The Samina (also: Saminabach) is a

whitewater Whitewater forms in the context of rapids, in particular, when a river's Stream gradient, gradient changes enough to generate so much turbulence that air is trapped within the water. This forms an unstable current that foam, froths, making t ...

river of

Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (, ; ; ), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein ( ), is a Landlocked country#Doubly landlocked, doubly landlocked Swiss Standard German, German-speaking microstate in the Central European Alps, between Austria in the east ...

and

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

. It is a tributary of the

Ill ILL, or Ill, or ill may refer to: Places * Ill (France), a river in Alsace, France, tributary of the Rhine * Ill (Vorarlberg), a river in Vorarlberg, Austria, tributary of the Rhine * Ill (Saarland), a river of Saarland, Germany, tributary o ...

. The Samina originates in Liechtenstein. In the course of time, it formed the (Samina Valley), the most western valley of

Rätikon The Rätikon is a mountain range of the Central Eastern Alps, located at the border between Vorarlberg, Liechtenstein and Canton of Grisons, Graubünden. It is the geological border between the Eastern Alps, Eastern and Western Alps and stretch ...

and side valley of the . The Saminatal makes up to one third of the territory of Liechtenstein. It has a length of approximately (Liechtenstein: (including its source rivulets, the 2nd longest river of the

principality A principality (or sometimes princedom) is a type of monarchy, monarchical state or feudalism, feudal territory ruled by a prince or princess. It can be either a sovereign state or a constituent part of a larger political entity. The term "prin ...

), Austria: ).

Source and course

The Samina comes into existence at ''Ölersegg'' (meeting point of

Triesenberg Triesenberg () is a Municipalities of Liechtenstein, municipality in Liechtenstein with a population of 2,636. Its area of makes it the largest municipality in Liechtenstein. The center of the municipality rests at an elevation of . History Tri ...

, an exclave of

Schaan Schaan (; dialectal: ''Schaa'') is the largest Municipalities of Liechtenstein, municipality of Liechtenstein by population. It is located to the north of Vaduz, the capital, in the central part of the country. it has a population of 6,039, ma ...

(Brandegg) and an exclave of

Balzers Balzers () is a municipality and village located in southern Liechtenstein. In 2024, the village had a population of 4,806. The main part of the village is situated along the east bank of the Rhine. History and culture Historically, the present- ...

), where the rivers ''Stägerbach'' and ''Valorschbach'' merge. They flow from south to north through the eastern part of Liechtenstein, the Saminatal, and then cross the border to Austria. In the community aera of

Frastanz Frastanz is a market town in the district of Feldkirch in the westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg. In former times it was known for its production of tobacco. Geography Frastanz is located 510 meters above sea level. It is 32.25 km2 i ...

the river merges with the Ill.

Use

The water is intensively used for electricity production as well as for drinking water supply for the communities of Liechtenstein. The Samina possesses A to B grade quality and sportsmen value the river for

rafting Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...

Liechtenstein

In general the Saminatal is not very populated or exploited, therefore its wildlife is almost untouched. Many endangered animals and plants exist there. There is one hydro-electric power station at Samina, which from 2011 to 2015 was transformed into a pumped-storage power station. The pump-storage reservoir has to always leave some water to the river, the amounts fixed by the Liechtenstein law for protection of water. There are measures taken to ensure the ecological conditions of the river. Nonetheless there is critique from ecologists, that these amounts are by far not enough to protect the wildlife in the river.

Austria

At the lower course the run three power plants. The Austrian part of Samina is a popular destination for rafting. In the middle part of the valley, around the border of Liechtenstein and Austria, there is the European Union nature protection area Spirkenwälder Saminatal.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Samina (River) Rivers of Liechtenstein Rivers of Vorarlberg International rivers of Europe Rivers of Austria