The Nahe () is a river in
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) 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 ...
and
Saarland
The Saarland (, ; french: Sarre ) is a state of Germany in the south west of the country. With an area of and population of 990,509 in 2018, it is the smallest German state in area apart from the city-states of Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg, a ...
,
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 betwee ...
, a left tributary to the
Rhine
), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source1_coordinates=
, source1_elevation =
, source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein
, source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source2_coordinates=
, source ...
. It has also given name to the wine region
Nahe situated around it.
The name Nahe is derived from the Latin word ''Nava'', which is supposed to be based upon the Celtic origin for ''the wild river''. The Nahe separates the northern part of the
Palatinate from the
Hunsrück.
It rises in the area of Nohfelden (Saarland), flowing through Rhineland-Palatinate and joining the Rhine in
Bingen. Its length is . Towns along the Nahe include
Idar-Oberstein,
Kirn
Kirn is a town in the Bad Kreuznach (district), Bad Kreuznach Districts of Germany, district in Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. It is the seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' Kirner Land. Kirn is a Central place theory, middle centre serving an area on the ...
,
Bad Kreuznach
Bad Kreuznach () is a town in the Bad Kreuznach district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is a spa town, most well known for its medieval bridge dating from around 1300, the Alte Nahebrücke, which is one of the few remaining bridges in t ...
and Bingen.
Hydrology
The
drainage basin
A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...
of the river covers an area of . Due to this relatively large area compared to the river's length high
flood
A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...
s can occur along its middle and lower course within only a few hours, however flowing off also quickly. In 1993 and 1995 in Bad Kreuznach a flow of more than was measured and more than at its mouth into the Rhine.
[Hochwasserkatastrophen in Bad Kreuznach (German)](_blank)
Web portal of the Municipality of Bad Kreuznach.
The dimensions of the drainage basin are shown in the map. Its boundaries clock-wise, beginning in the East:
* the highlands of the ''Rheinhessische Schweiz'' as
drainage divide
A drainage divide, water divide, ridgeline, watershed, water parting or height of land is elevated terrain that separates neighboring drainage basins. On rugged land, the divide lies along topographical ridges, and may be in the form of a singl ...
to the Rhine
* the
Donnersberg
The Donnersberg ("thunder mountain") is the highest peak of the Palatinate (german: Pfalz) region of Germany. The mountain lies between the towns of Rockenhausen and Kirchheimbolanden, in the Donnersbergkreis district, which is named after the ...
massif as drainage divide to the rivers
Selz and Rhine
* the
North Palatine Uplands
The North Palatine Uplands (german: Nordpfälzer Bergland), sometimes shortened to Palatine Uplands (''Pfälzer Bergland''), is a low mountain range and landscape unit in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate and belongs mainly to the Pala ...
as drainage divide to the rivers
Pfrimm and Rhine eastwards as well as to the rivers
Wallhalb and
Schwarzbach (Blies)
The Schwarzbach is a river in southwestern Germany, left tributary of the Blies. Its source is in the Palatinate Forest, near Trippstadt. It flows through the states Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. Towns along its course are Waldfischbach ...
southwards
* the Hunsrück as drainage divide to the rivers
Prims,
Blies and
Saar
Saar or SAAR has several meanings:
People Given name
* Saar Boubacar (born 1951), Senegalese professional football player
* Saar Ganor, Israeli archaeologist
* Saar Klein (born 1967), American film editor
Surname
* Ain Saar (born 1968), E ...
in the South respectively to the
Moselle in the North
* the mountains of the ''
Binger Wald'' (Bingen forest) as drainage divide to the Rhine towards North
Geology and Wildlife
The rocks in the Nahe region are predominantly of
Cisuralian
The Cisuralian is the first series/epoch of the Permian. The Cisuralian was preceded by the Pennsylvanian and followed by the Guadalupian. The Cisuralian Epoch is named after the western slopes of the Ural Mountains in Russia and Kazakhstan and ...
(early
Permian
The Permian ( ) is a geologic period and stratigraphic system which spans 47 million years from the end of the Carboniferous Period million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Triassic Period 251.9 Mya. It is the last period of the Paleo ...
