{{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 (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

, subdivision_type2 = Location , subdivision_name2 =

Wasgau The Wasgau (german: Wasgau, french: Vasgovie) is a Franco- German hill range in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate and the French departments of Bas-Rhin and Moselle. It is formed from the southern part of the Palatine Forest and the nor ...

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 ...

, 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 The Lauter (in its upper course also: ''Wieslauter'') is a river in Germany and France. The Lauter is a left tributary of the Rhine. Its length is , of which 39 km is in France and on the France–Germany border. It is formed by the confluence of ...

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, 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 and the adjoining northern part of the French

Vosges Mountains The Vosges ( , ; german: Vogesen ; Franconian and gsw, Vogese) are a range of low mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a single ...

. 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 The Südliche Weinstraße Wildlife Park (german: Wild- und Wanderpark Südliche Weinstraße) is located in the Wasgau, a region on the Franco-German border that forms the southern part of the Palatine Forest and the northern part of the Vosges, n ...

and the castle of

Lindelbrunn Lindelbrunn Castle (german: Burg Lindelbrunn) (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- ...

. ;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 Little France is a suburb of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It is on the A7, approximately south of the city centre. The area falls within the parish of Liberton in the south-east of the city. It acquired its name from members of the ent ...

. ;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 ...

pit at the ''Bremmelberg'' the opportunity to go to church. At the end of the 18th century it was heavily damaged by

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...

ary troops and was not rebuilt until 1908. Since then it has been the destination of an annual

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

on the last Sunday in July.

References

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