The Enz is a river flowing north from the
Black Forest to the
Neckar
The Neckar () is a river in Germany, mainly flowing through the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg, with a short section through Hesse. The Neckar is a major right tributary of the Rhine. Rising in the Schwarzwald-Baar-Kreis near Schwen ...
in
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...
.
It is 106 km long.
Its headstreams – the Little Enz (german: Kleine Enz) and the Great Enz or Big Enz (''Große Enz'') – rise in the
Northern Black Forest
The Northern Black Forest (german: Nordschwarzwald) refers to the northern third of the Black Forest in Germany or, less commonly today, to the northern half of this mountain region.
Geography
The Northern Black Forest is bounded in the north b ...
, the latter at
Enzklösterle
Enzklösterle is a municipality in the district of Calw in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
History
Enzklösterle was first mentioned in a document from 1323 as "Klösterlein ze der Entz". It became a possession of the County of Württemberg betwee ...
. In
Calmbach, the Little Enz and the Big Enz join to form the Enz. The river passes through
Neuenbürg
Neuenbürg is a town in the Enz district, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated on the river Enz, 10 km southwest of Pforzheim.
History
Neuenbürg originated as a village around a castle built by the in the 12th century. Betwee ...
and
Pforzheim
Pforzheim () is a city of over 125,000 inhabitants in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, in the southwest of Germany.
It is known for its jewelry and watch-making industry, and as such has gained the nickname "Goldstadt" ("Golden City") ...
, where it leaves the
Black Forest. It then flows through the cities of
Vaihingen and
Bietigheim-Bissingen
Bietigheim-Bissingen (locally: ''Biedge-Bissenge'') is the second-largest town in the district of Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany with 42,515 inhabitants in 2007. It is situated on the river Enz and the river Metter, close to its confl ...
. Along the lower course,
wine
Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are ...
is grown.
Major tributaries to the Enz are
Glems
The river Glems is a right tributary of the river Enz in Baden-Württemberg, Germany and around long. The spring is located in the south-west of Stuttgart. On the way to the confluence into the Enz next to Unterriexingen (a quarter of Markgr� ...
and
Nagold
Nagold is a town in southwestern Germany, bordering the Northern Black Forest. It is located in the ''Landkreis'' (district) of Calw ( Germany/Baden-Württemberg). Nagold is known for its ruined castle, Hohennagold Castle, and for its road viad ...
(with its tributary
Würm
The Würm is a river in Bavaria, Germany, right tributary of the Amper. The length of the river is , or including the ''Steinbach'', the main feed of Lake Starnberg. It drains the overflow from Lake Starnberg and flows swiftly through the vill ...
). Near
Besigheim the Enz feeds into the Neckar.
In earlier times the Enz was important for the
timber rafting
Timber rafting is a method of transporting felled tree trunks by tying them together to make rafts, which are then drifted or pulled downriver, or across a lake or other body of water. It is arguably, after log driving, the second cheapest mean ...
industry.
Geography
River system
The Enz flows through two large
natural region
A natural region (landscape unit) is a basic geographic unit. Usually, it is a region which is distinguished by its common natural features of geography, geology, and climate.
From the ecological point of view, the naturally occurring flora and ...
s: in the upper half of its course, the river and its tributaries drain the eastern half of the
Northern Black Forest
The Northern Black Forest (german: Nordschwarzwald) refers to the northern third of the Black Forest in Germany or, less commonly today, to the northern half of this mountain region.
Geography
The Northern Black Forest is bounded in the north b ...
; later it flows through the southwest German
Gäu landscape, mostly through the
Neckar Basin
The Neckar () is a river in Germany, mainly flowing through the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg, with a short section through Hesse. The Neckar is a major right tributary of the Rhine. Rising in the Schwarzwald-Baar-Kreis near Schwe ...
.
Including its main headstream, the Poppelbach, the Enz has a total length of about 105 kilometres. However, unusually, its right
tributary
A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage ...
, the
Nagold
Nagold is a town in southwestern Germany, bordering the Northern Black Forest. It is located in the ''Landkreis'' (district) of Calw ( Germany/Baden-Württemberg). Nagold is known for its ruined castle, Hohennagold Castle, and for its road viad ...
, which discharges into the Enz in
Pforzheim
Pforzheim () is a city of over 125,000 inhabitants in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, in the southwest of Germany.
