{{infobox river , name = Erlenbach , map = , map_size = , map_caption = , image = , image_size = , image_caption = , subdivision_type1 = Country , subdivision_name1 =

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 ...

, subdivision_type2 = Location , subdivision_name2 =

Wasgau The Wasgau (, ) is a France, Franco-Germany, German Mountain range, hill range in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate and the French departments of France, departments of Bas-Rhin and Moselle (department), Moselle. It is formed from the south ...

Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; ; ; ) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the sixteen states. Mainz is the capital and largest city. Other cities are ...

, subdivision_type3 = Reference no. , subdivision_name3 = DE: 23728 , length = 9.04 km , width_avg = , depth_avg = , source1_location = The Löffelsberg near Oberschlettenbach , source1_coordinates = {{Coord, 49.150342, 7.888929, type:river_region:DE-RP, format=dms, display=inline,title , source1_elevation = {{Höhe, 272, DE-NN, link=true , mouth_location = Wieslauter in Niederschlettenbach , mouth_coordinates = {{Coord, 49.083778, 7.848000, type:river_region:DE-RP, format=dms, display=inline , mouth_elevation = {{Höhe, 203, DE-NN, link=true , basin_population = , basin_landmarks = Villages: Oberschlettenbach, Vorderweidenthal, Erlenbach, Niederschlettenbach , progression = {{RLauter (Rhine) , basin_size = 18.815 km² , discharge1_location = , discharge1_min = , discharge1_avg = , discharge1_max = , tributaries_right = , tributaries_left = , waterbodies = , ports = , bridges = , custom_label = References , custom_data = , extra = The Erlenbach is a

stream A stream is a continuous body of water, body of surface water Current (stream), flowing within the stream bed, bed and bank (geography), banks of a channel (geography), channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a strea ...

, over 9 km long, in the South Palatine

region of the German state of

. It is a left tributary of the Lauter which, here in its upper reaches is still called the ''Wieslauter''.

Geography

Course

The Erlenbach has a main source and a rather smaller subsidiary source, which are only a few hundred metres from one another on the eastern flank of the 445-metre-high Löffelsberg. They are located in the Wasgau, which comprises the southern part of the

Palatinate Forest The Palatinate Forest (; ), sometimes also called the Palatine Forest, is a List of landscapes in Rhineland-Palatinate, low-mountain region in southwestern Germany, located in the Palatinate (region), Palatinate in the state of Rhineland-Palatina ...

and the adjoining northern part of the French

Vosges Mountains The Vosges ( , ; ; Franconian (linguistics), Franconian and ) is a range of medium mountains in Eastern France, near its France–Germany border, border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the bor ...

. Initially the stream flows eastwards passing through the parish of Oberschlettenbach, its two headstreams meeting after 2 km, the smaller brook emptying from the right into the bigger one. The combined Erlenbach swings south and passes the villages of Vorderweidenthal and Erlenbach. In Niederschlettenbach it discharges into the Wieslauter from the left.

Tributaries

*Wüstenborn (''right'') *Kleisterbach (''right''), 1.4 km *Zimbach (''right'') *Eisenbach (''right''), 1.4 km

Sights

;Wildlife park, Lindelbrunn Castle Immediately east of the source area lies the Südliche Weinstraße Wildlife Park and the castle of

Lindelbrunn Lindelbrunn Castle () (also called Lindelbol, Lindelbronn or Lindelborn) is the medieval ruin of a rock castle near the village of Vorderweidenthal in the county of Südliche Weinstraße in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The name ...

. ;Drachenfels Castle Drachenfels Castle, 3 km west of the middle reaches of the stream, was destroyed in 1523, because part of it had belonged to the rebel knight Francis of Sickingen. ;Berwartstein Castle The Berwartstein, still occupied and managed today, was once the possession of the knight, Hans von Trotha who, as ''Hans Trapp'' has been absorbed into local legend. The castle rises above the left bank of the Erlenbach over the village of the same name, whilst on the opposite hillside is the tower of Little France. ;St. Anne's Chapel Hans von Trotha died in 1503 and was interred in St. Anne's Chapel just above the mouth of the Erlenbach. The chapel was commissioned by the nearby Weissenburg Abbey and was completed in 1462 in order to enable the miners of the

iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the f ...

pit at the ''Bremmelberg'' the opportunity to go to church. At the end of the 18th century, it was heavily damaged by French Revolutionary troops and was not rebuilt until 1908. Since then it has been the destination of an annual

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...

on the last Sunday in July.

References

Rivers of Rhineland-Palatinate South Palatinate Rivers and lakes of the Palatinate Forest Südwestpfalz Rivers of Germany