
The Speyerbach is a left
tributary
A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainag ...
of the
Rhine
The Rhine ; french: Rhin ; nl, Rijn ; wa, Rén ; li, Rien; rm, label=Sursilvan, Rein, rm, label=Sutsilvan and Surmiran, Ragn, rm, label=Rumantsch Grischun, Vallader and Puter, Rain; it, Reno ; gsw, Rhi(n), including in Alsatian dialect, Al ...
in the
Palatinate
Palatinate or county palatine may refer to:
*the territory or jurisdiction of a count palatine
United Kingdom and Ireland
*County palatine in England and Ireland
* Palatinate (award), student sporting award of Durham University
*Palatinate (col ...
part of
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 ...
. In
Speyer
Speyer (, older spelling ''Speier'', French: ''Spire,'' historical English: ''Spires''; pfl, Schbaija) is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany with approximately 50,000 inhabitants. Located on the left bank of the river Rhine, Speyer li ...
, the river split into ''Gießhübelbach'' and ''Woogbach''. The Woogbach changes its name to ''Nonnenbach'', then flows into Gießhübelbach shortly before the latter flows into the Rhine.
Importance
Although only classified as a river of the third rank under
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 ...
river classification system, the Speyerbach is the largest river of the
Anterior Palatinate
The Palatinate (german: Pfalz; Palatine German: ''Palz'') is a region of Germany. In the Middle Ages it was known as the Rhenish Palatinate (''Rheinpfalz'') and Lower Palatinate (''Unterpfalz''), which strictly speaking designated only the wes ...
. It is long; its
catchment area
In human geography, a catchment area is the area from which a location, such as a city, service or institution, attracts a population that uses its services and economic opportunities. Catchment areas may be defined based on from where people ar ...
is ; its discharge varies between . In extreme weather conditions with heavy rain in a short time, the discharge may be much higher; the highest peak was on 25 May 1978.
Course
The nominal source of the Speyerbach is located near the hamlet of
Speyerbrunn in the municipality of
Elmstein, in the middle of the
Palatinate Forest, east of the
Palatine Watershed. It has an elevation of
AMSL
Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as '' orthometric heights''.
The c ...
; the surrounding
Frankenweide hills climbing up to in height (
Eschkopf). Soon after its nominal source, it is joined by the much larger
Erlenbach, which rises at the ''Hussars Fountain'', further south, on the Eschkopf, at an elevation of . So, hydrologically speaking, the Hussars Fountain is the true source of Speyerbach.
From the Speyerbrunn, the Speyerbrunn winds through the narrow Elmstein valley, flowing East at first, then North-East, flowing past the main village of Elmstein. Above the valley, the ruins of four castles are lined in a row.
Erfenstein Castle and
Spangenberg Castle are well known from the
Legend of the Leather Bridge. About downstream from Elmstein, the
Helmbach flows into the Speyerbach at the hamlet of
the same name.
Below
Frankeneck, where the broader Lambrecht valley begins, the Speyerbach takes from the left's most important water supplier, the nearly long
Hochspeyerbach, and changes its direction to the southeast. The small town of
Lambrecht spreads on both sides of the river.
The Speyerbach breaks the eastern ridge of the Palatinate Forest shortly before
Neustadt an der Weinstrasse Neustadt (German for ''new town'' or ''new city'') may refer to:
Places
* Neustadt (urban district)
Czech Republic
*Neustadt an der Mettau, Nové Město nad Metují
*Neustadt an der Tafelfichte, Nové Město pod Smrkem
*Nové Město na Morav� ...
. The ridge is about above the river. On the left above the valley are the ruins of
Wolfsburg Castle and
Winzingen Castle, on the site where
Haardter Castle was later erected. About to the right of the valley is
Hambach Castle
Hambach Castle (german: Hambacher Schloss) is a castle near the urban district Hambach of Neustadt an der Weinstraße in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is considered a symbol of the German democracy movement because of the Hambacher Fest whic ...
, the symbol of the German
democracy
Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which people, the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation ("direct democracy"), or to choo ...
movement, which had an early peak with the
Hambach festival
The Hambacher Festival was a German national democratic festival celebrated from 27 May to 30 May 1832 at Hambach Castle, near Neustadt an der Weinstraße, in present-day Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The event was disguised as a nonpolitical ...
of 1832.