It is known for its jewelry and watch-making industry, and as such has gained the nickname "Goldstadt" ("Golden City") ...
on emerging from the Black Forest, is longer - in fact almost twice as long as its own headstream to that point. In addition, the Nagold carries twice as much water at its mouth. Thus, above Pforzheim, the Nagold is
hydrographically the main branch of the
river system
In geomorphology, drainage systems, also known as river systems, are the patterns formed by the streams, rivers, and lakes in a particular drainage basin. They are governed by the topography of land, whether a particular region is dominated by har ...
of the Enz, which is then about 149 kilometres long, and thus the third longest of the Neckar tributaries after the river systems of the
Kocher
The Kocher () is a -longincluding its source river Schwarzer Kocher right tributary of the Neckar in the north-eastern part of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The name "Kocher" originates from its Celtic name "cochan" and probably means winding, ...
and the
Jagst
The Jagst () is a right tributary of the Neckar in northern Baden-Württemberg. It is 190 km long. Its source is in the hills east of Ellwangen, close to the Bavarian border. It winds through the towns Ellwangen, Crailsheim, Kirchberg an de ...
.
Headstreams
The Enz bears its name without any qualifier until it reaches the town of
Calmbach, where the Great Enz (''Große Enz'') and
Little Enz
The Kleine Enz ("Little Enz") is a river of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. At its confluence with the Große Enz in Calmbach, the Enz is formed.
See also
*List of rivers of Baden-Württemberg
A list of rivers of Baden-Württemberg, Germany:
...
(''Kleine Enz'') merge. The Great Enz has two headstreams, both approximately 5 kilometres long: the ''Poppelbach'' and the ''Kaltenbach'', which unite at
Gompelscheuer. As with the
source of the Danube
Source may refer to:
Research
* Historical document
* Historical source
* Source (intelligence) or sub source, typically a confidential provider of non open-source intelligence
* Source (journalism), a person, publication, publishing institute ...
in
Donaueschingen
Donaueschingen (; Low Alemannic: ''Eschinge'') is a German town in the Black Forest in the southwest of the federal state of Baden-Württemberg in the Schwarzwald-Baar '' Kreis''. It stands near the confluence of the two sources of the river D ...
this purely nominal beginning of the (Great) Enz is symbolized by the nearby Enz Spring (''Enzbrunnen'') and, likewise, has been erroneously marketed as such to tourists.
In terms of water quantity and size of catchment area, the Poppelbach, which flows from the south, is the main headstream, whilst the Kaltenbach, which flows from the west, has a slightly greater length and higher source. The Poppelbach rises to the south, only 1 km north of the source of the River Nagold at 822 m (in the parish of
Besenfeld); the Kaltenbach rises to the northwest, on the southern slopes of the Schramberg at 907 m (in the parish of
Forbach
Forbach ( , , ; gsw, Fuerboch) is a commune in the French department of Moselle, northeastern French region of Grand Est.
It is located on the German border approximately 15 minutes from the center of Saarbrücken, Germany, with which it co ...
in the
Murg valley).
Great Enz and upper reaches in the Black Forest
From the confluence of the Poppelbach and Kaltenbach, the Great Enz initially flows through a narrow wooded valley that, after a small change in gradient, opens into the much broader valley of the Rombach, joining from the west. The valleys of the Enz, Rombach and other western tributaries of the upper reaches are characterised by glacial
cirque
A (; from the Latin word ') is an amphitheatre-like valley formed by glacial erosion. Alternative names for this landform are corrie (from Scottish Gaelic , meaning a pot or cauldron) and (; ). A cirque may also be a similarly shaped landfo ...
s from the last
ice age
An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gree ...
. After the Enz valley widens at
Enzklösterle
Enzklösterle is a municipality in the district of Calw in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
History
Enzklösterle was first mentioned in a document from 1323 as "Klösterlein ze der Entz". It became a possession of the County of Württemberg betwee ...
it narrows again until it reaches the next glacial valley, the ''Kegeltal'', at Sprollenhaus. Having hitherto flowed northeast, the Great Enz swings northwards and flows through a steep valley that cuts across the mostly wooded
bunter sandstone
The Buntsandstein (German for ''coloured'' or ''colourful sandstone'') or Bunter sandstone is a lithostratigraphic and allostratigraphic unit (a sequence of rock strata) in the subsurface of large parts of west and central Europe. The Buntsandste ...
plateaux of the northern Black Forest. From the well-known
Old Württemberg resort of
Wildbad, the valley is densely populated. At
Calmbach, where the
Little Enz
The Kleine Enz ("Little Enz") is a river of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. At its confluence with the Große Enz in Calmbach, the Enz is formed.
