Lech River
Encyclopedia
The Lech is a river in Austria
and Germany
. It is a right tributary of the Danube
264 kilometres (164 mi) in length with a drainage basin
of 2550 square miles (6,604.5 km²).
Its source is located in the Austrian state
of Vorarlberg
, where the river rises from lake Formarinsee
in the Alps
at an altitude of 6120 feet (1,865.4 m). It flows in a north-north-easterly direction and crosses the German border, forming the Lechfall, a 12 metres (39 ft) waterfall; afterwards the river enters a narrow gorge (the Lechschlucht). Leaving the Alps, it enters the plains of the Allgäu
at Füssen
at an elevation of 2580 feet (786.4 m) in the German state of Bavaria
, where it formerly was the location of the boundary with Swabia
. The river runs through the city of Füssen and through the Forggensee
, a man-made lake which is drained in winter. Here, it forms rapids and a waterfall.
The river flows further northwards through a region called the Lechrain, and passes the cities of Schongau
, Landsberg
, Augsburg
(where it receives the Wertach
) and Rain
before entering the Danube River just below Donauwörth
at an elevation of 1330 feet (405.4 m). It is not navigable, owing to its torrential character and the gravel beds which choke its channel. There is a particularly magnificent view of the Lech valley from Neuschwanstein Castle, near Füssen.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It is a right tributary of the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
264 kilometres (164 mi) in length with a drainage basin
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
of 2550 square miles (6,604.5 km²).
Its source is located in the Austrian state
States of Austria
Austria is a federal republic made up of nine states, known in German as Länder . Since Land is also the German word for a country, the term Bundesländer is often used instead to avoid ambiguity. The Constitution of Austria uses both terms...
of Vorarlberg
Vorarlberg
Vorarlberg is the westernmost federal-state of Austria. Although it is the second smallest in terms of area and population , it borders three countries: Germany , Switzerland and Liechtenstein...
, where the river rises from lake Formarinsee
Formarinsee
Formarinesee is a lake in the Austrian Alps. It lies in the Bundesland of Vorarlberg and is the source of the River Lech....
in the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
at an altitude of 6120 feet (1,865.4 m). It flows in a north-north-easterly direction and crosses the German border, forming the Lechfall, a 12 metres (39 ft) waterfall; afterwards the river enters a narrow gorge (the Lechschlucht). Leaving the Alps, it enters the plains of the Allgäu
Allgäu
The Allgäu is a southern German region in Swabia. It covers the south of Bavarian Swabia and southeastern Baden-Württemberg. The region stretches from the prealpine lands up to the Alps...
at Füssen
Füssen
Füssen is a town in Bavaria, Germany, in the district of Ostallgäu situated from the Austrian border. It is located on the banks of the Lech river. The River Lech flows into the Forggensee...
at an elevation of 2580 feet (786.4 m) in the German state of Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, where it formerly was the location of the boundary with Swabia
Swabia
Swabia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany.-Geography:Like many cultural regions of Europe, Swabia's borders are not clearly defined...
. The river runs through the city of Füssen and through the Forggensee
Forggensee
Forggensee is a lake located north of Füssen in the district of Ostallgäu in Bavaria, Germany. One of many lakes in the region around Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein castles, Forggensee is the fifth-largest lake in Bavaria, with a surface area of 15.2 km². The Lech river flows through it....
, a man-made lake which is drained in winter. Here, it forms rapids and a waterfall.
The river flows further northwards through a region called the Lechrain, and passes the cities of Schongau
Schongau, Bavaria
Schongau is a small town in Bavaria, near the Alps. It is located along the Lech, between Landsberg am Lech and Füssen. It has about 12,000 inhabitants...
, Landsberg
Landsberg am Lech
Landsberg am Lech is a town in southwest Bavaria, Germany, about 65 kilometers west of Munich and 35 kilometers south of Augsburg. It is the capital of the district of Landsberg am Lech....
, Augsburg
Augsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
(where it receives the Wertach
Wertach River
The Wertach is a river in Bavaria, southern Germany, left tributary of the Lech. Its total length is 151 km. The Wertach originates in the Northern Limestone Alps, in Bad Hindelang, east of Sonthofen . It flows north along the towns Wertach, Nesselwang, Marktoberdorf, Kaufbeuren, Schwabmünchen and...
) and Rain
Rain (Lech)
Rain is a municipality in the Donau-Ries district, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the river Lech, close to its confluence with the Danube, 11 km east of Donauwörth....
before entering the Danube River just below Donauwörth
Donauwörth
Donauwörth is a city in the German State of Bavaria , in the region of Swabia . It is said to have been founded by two fisherman where the Danube and Wörnitz rivers meet...
at an elevation of 1330 feet (405.4 m). It is not navigable, owing to its torrential character and the gravel beds which choke its channel. There is a particularly magnificent view of the Lech valley from Neuschwanstein Castle, near Füssen.
History
On more than one occasion, historic events have been decided on the banks of this river.- In 278 Roman emperor Probus vanquished a larger invasion force of BurgundiansBurgundiansThe Burgundians were an East Germanic tribe which may have emigrated from mainland Scandinavia to the island of Bornholm, whose old form in Old Norse still was Burgundarholmr , and from there to mainland Europe...
and VandalsVandalsThe Vandals were an East Germanic tribe that entered the late Roman Empire during the 5th century. The Vandals under king Genseric entered Africa in 429 and by 439 established a kingdom which included the Roman Africa province, besides the islands of Sicily, Corsica, Sardinia and the Balearics....
, which had been raiding the Roman province of Rhaetia. - At Lechfeld, a stony plain between the Lech and the Wertach near Augsburg, Otto I defeated the Magyars in August 955.
- In the Battle of RainBattle of RainThe Battle of Rain was fought on April 15, 1632, as part of the Thirty Years' War. The forces involved in this conflict were 40,000 Swedish troops under Gustavus Adolphus and 25,000 Catholic League troops under Count Johan Tzerclaes of Tilly...
in April 1632, Gustavus Adolphus of SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
defeated and mortally wounded Johan Tzerclaes, Count of Tilly.
External links
- Hochwassernachrichtendienst Bayern Alle möglichen Daten über die bayerischen Flüsse: aktuelle Pegelstände, langjährige Abflussdaten, Einzugsgebiet, etc.
- Life-Naturschutzprojekt Tiroler Lech
- Lebensraum Lechtal
- Bericht über eine Kajaktour