The Pegnitz () is a river in

Franconia Franconia (german: Franken, ; Franconian dialect: ''Franggn'' ; bar, Frankn) is a region of Germany, characterised by its culture and Franconian dialect (German: ''Fränkisch''). The three administrative regions of Lower, Middle and Upper F ...

in the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

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 ...

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 ...

. The Pegnitz has its source in the town of the same name at an altitude of and meets the

Rednitz The Rednitz is a long river in Franconia, Germany, tributary of the Regnitz (more precisely: its southern, left headstream). The Rednitz is formed by the confluence of the rivers Franconian Rezat and Swabian Rezat, in Georgensgmünd ( distric ...

at in

Fürth Fürth (; East Franconian: ; yi, פיורדא, Fiurda) is a city in northern Bavaria, Germany, in the administrative division ('' Regierungsbezirk'') of Middle Franconia. It is now contiguous with the larger city of Nuremberg, the centres of ...

to form the Regnitz river. But often esp. by local people the long Fichtenohe is regarded as upper course of the Pegnitz. The Fichtenohe source is in Lindenhardt Forest north of Pegnitz town. The Pegnitz is about long, with Fichtenohe . The river is inhabited by numerous

duck Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a fo ...

coot Coots are medium-sized water birds that are members of the rail family, Rallidae. They constitute the genus ''Fulica'', the name being the Latin term for "coot". Coots have predominantly black plumage, and—unlike many rails—they are usuall ...

swan Swans are birds of the family Anatidae within the genus ''Cygnus''. The swans' closest relatives include the geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometim ...

s, and

gull Gulls, or colloquially seagulls, are seabirds of the family Laridae in the suborder Lari. They are most closely related to the terns and skimmers and only distantly related to auks, and even more distantly to waders. Until the 21st century, ...

Tributaries

* Fichtenohe (left tributary) * Flembach (left tributary) * Hirschbach (left tributary) * Högenbach (left tributary from the Pommelsbrunn direction) * Happurger Bach (left tributary) *

Sittenbach Sittenbach is a river of Bavaria, Germany. It flows into the Pegnitz near Hersbruck. See also *List of rivers of Bavaria A list of rivers of Bavaria, Germany: A * Aalbach *Abens * Ach * Afferbach * Affinger Bach * Ailsbach *Aisch * Aiterach ...

(right tributary) * Hammerbach (left tributary) * Sandbach (left tributary) * Schnaittach (right tributary) * Röttenbach (right tributary) * Bitterbach (right tributary) * Röthenbach (left tributary) * Langwassergraben (right tributary) * Tiefgraben (right tributary) * Goldbach (left tributary)

Cities on the Pegnitz

From source to mouth: Altwasser der Pegnitz, Nürnberg-West

* Pegnitz * Neuhaus on the Pegnitz *

Hersbruck Hersbruck () is a small town in Middle Franconia, Bavaria, Germany, belonging to the district Nürnberger Land. It is best known for the late-gothic artwork of the Hersbruck altar, the "Hirtenmuseum" and the landscape of Hersbruck Switzerland. H ...

* Lauf an der Pegnitz * Röthenbach an der Pegnitz *

Nuremberg Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...

: Within city limits (about 14 km), the river forms secondary arms. Numerous

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

s and footbridges cross the river, such as the unchanged

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass id ...

bridge '' Fleischbrücke'' (1598) and the iron

suspension bridge A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck is hung below suspension cables on vertical suspenders. The first modern examples of this type of bridge were built in the early 1800s. Simple suspension bridges, which lack vertical ...

Chain Bridge (''Kettensteg''), dating from 1824. To the west of the Maxbrücke there is a

weir A weir or low head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the river level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...

. In the western part of the city, the river's ecological status was restored one section at a time from 1998 to 2001, using the historical

river bed A stream bed or streambed is the bottom of a stream or river (bathymetry) or the physical confine of the normal water flow ( channel). The lateral confines or channel margins are known as the stream banks or river banks, during all but flood ...

as an orientation. *

: Numerous bridges and footbridges exist. As part of project ''Uferstadt'' (riverside city), the redesign of the former Grundig site, the river bed was restored to being closer to nature in 2003. On a length of one kilometer, two new loops and shallowed banks have been created, and part of the former river bed have been kept in the form of backwaters. These activities were cofinanced by the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been ...

History

The river gives its name to the

Pegnesischer Blumenorden The (English: Pegnitz Flower Society; Latin: ; abbr. P.Bl.O.) is a German literary society that was founded in Nuremberg in 1644. It is the sole Baroque literary society that remains active today. The name derived from the river Pegnitz, which ...

(Pegnitz Flower Society) literary association. After the big flood in February 1909, straightening has shortened the river by four kilometers within the Nuremberg city limits. Since 1996 planning and actions are progressing trying to lengthen the course of the river between Nuremberg and Fürth again and to shape it in a nature-oriented way.

References

External links

* http://www.bayern.de/wwa-n/stadtamfluss.htm - Wasserwirtschaftsamt Nürnberg: "Die Umgestaltung der Pegnitz in Nürnberg" {{Authority control Rivers of Bavaria Nürnberger Land Nuremberg Fürth Bayreuth (district) Rivers of Germany