See also
*List of rivers of Baden-Württemberg
A list of rivers of Baden-Württemberg, Germany:
...
empties into the main river, follow the settlements of
Höfen an der Enz and
Neuenbürg
Neuenbürg is a town in the Enz district, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated on the river Enz, 10 km southwest of Pforzheim.
History
Neuenbürg originated as a village around a castle built by the in the 12th century. Betwee ...
. Here the Enz makes a wide loop enclosing a mountain spur atop which is Neuenbürg Castle. The Black Forest valley of the Enz has, including the valley of the Great Enz from Gompelscheuer, a length of approximately 38 kilometres and ends as it enters the
Kraichgau
The Kraichgau () is a hilly region in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany. It is bordered by the Odenwald and the Neckar to the North, the Black Forest to the South, and the Upper Rhine Plain to the West. To the east, its boundary i ...
region at
Birkenfeld
Birkenfeld () is a town and the district seat of the Birkenfeld district in southwest Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is also the seat of the like-named ''Verbandsgemeinde''. The town itself has approximately 7,000 inhabitants.
Geography ...
above Pforzheim.
Enz valley in the Gäu and Neckar Basin
After emerging from the Black Forest, the Enz flows down to its mouth in the Neckar Gäu country in the
muschelkalk
The Muschelkalk (German for "shell-bearing limestone"; french: calcaire coquillier) is a sequence of sedimentary rock strata (a lithostratigraphic unit) in the geology of central and western Europe. It has a Middle Triassic (240 to 230 million ye ...
beds of the
South German Scarplands
The South German Scarplands is a geological and geomorphological natural region or landscape in Switzerland and the south German states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. The landscape is characterised by escarpments.
It is variously referred to ...
. From a natural regional perspective, the Enz valley between Birkenfeld and
Enzberg is counted as part of the
Kraichgau
The Kraichgau () is a hilly region in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany. It is bordered by the Odenwald and the Neckar to the North, the Black Forest to the South, and the Upper Rhine Plain to the West. To the east, its boundary i ...
, which continues to the north, further downstream it is part of the Neckar Basin between
Stuttgart
Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the Swa ...
and
Heilbronn
Heilbronn () is a city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany, surrounded by Heilbronn District. With over 126,000 residents, it is the sixth-largest city in the state.
From the late Middle Ages, it developed into an important trading centre. ...
.
Overview of the tributaries
''Tributaries from the confluence of the Little (''Kleine'') and Great (''Große'') Enz. Tributary lengths are based on the source furthest from the mouth.''
*
Kleine Enz, from the right in Calmbach, 20 km and 88 km
2.
* Förtelbach, from the right in
Höfen an der Enz.
*
Eyach, from the left between Höfen an der Enz and Neuenbürg, 18.5 km and 52.6 km
2.
*
Rotenbach, from the left in hamlet of Rotenbach near
Neuenbürg
Neuenbürg is a town in the Enz district, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated on the river Enz, 10 km southwest of Pforzheim.
History
Neuenbürg originated as a village around a castle built by the in the 12th century. Betwee ...
.
* Größelbach, from the right between Neuenbürg and Birkenfeld.
* Tiefenbach, from the left in
Birkenfeld
Birkenfeld () is a town and the district seat of the Birkenfeld district in southwest Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is also the seat of the like-named ''Verbandsgemeinde''. The town itself has approximately 7,000 inhabitants.
Geography ...
.
*
Nagold
Nagold is a town in southwestern Germany, bordering the Northern Black Forest. It is located in the ''Landkreis'' (district) of Calw ( Germany/Baden-Württemberg). Nagold is known for its ruined castle, Hohennagold Castle, and for its road viad ...
, from the right in Pforzheim, 90.4 km and 1,151 km
2.
* Mäuerachklinge, from the right im Pforzheim village of Mäuerach.
* Igelsbach, from the left between
Eutingen and
Niefern.
