The Lech (, ''Licca'') is a river in

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

and

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 ...

. It is a right tributary of the

Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...

in length with a

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 . Its average

discharge Discharge may refer to Expel or let go * Discharge, the act of firing a gun * Discharge, or termination of employment, the end of an employee's duration with an employer * Military discharge, the release of a member of the armed forces from ser ...

at the

mouth In animal anatomy, the mouth, also known as the oral cavity, or in Latin cavum oris, is the opening through which many animals take in food and issue vocal sounds. It is also the cavity lying at the upper end of the alimentary canal, bounded on ...

is . Its source is located in the Austrian

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

Vorarlberg Vorarlberg ( , ; gsw, label= Vorarlbergisch, Vorarlbearg, , or ) is the westernmost state () of Austria. It has the second-smallest geographical area after Vienna and, although it also has the second-smallest population, it is the state with th ...

, where the river rises from lake Formarinsee in the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...

at an altitude of . It flows in a north-north-easterly direction and crosses the German border, forming the Lechfall, a waterfall; afterwards the river enters a narrow gorge (the Lechschlucht). Leaving the Alps, it enters the plains of the

Allgäu The Allgäu (Standard German: , also Allgovia) is a region in Swabia in southern Germany. It covers the south of Bavarian Swabia, southeastern Baden-Württemberg, and parts of Austria. The region stretches from the pre-alpine lands up to the ...

Füssen Füssen is a town in Bavaria, Germany, in the district of Ostallgäu, situated one kilometre from the Austrian border. The town is known for violin manufacturing and as the closest transportation hub for the Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau ca ...

at an elevation of in the German state of

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...

, where it used to be the location of the boundary with

Swabia Swabia ; german: Schwaben , colloquially ''Schwabenland'' or ''Ländle''; archaic English also Suabia or Svebia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany. The name is ultimately derived from the medieval Duchy of ...

. The river runs through the city of Füssen and through the

Forggensee The Forggensee, also called the Roßhaupten Reservoir, is a reservoir located north of Füssen in the county of Ostallgäu in Bavaria, Germany and one of many lakes in the region around Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein castles. With a surface ...

, a man-made lake which is drained in winter. Here, it forms rapids and a waterfall. The river flows further northwards through a region called the

Lechrain Lechrain is the name of an informally defined region of Germany extending southwards from Augsburg towards the foothills of the Alps along the Lech river, mainly on the east bank. It forms a boundary region between Bavaria and Swabia. The Lechrai ...

, and passes the cities of Schongau, Landsberg,

Augsburg Augsburg (; bar , Augschburg , links=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swabian_German , label=Swabian German, , ) is a city in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany, around west of Bavarian capital Munich. It is a university town and regional seat of the ' ...

(where it receives the

Wertach Wertach is a small town in the Oberallgäu district, southern Bavaria, (Germany), in the German Alps. It is situated on the river Wertach, southeast of Kempten. The town was the childhood home of the writer W. G. Sebald. History Wertach wa ...

) and

Rain Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water f ...

before entering the

just below

Donauwörth Donauwörth () is a town and the capital of the Donau-Ries district in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany. It is said to have been founded by two fishermen where the rivers Danube (Donau) and Wörnitz meet. The city is part of the scenic route called "Roman ...

at an elevation of . It is not navigable, owing to its torrential character and the gravel beds which choke its channel. There are extensive views of the Lech valley from

Neuschwanstein Castle Neuschwanstein Castle (german: Schloss Neuschwanstein, , Southern Bavarian: ''Schloss Neischwanstoa'') is a 19th-century historicist palace on a rugged hill above the village of Hohenschwangau near Füssen in southwest Bavaria, Germany. T ...

, near Füssen.

Etymology

Inscriptions from 8/7 B. C. prove that the river name is first mentioned in the

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foo ...

tribe name ''Licates''. The river itself is called ''Likios'' or ''Likias'' in the 2nd century. Around the year 570 the name ''Licca'' is found in records. In the 8th century, names such as ''Lecha'' and ''Lech'' appeared. The term ''Licus'' is still used in 1059. The name stands in analogy to the

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

word ''llech'' ("stone slab") and the Breton word ''lec'h'' ("gravestone"). In this context, the meaning of the word "Lech" is explained as "the stony".