In Neustadt an der Weinstrasse the
Rehbach splits off to the left at the ''Winzinger Wassergescheid'', carrying one third of the water. The Speyerbach then flows through a narrow valley in the hill country of the
German Wine Route
The German Wine RouteScheunemann J., Stewart J., Walker N. and Williams C. (2011), ''Back Roads Germany'', Dorling Kindersley, London. . or Wine Road (german: Deutsche Weinstraße) is the oldest of Germany's tourist wine routes. Located in the ...
; both sides of the valley are lined with
vineyards
A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vine ...
. It then continues through the
Upper Rhine Valley
The Upper Rhine Plain, Rhine Rift Valley or Upper Rhine Graben (German: ''Oberrheinische Tiefebene'', ''Oberrheinisches Tiefland'' or ''Oberrheingraben'', French: ''Vallée du Rhin'') is a major rift, about and on average , between Basel in the s ...
, in a South-Easterly direction. In
Speyerdorf the ''Ranschgraben'' splits off to the left. Here, the Speyerbach flows through the municipalities of
Hanhofen and
Dudenhofen. At the ''Hanhofer Wassergescheid'', the ''Mühlbachgraben'' joins from the right, and the ''Woogbach'' split off on the left, taking half the water. Two more tributaries join in the next 3 kilometres: the
Modenbach and the
Hainbach. In
Speyer
Speyer (, older spelling ''Speier'', French: ''Spire,'' historical English: ''Spires''; pfl, Schbaija) is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany with approximately 50,000 inhabitants. Located on the left bank of the river Rhine, Speyer li ...
, the Woogbach rejoins, and then the Speyerbach flows into the Rhine in the port of Speyer, at Rhine kilometre mark 400.3.
Tributaries
*
Erlenbach (right),
* Schwarzenbach (left),
* Enkenbach (left),
* Mückentalbach (left),
* Weltersbach (left),
* Oselbach (left),
* Legelbach (left),
* Möllbach (right),
* Haselbach (right),
*
Helmbach (right),
* Argenbach (right),
*
Breitenbach (left),
* Erfensteinertalbach (left),
* Höllischtalbächlein (right),
* Esthalbach (left),
*
Hochspeyerbach (left),
*
Luhrbach (left),
* Schlangentalbach (left),
* Heidenbrunnertalbach (right),
* Kaltenbrunnertalbach (right),
*
Rehbach (left), (distributary)
* Bürgergraben (a.k.a. ''Enggraben'') (right)
History
In the past, the Speyerbach was an important
freight
Cargo consists of bulk goods conveyed by water, air, or land. In economics, freight is cargo that is transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. ''Cargo'' was originally a shipload but now covers all types of freight, including trans ...
transport route for
timber
Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including Beam (structure), beams and plank (wood), planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as fini ...
. Transportation was done by
drifting
Drifting may refer to:
*Drifting (motorsport)
*Pipe drift or drifting, measuring a pipe's inner roundness
Film
* ''Drifting'' (1923 film), a film directed by Tod Browning
* ''Drifting'' (1982 film), the first Israeli gay-themed film
* ''Drifting'' ...
of logs or timber up to about long; the water discharge was too low for
rafts
A raft is any flat structure for support or transportation over water. It is usually of basic design, characterized by the absence of a hull. Rafts are usually kept afloat by using any combination of buoyant materials such as wood, sealed barrel ...
made of tree trunks. The timber was collected before being left in artificial ponds called ''Woogen'' or 'Klausen', to be drifted in spring, as the snow melt began. The timing was crucial, because during the drifting season, the
water mill
A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in the productio ...
s,
sawmill
A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...
s and
iron works
An ironworks or iron works is an industrial plant where iron is smelted and where heavy iron and steel products are made. The term is both singular and plural, i.e. the singular of ''ironworks'' is ''ironworks''.
Ironworks succeeded bloome ...
could not be operated and mill workers had to be paid compensation. In an account from 1832, head teacher ''W. Häge'' reported the presence, in Elmstein Valley alone, of three mills, five sawmills, one forge and one
paper mill
A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags, and other ingredients. Prior to the invention and adoption of the Fourdrinier machine and other types of paper machine that use an endless belt, ...
, all of which the drifters had to take into account. Drifting on the Speyerbach was regulated by a "drifting order" of 1320, which decreed that drifting had to be completed on
St George's Day
Saint George's Day is the feast day of Saint George, celebrated by Christian churches, countries, and cities of which he is the patron saint, including Bulgaria, England, Georgia, Portugal, Romania, Cáceres, Alcoy, Aragon and Catalonia.