) age and part of the
Rotliegendes. At that time, an impetuous volcanism appeared in the region. Huge deposits of the reddish volcanic rock
Rhyolite and of the more alkaline volcanic rock
Andesite
Andesite () is a volcanic rock of intermediate composition. In a general sense, it is the intermediate type between silica-poor basalt and silica-rich rhyolite. It is fine-grained (aphanitic) to porphyritic in texture, and is composed predo ...
were left. The valleys of the Nahe and its tributaries have been being formed since 2.6 million years ago during the
Quaternary, the geologically latest period, as a result of ground heaving of the surrounding mountains of Hunsrück and North Palatine Uplands. This led to a steep decline of all waters and hence to strong erosion activities. Particularly strong erosion occurred in warmer melting periods during the ice ages, when tundra climate reigned, and the soil was not protected by a dense cover of vegetation. Depending on the underground, narrow gorges with cliffy precipices arose in areas with hard volcanic rocks or wide gentle valleys with flood plains in areas with soft sedimentary deposits. The frequent change between both forms is charming along the Nahe.
In the Nahe valley, a huge number of thermophile species appear which usually can only be found in the mediterranean region or Eurasian steppe habitats. Characteristical species of plants are e. g. ''
Alyssum
''Alyssum'' is a genus of over a hundred species of flowering plants in the family Brassicaceae, native to Europe, Asia, and northern Africa, with the highest species diversity in the Mediterranean region. The genus comprises annual and perenn ...
montanum'', ''
Aster linosyris'' ("Goldilocks Aster"), ''
Dictamnus
''Dictamnus'' is a genus of flowering plant in the family Rutaceae, native to temperate Eurasia from Spain to China. The genus was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753.
Species
, Plants of the World Online accepted two species:
*''Dictamnu ...
albus'' ("White Dittany"), ''
Dianthus grationopolitanus'' ("Cheddar Pink"), ''
Gagea bohemica'' subsp. ''saxatilis'' ("Early-Star-of-Bethlehem"), ''
Galium glaucum'' ("Glaucous Bedstraw"), ''
Oxytropis pilosa'' or ''
Stipa tirsa''. These plants immigrated in a postglacial warm period to Europe but became extinct in most regions when the climate changed again to significantly cooler and more humid conditions. They only survived in small but still warm and dry places due to special geographic situations. In the Nahe valley and its tributaries these are mostly rocky precipices towards South or South-East, furthermore sunny slopes with shrubs, bushes and dry broad-leaved forests. On hot summer days the soil temperatures in these places can reach 60 °C/140 °F and above with truly steppe-like circumstances. A characteristical thermophile animal species is the insulated population of the
dice snake (''Natrix tessellata'') that exists along the Nahe. The snake is very addicted to water and captures small fishes.
Places of botanical and/or zoological significance are classified as nature protection areas and accompany the course of the Nahe. For instance can be mentioned the "Hellberg" near
Kirn
Kirn is a town in the Bad Kreuznach (district), Bad Kreuznach Districts of Germany, district in Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. It is the seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' Kirner Land. Kirn is a Central place theory, middle centre serving an area on the ...
, the "Flachsberg" near
Martinstein
Martinstein is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Bad Kreuznach district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Bad Sobernh ...
, the "Heimberg" near
Waldböckelheim
Waldböckelheim is a municipality in the district of Bad Kreuznach in Rhineland-Palatinate, in western Germany.
Geography
Waldböckelheim is located north of the Nahe in the Rhenish Massif. Waldböckelheim is surrounded by three extinct volcan ...
, the "Gangelsberg" near
Duchroth
Duchroth is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Bad Kreuznach district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Rüdesheim, w ...
and the "Rotenfels" as well as the "Rheingrafenstein" near
Bad Münster am Stein.
Tourism
The Nahe region offers various tourist attractions:
Nahe cycling route – The route leads along the river from its spring to its entry.
Nahe wine region
Nahe () is a region (''Anbaugebiet'') for quality wine in Germany,[Wein.de (German Agricultural S ...](_blank)
– The wine-producing area surrounding the middle and lower river is famous for its white wines, dominated by the
Riesling grape variety.