History

On more than one occasion, historic events have been decided on the banks of this river. * In 278 Roman emperor

Probus Probus may refer to: People * Marcus Valerius Probus (c. 20/30–105 AD), Roman grammarian * Marcus Pomponius Maecius Probus, consul in 228 * Probus (emperor), Roman Emperor (276–282) * Probus of Byzantium (–306), Bishop of Byzantium from 29 ...

vanquished a larger invasion force of

Burgundians The Burgundians ( la, Burgundes, Burgundiōnes, Burgundī; on, Burgundar; ang, Burgendas; grc-gre, Βούργουνδοι) were an early Germanic tribe or group of tribes. They appeared in the middle Rhine region, near the Roman Empire, and ...

and

Vandals The Vandals were a Germanic peoples, Germanic people who first inhabited what is now southern Poland. They established Vandal Kingdom, Vandal kingdoms on the Iberian Peninsula, Mediterranean islands, and North Africa in the fifth century. The ...

, which had been raiding the Roman province of

Rhaetia Raetia ( ; ; also spelled Rhaetia) was a province of the Roman Empire, named after the Rhaetian people. It bordered on the west with the country of the Helvetii, on the east with Noricum, on the north with Vindelicia, on the south-west with ...

. * At Lechfeld, a stony plain between the Lech and the Wertach near Augsburg,

Otto I Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), traditionally known as Otto the Great (german: Otto der Große, it, Ottone il Grande), was East Frankish king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the oldest son of He ...

defeated the

Magyars Hungarians, also known as Magyars ( ; hu, magyarok ), are a nation and ethnic group native to Hungary () and historical Hungarian lands who share a common culture, history, ancestry, and language. The Hungarian language belongs to the Uralic ...

in August 955. * In the

Battle of Rain The Battle of Rain , also called Battle of the River Lech, took place on 15 April 1632 near Rain in Bavaria during the Thirty Years' War. It was fought by a Swedish-German army under Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, and a Catholic League force l ...

in April 1632,

Gustavus Adolphus Gustavus Adolphus (9 December Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates">N.S_19_December.html" ;"title="Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Old Style and New Style dates">N.S 19 December">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="/now ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...

defeated and mortally wounded

Johan Tzerclaes, Count of Tilly Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly ( nl, Johan t'Serclaes Graaf van Tilly; german: Johann t'Serclaes Graf von Tilly; french: Jean t'Serclaes de Tilly ; February 1559 – 30 April 1632) was a field marshal who commanded the Catholic League's ...

Hydroelectric power plants

Currently, there are 33

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined an ...

power plants on the Lech. The power plants are listed beginning at the headwaters:"Fichtner: Die Wettbewerbsfähigkeit von großen Laufwasserkraftwerken im liberalisierten Strommarkt – Endbericht (Langfassung). Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Arbeit, 2003 , 10 , Lechstaustufe 8a – Kinsau , , 9.2 , , 1992 , , Lechstaustufe 8a Kinsau

, - , 11 , Lechstaustufe 9 – Apfeldorf , , 7.2 , , 1944 , , Lechstaustufe 9 GO-1

, - , 12 , Lechstaustufe 10 – Epfach , , 8.3 , , 1948 , ,

, - , 13 , Lechstaustufe 11 – Lechblick , , 8.1 , , 1943 , ,

, - , 14 , Lechstaustufe 12 – Lechmühlen , , 7.9 , , 1943 , ,

, - , 15 , Lechstaustufe 13 – Dornstetten , , 8.2 , , 1943 , , Lechstaustufe unterhalb von Seestall