* Schlupfgraben, from the left in
Enzberg
*
Erlenbach, from the left in
Mühlacker
Mühlacker is a town in the eastern part of the Enz district of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Mühlacker station has direct rail connections with Stuttgart, Karlsruhe, Heidelberg, Pforzheim and the Northern Black Forest.
Mühlhausen an der E ...
, 11.1 km.
*
Schmie, from the left near Vaihingen, 12.1 km and 47.4 km
2.
*
Strudelbach
Strudelbach is a river of Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
Geography
The source of the river is in the grounds of Weissach in Böblingen and flows in a narrow, northeasterly direction. It can reach a depth of 100m into the landscape Strudelbachta ...
, from the right near
Enzweihingen
Enzweihingen is a village, part of the town of Vaihingen an der Enz, 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 t ...
, 15 km and 55 km
2.
*
Dürre Enz, from the left in
Oberriexingen
Oberriexingen () is a town in the district of Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated on the river Enz, 20 km northwest of Stuttgart, and 13 km west of Ludwigsburg
Ludwigsburg (; Swabian: ''Ludisburg'') is a cit ...
.
*
Glems
The river Glems is a right tributary of the river Enz in Baden-Württemberg, Germany and around long. The spring is located in the south-west of Stuttgart. On the way to the confluence into the Enz next to Unterriexingen (a quarter of Markgr� ...
, from the right near
Unterriexingen
Unterriexingen is a village in the district of Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. By 1973 it was incorporated to the town of Markgröningen.
Geography
Geology
Unterriexingen lies on a by the Glems split terrace of the Enz, which ris ...
, 47.2 km.
*
Leudelsbach, from the right between Unterriexingen and
Untermberg, 6.5 km and 22.7 km
2.
* Saubach, from the right in Bissingen.
*
Metter, from the left in Bietigheim, 28 km.
*
Steinbach, from the left in Besigheim.
Political geography
The Enz flows mainly through the counties of
Calw
Calw (; previously pronounced and sometimes spelled ''Kalb'' accordingly) is a town in the middle of Baden-Württemberg in the south of Germany, capital and largest town of the district Calw. It is located in the Northern Black Forest and is a ...
,
Enzkreis
Enzkreis is a ''Landkreis'' (district) in the northwest of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neighboring districts are (from west clockwise) Karlsruhe, Heilbronn, Ludwigsburg, Böblingen and Calw. The district-free Pforzheim area in the south is nearl ...
,
Pforzheim
Pforzheim () is a city of over 125,000 inhabitants in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, in the southwest of Germany.
It is known for its jewelry and watch-making industry, and as such has gained the nickname "Goldstadt" ("Golden City") ...
and
Ludwigsburg
Ludwigsburg (; Swabian: ''Ludisburg'') is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about north of Stuttgart city centre, near the river Neckar. It is the largest and primary city of the Ludwigsburg district with about 88,000 inhabitants. It is ...
. Some headwaters of tributaries of the Great Enz and the headwaters of the Kaltenbach flow partly through
Rastatt
Rastatt () is a town with a Baroque core, District of Rastatt, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located in the Upper Rhine Plain on the Murg river, above its junction with the Rhine and has a population of around 50,000 (2011). Rastatt was an ...
.
Until the great territorial upheavals around 1803 and 1806, the course of the Enz ran mainly through the territory of
Old Württemberg, with short sections in the
Old Baden or through
knight
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...
ly estates. Wildbad, Neuenbürg, Vaihingen, Bietigheim and Besigheim were Old Württemberg centres of administration. The current territory of the counties of Rastatt and the Enz around Pforzheim (parishes of Brötzingen, Pforzheim, Eutingen and Niefern) belonged to Baden. In
Oberriexingen
Oberriexingen () is a town in the district of Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated on the river Enz, 20 km northwest of Stuttgart, and 13 km west of Ludwigsburg
Ludwigsburg (; Swabian: ''Ludisburg'') is a cit ...
, sovereignty was divided between
imperial knight
The Free Imperial knights (german: link=no, Reichsritter la, Eques imperii) were free nobles of the Holy Roman Empire, whose direct overlord was the Emperor. They were the remnants of the medieval free nobility (''edelfrei'') and the ministeri ...
s and Württemberg.
[Historical Atlas of Baden-Württemberg, map VI/13.]