Castles and monasteries – On the heights on both shores numerous medieval castles and
abbey
An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns.
The c ...
s can be visited, most of them fallen into ruin. Most noted are the Kyrburg Castle in
Kirn
Kirn is a town in the Bad Kreuznach (district), Bad Kreuznach Districts of Germany, district in Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. It is the seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' Kirner Land. Kirn is a Central place theory, middle centre serving an area on the ...
, the castles
Ebernburg and
Rheingrafenstein in
Bad Münster am Stein-Ebernburg
Bad Münster am Stein-Ebernburg is a spa town of about 4,000 inhabitants (as of 2004) in the Bad Kreuznach district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Since 1 July 2014, it is part of the town Bad Kreuznach. It was the seat of the former like-nam ...
and the
Klopp Castle
Klopp Castle (german: Burg Klopp) is a castle in the town of Bingen am Rhein in the Upper Middle Rhine Valley in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. In the nineteenth century, the bergfried (similar to a keep) from the original medieval fortified cast ...
in
Bingen. The monastery ruin of
Disibodenberg, located on top of a hill between the junction of the Nahe and the
Glan, was founded at the beginning of the 8th century by Saint
Disibod
Saint Disibod (619–c.700) was an Irish monk and hermit, first mentioned in a martyrologium by Hrabanus Maurus (9th century). Hildegard of Bingen around 1170 composed a ''Vita'' of Saint Disibod He is commemorated on 8 September.
According to ...
, an Irish missionary. Saint
Hildegard of Bingen, a famous Christian
mystic, also lived here for a while.
Gemstone town Idar-Oberstein - The town is famous for its historic gemstone mines and related trades. Some of them are open to visitors. The German Gemstone Museum boasts many gemstone exhibits.
Bad Kreuznach
Bad Kreuznach () is a town in the Bad Kreuznach district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is a spa town, most well known for its medieval bridge dating from around 1300, the Alte Nahebrücke, which is one of the few remaining bridges in t ...
- The baths which give the town its name contain the noble gas radon, with supposedly curative properties. The town's most famous site is the
Alte Nahebrücke (Old Nahe Bridge), one of the few remaining bridges in the world with buildings on it.
Brückenhäuser, Alte Nahebrücke, Neustadt , Bad Kreuznach
o
www.romantic-germany.info
(in English). Retrieved 14 June 2018
Saline valley - Between Bad Münster am Stein and Bad Kreuznach the scenic valley of the Nahe has some bathing sites with hydrothermal and saline springs. Graduation towers, formerly used for salt production, are regarded as having beneficial health effects. The so-called "Rotenfels" (red rock), a steep cliff nearby with a height of and a length of was formed by the Nahe.
Bad Sobernheim
Bad Sobernheim is a town in the Bad Kreuznach district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the like-named ''Verbandsgemeinde'', and is also its seat. It is a state-recognized spa town, and is well known for two fossil discovery sites ...
- The open-air museum of Rhineland-Palatinate in Bad Sobernheim has an exhibition four traditional villages with refurbished historic houses from different regions of Rhineland-Palatinate.
The region is accessible via federal highway B41 which is connected to the motorways A60/ A61 in the East and A62 in the West. Moreover, there is a railway line along the Nahe with regular connections between Mainz and Saarbrücken and stations in all bigger towns. Some to the north the Frankfurt-Hahn Airport is in the Hunsrück, offering daily flights to London Stansted and further weekly and seasonal connections.
See also
* List of rivers of Rhineland-Palatinate
*List of rivers of Saarland
A list of rivers of Saarland, Germany:
B
* Bickenalb
* Bist
* Blies
* Bos
E
* Ellbach
* Erbach
F
* Franzenbach
G
* Gailbach
* Glan
H
* Hetschenbach
* Holzbach
I
* Ill
K
* Köllerbach
L
* Lambsbach
* Leukbach
* Löster
M
* Mandelbach
*Mose ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nahe (river)
Rivers of Rhineland-Palatinate
Rivers of Saarland
Naheland
Rivers of Germany