, - , 16 , Lechstaustufe 14 – Pitzling , , 7.9 , , 1944 , ,

, - , 17 , Lechstaustufe 15 – Landsberg , , 8.0 , , 1944 , ,

, - , 18 , Lechstaustufe 18 – Kaufering , , 16.7 , , 1975 , , , - , 19 , Lechstaustufe 19 – Schwabstadl , , 12.0 , , 1981 , , , - , 20 , Lechstaustufe 20 – Scheuring , , 12.2 , , 1980 , , , - , 21 , Lechstaustufe 21 – Prittriching , , 12.1 , , 1983 , , , - , 22 , Lechstaustufe 22 – Unterbergen , , 12.4 , , 1982 , ,

, - , 23 , Lechstaustufe 23 – Mandichosee , , 12.0 , , 1978 , , Mandichosee Staumauer

, - , 24 , Hochablass , , 3.1 , , 2013 , , Hochablass Augsburg Foto Stadtwerke Augsburg

, - , 25 , Eisenbahnerwehr , , 3.2 , , 2006 , ,

, - , 26 , Wolfzahnauwehr , , 2.0 , , 2010 , ,

, - , 27 , Kraftwerk Gersthofen , , 9.9 , , 1901 , , , - , 28 ,

Kraftwerk Langweid Kraftwerk (, "power station") is a German band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk were among the first successful acts to popularize the ...

, , 7.0 , , 1908 , , Lechmuseum Bayern 12

, - , 29 ,

Kraftwerk Meitingen Kraftwerk (, "power station") is a German band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk were among the first successful acts to popularize the ...

, , 11.6 , , 1922 , , Kraftwerk Meitingen02

, - , 30 , Staustufe Ellgau , , 10.0 , , 1952 , , , - , 31 , Staustufe Oberpeiching , , 12.3 , , 1954 , , , - , 32 , Staustufe Rain , , 11.2 , , 1955 , , , - , 33 , Staustufe Feldheim , , 8.5 , , 1960 , , , -

Gallery

File:Lech Augsburg.jpg, The Lech in

File:Lech-between-landsberg-kaufering.JPG, The Lech, in the background the city of Landsberg File:Tussen Weissenbach en Forchach, de Lech foto7 2014-07-25 13.33.jpg, The Lech between Weissenbach and Forchach File:Tussen Elmen en Stanzach, der Lech foto6 2014-07-25 14.34.jpg, The Lech between

Elmen Elmen is a municipality in the district of Reutte in the Austrian state of Tyrol Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was histo ...

and

Stanzach Stanzach is a municipality in the Reutte district in the Austrian state of Tyrol Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was histori ...

File:Blick auf Lech und Apfeldorf.jpg, The Lech between

Apfeldorf Apfeldorf is a municipality in the district of Landsberg in Bavaria in Germany. Geography Apfeldorf lies in the middle of the towns of Landsberg am Lech, Schongau and Weilheim, about 40 km north of the northern edge of the Alps, at an al ...

and

Epfach Epfach is a village and former municipality () located on the left bank of Lech, in the municipality of Denklingen in the Upper Bavarian District of Landsberg, Bavaria, Germany. History Around 14 BCE there was, near the present village, on t ...

File:Lech River.jpg, The Lech River b
Andrei Gavrilița

References

* Eberhard Pfeuffer: ''Der Lech.'' Wissner-Verlag, Augsburg 2010, . * R. Zettl: ''Lechauf-lechab.'' Wißner-Verlag 2002, . * Dr. Peter Nowotny: ''Erlebnis Lech.'' Verlag – J. Eberl KG, Immenstadt 2001. * Dr. Bernhard Raster: ''Nutzung und anthropogene Veränderung des Lechs in historischer Zeit.'' Diss. Würzburg 1979. * Bayerisches Hauptstaatsarchiv (Hrsg.): ''Altbayerische Flusslandschaften an Donau, Lech, Isar und Inn.'' = Ausstellungskatalog, Anton H. Konrad, Verlag Weißenhorn 1998. * Werner Gamerith: ''Lechtal.'' Tyrolia Verlag, Innsbruck-Wien 2002. * Peter Nasemann: ''Lebensraum Füssener Lech.'' Holdenrieds Druck- und Verlags GmbH, o. J. * Norbert Müller: ''Augsburger Ökologische Schriften, Heft 2: Der Lech.'' Stadt Augsburg 1991, ;Specific

External links