Environment and economy
Flora and fauna
The lower reaches of the Enz, with their typical
water meadow shore structures, are an ideal habitat for many
riparian
A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. Riparian is also the proper nomenclature for one of the terrestrial biomes of the Earth. Plant habitats and communities along the river margins and banks ...
plant and animal species. Many of the
oxbow lake
An oxbow lake is a U-shaped lake or pool that forms when a wide meander of a river is cut off, creating a free-standing body of water. In South Texas, oxbows left by the Rio Grande are called '' resacas''. In Australia, oxbow lakes are cal ...
s and
riparian woodland
A riparian forest or riparian woodland is a forested or wooded area of land adjacent to a body of water such as a river, stream, pond, lake, marshland, estuary, canal, sink or reservoir.
Etymology
The term riparian comes from the Latin word '' ...
s are protected habitats; the Enz itself and parts of the valley such as the nature reserve near Vaihingen-Roßwag and the mouth of the
Leudelsbach at
Unterriexingen
Unterriexingen is a village in the district of Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. By 1973 it was incorporated to the town of Markgröningen.
Geography
Geology
Unterriexingen lies on a by the Glems split terrace of the Enz, which ris ...
are part of the Europe-wide protected network of
nature protection areas known as
Natura 2000
Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respectively ...
.
In the shallow waters up to 10,000 larvae - of
mayflies
Mayflies (also known as shadflies or fishflies in Canada and the upper Midwestern United States, as Canadian soldiers in the American Great Lakes region, and as up-winged flies in the United Kingdom) are aquatic insects belonging to the ord ...
,
caddis flies,
dragonflies
A dragonfly is a flying insect belonging to the infraorder Anisoptera below the order Odonata. About 3,000 extant species of true dragonfly are known. Most are tropical, with fewer species in temperate regions. Loss of wetland habitat thre ...
, beetles, snails and mussels - have been counted. Even
Western vairone,
barbel Barbel may refer to:
*Barbel (anatomy), a whisker-like organ near the mouth found in some fish (notably catfish, loaches and cyprinids) and turtles
*Barbel (fish), a common name for certain species of fish
**'' Barbus barbus'', a species of cyprini ...
,
nase
''Chondrostoma'' (from the Ancient Greek roots (''khondros'') 'lump' + (''stoma'') 'mouth' = 'lump-mouth') is a genus of ray-finned fish in the family Cyprinidae. They are commonly known as nases, although this term is also used locally to den ...
and
bullhead have their spawning grounds here.
From early summer, the Enz is home to dense communities of
river water crowfoot and
watermilfoil.
Some rare and endangered species live all year round on the Enz, which is an important resting stop for many migratory birds. These include, ''inter alia'',
kingfisher
Kingfishers are a family, the Alcedinidae, of small to medium-sized, brightly colored birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species found in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania, ...
,
sandpiper
Sandpipers are a large family, Scolopacidae, of waders. They include many species called sandpipers, as well as those called by names such as curlew and snipe. The majority of these species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soil. ...
,
goosander
The common merganser (North American) or goosander (Eurasian) (''Mergus merganser'') is a large seaduck of rivers and lakes in forested areas of Europe, Asia, and North America. The common merganser eats mainly fish. It nests in holes in trees. ...
,
grey wagtail
The grey wagtail (''Motacilla cinerea'') is a member of the wagtail family, Motacillidae, measuring around 18–19 cm overall length. The species looks somewhat similar to the yellow wagtail but has the yellow on its underside restricted to ...
,
moorhen
Moorhens—sometimes called marsh hens—are medium-sized water birds that are members of the rail family (Rallidae). Most species are placed in the genus ''Gallinula'', Latin for "little hen".
They are close relatives of coots. They are of ...
and
dipper
Dippers are members of the genus ''Cinclus'' in the bird family Cinclidae, so-called because of their bobbing or dipping movements. They are unique among passerines for their ability to dive and swim underwater.
Taxonomy
The genus ''Cinclus'' ...
. Other guests and residents of the coppiced
willow
Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist so ...
s and the trees lining the banks of the river are
white wagtail
The white wagtail (''Motacilla alba'') is a small passerine bird in the family Motacillidae, which also includes pipits and longclaws. The species breeds in much of Europe and the Asian Palearctic and parts of North Africa. It has a toehold ...
