River in Germany
This article is about the river of Bavaria, Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt. For other uses and other rivers with the same name, see
Saale (disambiguation)
.
Saale
|
---|
![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/df/Petersgrat_bei_Hof_Bayern.jpg/250px-Petersgrat_bei_Hof_Bayern.jpg) The Saale valley near Hof
|
![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/46/Saale_%28rivi%C3%A8re%29.png/280px-Saale_%28rivi%C3%A8re%29.png) |
|
Country
| Germany
|
---|
States
| |
---|
Reference no.
| DE: 56
|
---|
|
|
Source
|
|
---|
• location
| near
Zell im Fichtelgebirge
|
---|
• coordinates
| 50°07′14″N
11°49′50″E
/
50.12056°N 11.83056°E
/
50.12056; 11.83056
|
---|
• elevation
| 728 m above
sea level (NN)
|
---|
|
Mouth
|
|
---|
• location
| near
Barby
into the
Elbe
|
---|
• coordinates
| 51°57′17″N
11°54′50″E
/
51.95472°N 11.91389°E
/
51.95472; 11.91389
|
---|
• elevation
| 49.5 m above
sea level (NN)
|
---|
Length
| 413 km (257 mi)
[1]
|
---|
Basin size
| 24,167 km
2
(9,331 sq mi)
[1]
|
---|
|
Discharge
|
|
---|
• average
| 115 m
3
/s (4,100 cu ft/s)
|
---|
|
|
Progression
| Elbe
→
North Sea
|
---|
Landmarks
| |
---|
Tributaries
|
|
---|
• left
| Schwarza
,
Ilm
,
Unstrut
,
Salza
,
Wipper
,
Bode
|
---|
• right
| White Elster
,
Orla
,
Southern
and
Northern Regnitz
|
---|
Bridges
| Saale bridge, Rudolphstein,
Old Saale bridge, Jena-Burgau
|
---|
Inland ports
| Hafen Halle (Saale), Sophienhafen in Halle (Saale)
|
---|
Navigable
| From its mouth to
Bad Durrenberg
; for Europa ships to Halle-Trotha
[2]
|
---|
The
Saale
(
German pronunciation:
[?zaːl?]
ⓘ
), also known as the
Saxon Saale
(
German
:
Sachsische Saale
pronounced
[?z?ks???
?zaːl?]
ⓘ
) and
Thuringian Saale
(
German
:
Thuringische Saale
), is a river in
Germany
and a left-bank
tributary
of the
Elbe
. It is not to be confused with the smaller
Franconian Saale
, a right-bank tributary of the
Main
, or the
Saale
in
Lower Saxony
, a tributary of the
Leine
.
Etymology
[
edit
]
The name
Saale
comes from the
Proto-Indo-European
root
*
seles
'marsh', akin to
Welsh
hel, heledd
'river meadow',
Cornish
heyl
'estuary',
Greek
helos
'marsh, meadow',
Sanskrit
saras
'lake, pond',
Sarasvati
'sacred river',
Old Persian
Harauvati
'
H?r?t River
;
Arachosia
',
Avestan
Haraxvat?
, idem. It may also be related to the Indo-European root *
sal
, "salt".
[3]
The Slavic name of the Saale,
Solawa
, still found in
Sorbian
texts, comes from
Old High German
sol
, "salt", and
awa
, "water".
[4]
Course
[
edit
]
Saale in
Bad Kosen
The Saale originates on the slope of the
Großer Waldstein
mountain near
Zell
in the
Fichtel Mountains
in
Upper Franconia
(
Bavaria
), at an elevation of 728 metres (2,388 ft). It pursues a winding course in a northern direction, and after passing the manufacturing town of
Hof
, enters
Thuringia
. It flows amid well-wooded low mountains of the
Thuringian Forest
until it reaches the valley of
Saalfeld
. After leaving Saalfeld the Saale reaches
Rudolstadt
. Here it receives the waters of the
Schwarza
, in whose valley lies the ruined castle of
Schwarzburg
, the ancestral seat of the formerly ruling
House of Schwarzburg
.
From Saalfeld, the Saale enters the limestone hill region north of the Thuringian Forest, and sweeps beneath the hills enclosing the
university
town of
Jena
. It enters
Saxony-Anhalt
and passes the spa of
Bad Kosen
and, after receiving the deep and navigable
Unstrut
at
Naumburg
, flows past
Weißenfels
,
Merseburg
,
Halle
,
Bernburg
and
Calbe
. It finally joins the Elbe just above
Barby
,
after traversing a distance of 413 kilometres (257 mi)
[1]
?shortened 14 kilometres (9 mi) by a bypass from its natural length of 427 kilometres (265 mi).