Sai ...
(23 April).
After the palatinate had come under Bavarian rule in 1816, drifting on the Speyerbach and other rivers was expanded. In 1822, a "Drifting Office" was opened in Neustadt. When in 1852, a "Drifting Master's Office" was established in Elmstein, the Neustadt had more than 140 km of drifting waters. From 1882 onwards, drifting was gradually abandoned. On the Speyerbach, drifting was practised until 1902, but only above Frankeneck. The last drift contained 6193
stère
The stere or stère (st) is a unit of volume in the original metric system equal to one cubic metre. The stere is typically used for measuring large quantities of firewood or other cut wood, while the cubic meter is used for uncut wood. The nam ...
of timber.
The middle and lower reaches of today's Speyerbach, are largely the product of human intervention, both in terms of its course and its being
canal
Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface fl ...
ized. The
meanders
A meander is one of a series of regular sinuous curves in the channel of a river or other watercourse. It is produced as a watercourse erodes the sediments of an outer, concave bank ( cut bank) and deposits sediments on an inner, convex bank ...
that existed during the
Spanish Succession War
The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phili ...
led to the undoing of both French and Imperial troops during the
Battle of Speyerbach
The Battle of Speyerbach took place on 15 November 1703 in the War of the Spanish Succession. A French army besieging Landau surprised and defeated a German relief army near Speyer.
Prelude
In mid October 1703, the allied armies prepared ...
in September 1703.
The elimination of the former meanders causes frequent
floods
A flood is an overflow of water (list of non-water floods, 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 o ...
, because overflow areas are now missing. In built-up areas, the aesthetics of the river suffered from the canalization and covering. In Neustadt both the Speyerbach and the Rehbach have largely disappeared from view during the second half of the twentieth century. In the first decade of the 21st century, the rivers were partially restored, in order to form a ''green corridor''. The project was completed in June 2010, at a cost of 2.7 million euro, most of which was paid by the state of Rhineland-Palatinate
[Newspaper Die Rheinpfalz, local edition Mittelhaardter Rundschau: ''Premiere beim Landesfest: Beck eröffnet die Wallgasse'', 14 June 2010 (in German)]
The lower reaches of the Speyerbach, east of Neustadt, flowing South-East to Speyer were probably created by the
Romans
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
to transport timberfrom the Palatinate Forest to ''Noviomagus Nemetum'', the
Germanic precursor of Speyer. The water level in this section is up to above the surrounding terrain. Previously, it probably followed a more northerly course, south of
Haßloch
Haßloch (or Hassloch) is a municipality in the Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Unlike most municipalities in the district, it does not belong to any ''Verbandsgemeinde'' – a type of collective municipality. It lies ne ...
and then along the course of the current ''Ranschgraben'', taking up the Rehbach near
Limburgerhof-Rehhütte and flowing into the Rhine between
Altrincham
Altrincham ( , locally ) is a market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, south of the River Mersey. It is southwest of Manchester city centre, southwest of Sale and east of Warrington. At the 2011 Census, it had a population o ...
and
Ludwigshafen
Ludwigshafen, officially Ludwigshafen am Rhein (; meaning "Ludwig's Port upon Rhine"), is a city in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, on the river Rhine, opposite Mannheim. With Mannheim, Heidelberg, and the surrounding region, it f ...
.
The distributaries Rehbach (splitting off at Neustadt) and Woogbach (at Hanhofen) are both artificial; they were created in the
Late Middle Ages
The Late Middle Ages or Late Medieval Period was the period of European history lasting from AD 1300 to 1500. The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period (and in much of Europe, the Ren ...
.
Tourist attractions
Castles
The ruins of
Elmstein Castle
Elmstein Castle (german: Burg Elmstein) is a castle ruin built in the High Middle Ages overlooking Elmstein in the Palatinate Forest in the Germany, German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It was built in the 12th century.
Location
The ruins are ...
, above Elmstein on the southwestern edge of the high castle hill, is privately owned and can only be viewed from the outside. In the hamlet of
Breitenstein are the ruins of
Breitenstein Castle
The ruins of Breitenstein Castle (german: Burg Breitenstein) stand on a crag, high, on the northern side of the Speyerbach valley in the Palatine Forest in Germany. The castles is east of the village of Elmstein in the county of Bad Dürkheim i ...
