißmain'', not to be confused with the Weismain), is the larger and shorter of the two headstreams of the river Main. It rises in the Fichtel Mountains and merges near Steinenhausen, southwest of Kulmbach, with the left ...

in the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

province of

Upper Franconia Upper Franconia (, ) is a (administrative 'Regierungs''region 'bezirk'' of the state of Bavaria, southern Germany. It forms part of the historically significant region of Franconia, the others being Middle Franconia and Lower Franconia, wh ...

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

. It is long.

Course

The Ölschnitz has its source at an impoundment and granite well stone in Solg, a village in the borough of Münchberg. It discharges into the White Main near Bad Berneck. The Ölschnitz flows from Solg through a wide valley to the village of Ölschnitz. It then flows down to Tennersreuth, passes under the A 9 motorway, supplies water for the Streitau Mill and continues to Böseneck. From here the little river snakes through an ever-narrower valley. After many bends it reaches the ''Entenmühle'' ("duck mill"), then flows around the hill spur near Stein in a large curve before cutting through the hard,

diabase Diabase (), also called dolerite () or microgabbro, is a mafic, holocrystalline, subvolcanic rock equivalent to volcanic basalt or plutonic gabbro. Diabase dikes and sills are typically shallow intrusive bodies and often exhibit fine-gra ...

rock in a steep, rocky, narrow valley, rich in flora, and reaching the spa park (''Kurpark'') at Bad Berneck. After almost 19 km it discharges into the White Main. The Ölschnitz valley between the ''Entenmühle'' and Bad Berneck, through which the ''Westweg'' and ''Jean-Paul-Weg'' trails also run, is one of the most beautiful valleys in the Fichtelgebirge.

Economic utilisation

Along the course of the stream, water power was used to drive many mill wheels. In 1536, the townsfolk of Berneck were giving fishing rights in the ''Ölsnitz'' and, in 1692, it was described as the "best trout stream in the Fichtelberge". In 1732, an ordinance concerning the Ölschnitz was issued by the Margrave of Bayreuth for the protection of the

freshwater pearl mussel The freshwater pearl mussel (''Margaritifera margaritifera'') is an endangered species of freshwater mussel, an Aquatic animal, aquatic bivalve mollusc in the family Margaritiferidae. Although the name "freshwater pearl mussel" is often used fo ...

s introduced there. Between 1733 and 1810, 6,000 pearls were harvested. Pearl fishing came under the supervision of a pearl inspector and, after 1810, the Bavarian Forestry Department.''Die Ölschnitz''
by Dietmar Herrmann at www.bayern-fichtelgebirge.de. Retrieved 30 Jan 2019

Places

Tributaries

* Querenbach (left) * Lahmabach (right) * Benkersbach (left) * Grundbach (right) * Angerbach (right) * Rieglersbach (left) * Schleifenbach (right) * Lübnitzbach (left) * Steingraben (right) * Metzlersreuther Bach (left) * Bärnreuther Graben (left)

Sources

* Konrad Arneth/Ernst Eichler: Slawische Flurnamen in der ehemaligen Markgrafschaft Bayreuth, in: Jahrbuch für Fränkische Landesforschung 1966, p. 191 * Dietmar Herrmann: Perlen in der Ölschnitz, in: The Siebenstern 2003, p. 11 * Dietmar Herrmann: Lexikon Fichtelgebirge, Hof 2000 (A-Z) Ölschnitz * Rudolf Klupp: Fischerei in Oberfranken, 1985, p. 214 * Seidel Chr.: Eine Ölschnitzwanderung von der Quelle bis zur Mündung,in: The Siebenstern 1937, p. 169 * Vogt Ludwig: The Gewässernamen des Fichtelgebirges, in: The Siebenstern 1959, p. 113 * Max Wirth: The Ölschnitzquelle in Solg bei Münchberg, in: The Siebenstern 1970, p. 118

References

External links

Gauge in Bad Berneck

{{Authority control Rivers of Bavaria Bayreuth (district) Hof (district) Rivers of Germany