,
Icterine warbler,
spotted flycatcher
The spotted flycatcher (''Muscicapa striata'') is a small passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family. It breeds in most of Europe and in the Palearctic to Siberia, and is migratory, wintering in Africa and south western Asia. It is decli ...
,
nightingale
The common nightingale, rufous nightingale or simply nightingale (''Luscinia megarhynchos''), is a small passerine bird best known for its powerful and beautiful song. It was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is n ...
and
golden oriole
The Eurasian golden oriole (''Oriolus oriolus'') also called the common golden oriole, is the only member of the Old World oriole family of passerine birds breeding in Northern Hemisphere temperate regions. It is a summer migrant in Europe and ...
.
Economy
Until the early 20th century
timber rafting
Timber rafting is a method of transporting felled tree trunks by tying them together to make rafts, which are then drifted or pulled downriver, or across a lake or other body of water. It is arguably, after log driving, the second cheapest mean ...
was an important branch of the economy in the Black Forest. Like its neighbouring rivers, the Murg and Nagold, the Enz was used for transporting tree trunks and, especially, logs. ''Schwallungen'' (
storage pond
A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation.
Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including control ...
s that were drained for rafting), such as the Poppelsee and Kaltenbachsee at Gompelscheuer, recall this activity. In the Black Forest section of the Enz valley today
forest products
A forest product is any material derived from forestry for direct consumption or commercial use, such as lumber, paper, or fodder for livestock. Wood, by far the dominant product of forests, is used for many purposes, such as wood fuel (e.g. in fo ...
and
tourism
Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...
dominate the economy.
In the muschelkalk area of the river,
agriculture
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...
has a certain significance, and
viticulture
Viticulture (from the Latin word for ''vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ra ...
is practised on steep, terraced vineyards of the Enz valley.
Industry
Industry may refer to:
Economics
* Industry (economics), a generally categorized branch of economic activity
* Industry (manufacturing), a specific branch of economic activity, typically in factories with machinery
* The wider industrial sector ...
and
service are concentrated in Pforzheim (jewellery, precious metals, watches, commercial and administration), but can also be found in smaller centres in the catchment area of Stuttgart (especially Bietigheim-Bissingen).
Since the 5th century; B.C. (the Early
La Tène period) iron ore mining has been carried out in the Enz region. The visitor mine of
Frischglück Pit is an example of an individual mine.
Water sports
The upper reaches of the Enz are mainly used by
white water canoeist
Whitewater forms in a rapid context, in particular, when a river's gradient changes enough to generate so much turbulence that air is trapped within the water. This forms an unstable current that froths, making the water appear opaque and w ...
s. The most famous section is the challenging ''Kurparkstrecke'' in Bad Wildbad.
Water sports are restricted on some sections of the river in order to protect the ecosystem:
* Enzkreis: traffic lights on the weir at
Mühlhausen
Mühlhausen () is a city in the north-west of Thuringia, Germany, north of Niederdorla, the country's geographical centre, north-west of Erfurt, east of Kassel and south-east of Göttingen.
Mühlhausen was first mentioned in 967 and b ...
: no boating on the mill's loop when there is a red light
* Ludwigsburg county:
[Regulation of the Landratsamte Ludwigsburg on the regulation of the general usage on the Enz in the district of Ludwigsburg, 25 April 2006] Enter from the riverbank and landing stages only at the marked entry and exit points. Keep off pebble islands and shoals; no camping, barbecues or fires on the waterfront, except at signed and equipped places.
1 May to 30 September 30: Roßwag (river km 34.12) closed as far as the Vaihingen Seemühle (km 29.94)
Same period, but to Bietigheim-Bissingen Sawmill (km 13.16): at water levels below 65 cm (Vaihingen Gauge) Boating only with trained guide; prohibited at levels less than 45 cm.
References
Literature
* Max Scheifele: ''Als die Wälder auf Reisen gingen. Flößerei im Enz-Nagold-Gebiet''. Verlag G. Braun, Karlsruhe, 1996, .
External links
Map of the course of the Enzat:
High Water Forecast Officewith gauge data etc. on the Enz
Enz Valley Cycleway*
ttp://www.kajaktour.de/enz.htm Boating information at kajaktour.de
{{Authority control
Rivers of Baden-Württemberg
Rivers of the Black Forest
Rivers of Germany