; just over down the Speyerbach from the hamlet of
Erfenstein and on the left are the ruins of
Erfenstein Castle, on the right those of
Spangenberg Castle.
Forest service museum
The Forestry Museum Elmstein, situated in the house of ''Heinrich Haag'', the last
blacksmith
A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...
, provides the public since 1990 with information about working in the forest, including drifting on the Speyerbach.
Drift path
Otto Feyock, a retired ranger, has created the Drift Path Elmstein. It has large information panels and starts in the
Appenthal part of
Elmstein.
Museum railway line
The
Cuckoo Railway
The Cuckoo Railway (german: Kuckucksbähnel, literally "Little Cuckoo Railway"), in its early days the Elmstein Valley Railway (''Elmsteiner Talbahn''), is a 12.97 kilometre long branch line in the central Palatine Forest, which runs through the re ...
(''Kuckucksbähnel''), a heritage railway line, runs historic steam locomotives and carriages between Neustadt and Elmstein. The reactivated part of the track from
Lambrecht to
Elmstein follows the Speyerbach and just under long.
Mills
The Frohnmühle Mill on Speyerbach between
Haßloch
Haßloch (or Hassloch) is a municipality in the Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Unlike most municipalities in the district, it does not belong to any ''Verbandsgemeinde'' – a type of collective municipality. It lies ne ...
and the Neustadt district of
Geinsheim
Geinsheim is a village in the town of Neustadt an der Weinstraße in the Anterior Palatinate in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It was incorporated into the town on 7 June 1969, its parent town lying 10 kilometres to the northwest o ...
is in working order. It has a Green restaurant and a
weeping willow
''Salix babylonica'' (Babylon willow or weeping willow; ) is a species of willow native to dry areas of northern China, but cultivated for millennia elsewhere in Asia, being traded along the Silk Road to southwest Asia and Europe.Flora of China' ...
as a green
monument
A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, hist ...
. The Aumühle Mill between Haßloch Hanhofen has a
waterwheel
A water wheel is a machine for converting the energy of flowing or falling water into useful forms of power, often in a watermill. A water wheel consists of a wheel (usually constructed from wood or metal), with a number of blades or buc ...
in working order, and a very good restaurant.
Leisure facilities
Near the Speyerbach are
Holiday Park and a pony farm with a
stud farm
A stud farm or stud in animal husbandry is an establishment for selective breeding of livestock. The word " stud" comes from the Old English ''stod'' meaning "herd of horses, place where horses are kept for breeding". Historically, documentation ...
.
Economy and infrastructure
Economy
Because the raw material (wood) and a supply of energy (water) were available next to each other, large paper mills developed in Lambrecht valley in the 19th century. Because this was very labor-intensive work, they were at the time very important for the regional labor market. The paper mills still exist today, although technological progress has led to job cuts.
Transport
Federal road B39
Frankenstein
''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific exp ...
– Neustadt – Speyer and the
Palatine Ludwigsbahn
A palatine or palatinus (in Latin; plural ''palatini''; cf. derivative spellings below) is a high-level official attached to imperial or royal courts in Europe since Roman times. railroad line between
Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken (; french: link=no, Sarrebruck ; Rhine Franconian: ''Saarbrigge'' ; lb, Saarbrécken ; lat, Saravipons, lit=The Bridge(s) across the Saar river) is the capital and largest city of the state of Saarland, Germany. Saarbrücken is ...
and
Mannheim
Mannheim (; Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (german: Universitätsstadt Mannheim), is the second-largest city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg after the state capital of Stuttgart, and Germany's ...
run side by side through Lambrecht valley. The previously abandoned Cuckoo Railway line from Lambrecht to Elmstein was reactivated in 1984.
See also
*
List of rivers of Rhineland-Palatinate
A list of rivers of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany:
A
*Aar
*Adenauer Bach
* Ahr
* Alf
* Alfbach
*Appelbach
* Asdorf
* Aubach
B
*Birzenbach
* Blattbach
* Breitenbach
*Brexbach
* Brohlbach, tributary of the Moselle
* Brohlbach, tributary of the Rh ...
Footnotes
External links
The unusual history of SpeyerbachLarge Online Project "Speyerbach"(since 2005)
{{Authority control
Rivers of Rhineland-Palatinate
Anterior Palatinate
Rivers of Germany