The Saale is navigable from Naumburg and is also planned connected from
Leuna
with the
White Elster
near
Leipzig
by an unfinished canal. The soil of the lower part of its valley is exceptionally fertile, and produces, amongst other crops, large quantities of
sugar beet
. Among its tributaries are the White Elster,
Southern
and
Northern Regnitz
and
Orla
on the right bank, and the
Ilm
, Unstrut,
Salza
,
Wipper
and
Bode
on the left. Its upper course is rapid. Its valley, down to Merseburg, contains many castles which crown the enclosing heights.
Geography
[
edit
]
Originating in
Zell
, the Saale flows through ?
Sparneck
?
Weißdorf
? Seulbitz ? Forbau ?
Schwarzenbach an der Saale
? Fattigau ?
Oberkotzau
?
Hof
? Brunnenthal ? Saalenstein ? Joditz ? Landesgrenze Bayern/Thuringen ?
Hirschberg
?
Sparnberg
? Rudolphstein ?
Blankenberg
?
Blankenstein
?
Harra
? Saaldorf ?
Saalburg
? Poeritzsch ? Grafenwarth ?
Burgk
? Walsburg ?
Ziegenruck
? Neidenberga ?
Hohenwarte
?
Eichicht
?
Kaulsdorf
? Fischersdorf ? Weischwitz ? Reschwitz ?
Breternitz
?
Saalfeld
? Schwarza ? Volkstedt ?
Rudolstadt
? Catharinau ? Kolkwitz ? Weißen ?
Uhlstadt
? Ruckersdorf ? Zeutsch ? Niederkrossen ?
Orlamunde
?
Freienorla
?
Großeutersdorf
?
Kleineutersdorf
?
Kahla
?
Großpurschutz
? Jagersdorf ?
Rothenstein
? Maua ? Lobeda ?
Jena
? Zwatzen ? Porstendorf ?
Dornburg
?
Dorndorf-Steudnitz
?
Wichmar
?
Camburg
? Tumpling ?
Großheringen
? Kleinheringen ? Landesgrenze Thuringen/Sachsen-Anhalt ? Stendorf ? Saaleck ?
Bad Kosen
?
Naumburg
? Schellsitz - Schonburg ? Eulau ?
Goseck
?
Leißling
? Lobitzsch ?
Uichteritz
? Markweben ?
Weißenfels
? Dehlitz ?
Schkortleben
? Kleinkorbetha ?
Großkorbetha
?
Oebles-Schlechtewitz
?
Wengelsdorf
?
Bad Durrenberg
? Krollwitz ?
Leuna
? Trebnitz ?
Merseburg
? Meuschau ? Freiimfelde ?
Schkopau
? Korbetha ? Hohenweiden ? Rockendorf ? Holleben ?
Halle
? Krollwitz ? Lettin ?
Brachwitz
? Schiepzig ?
Salzmunde
? Pfutzthal ?
Doblitz
? Zaschwitz ?
Wettin
?
Kloschwitz
? Rumpin ? Dobis ?
Friedeburg
? Zickeritz ?
Rothenburg
? Nelben ? Gnolbzig ? Trebnitz ?
Alsleben
? Poplitz ? Großwirschleben ?
Plotzkau
?
Grona
? Neuborna ?
Bernburg
? Drobel ?
Nienburg
?
Wedlitz
? Damaschkeplan ? Wispitz ?
Calbe (Saale)
? Trabitz ?
Groß Rosenburg
? Werkleitz
Tributaries
[
edit
]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
Sources
[
edit
]
- Ernst-Otto Luthardt, Reinhard Feldrapp:
An der Saale. Vom Fichtelgebirge durch Thuringen bis zur Elbe.
Wurzburg 1990.
ISBN
3-8035-1335-9
- Wolf Thieme, Markus Altmann (Fotos):
Mitten ins Herz. Sie entspringt in Bayern, durchquert Thuringen und fließt in Sachsen-Anhalt in die Elbe ? die Saale ist ein Fluss, der alles verbindet. Und jedem Spaß macht: dem Sportler, dem Kulturfreund, dem Faulenzer.
In:
stern
Nr. 26 (22. Juni 2006), S. 84-89. (
Online-Version
)
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
public domain
:
Chisholm, Hugh
, ed. (1911). "
Saale
".
Encyclopædia Britannica
. Vol. 23 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 953.
External links
[
edit
]
Media related to
Saale
at Wikimedia Commons