Preßnitz
Encyclopedia
The Preßnitz is a right-hand tributary of the River Zschopau
in the state of Saxony
in eastern Germany and in the Czech Republic
. It rises in the Bohemian Ore Mountains near Horní Halže, northwest of the mining town
of Měděnec
.
Along the rest of the Preßnitz as it flows northwards are the old mining town
of Přísečnice , which was blown up in 1973 along with the neighbouring villages of Rusová (German: Reischdorf) and Dolina (German: Dörnsdorf), in order to dam the Preßnitz at that point and form a reservoir. In 1976 the Preßnitz Dam (vodní nádrž Přisečnice) was completed.
At the first village in Saxony that the Preßnitz flows through, Schmalzgrube, it is joined by the Schwarzwasser stream from Jöhstadt
.
Above the town of Wolkenstein
the Preßnitz finally discharges into the Zschopau.
North of the dam on the border with Saxony is the village of Kryštofovy Hamry
(German: Christophhammer), in which one of the seven factories that manufactured cobalt blue
paint in Bohemia
, the Blaufarbenwerk St. Christoph, was located until 1874.
From 1955 to 2001 refrigerators were manufactured at Niederschmiedeberg. In 1993 the factory developed the first chlorofluorocarbon
- and fluorocarbon
-free refrigerators under the trade name of FORON.
On the way to Steinbach
in the Preßnitz Valley is the "show mine" (Schaubergwerk) of Andreas Gegentrum Stolln.
ran between Wolkenstein and Schmalzgrube, parallel to the Preßnitz River. After its closure a walking and cycling path was built between Wolkenstein and Steinbach on the old railway embankment along which the course of the river can be followed. Between 1995 and 2000 a museum railway was built between Steinbach and Schmalzgrube on the old embankment.
Zschopau River
The Zschopau is a river in Saxony, Germany, left tributary of the Freiberger Mulde. Its source is in the Erzgebirge, on the slopes of the Fichtelberg, near the border with the Czech Republic. It flows north through the towns Schlettau, Wolkenstein, Zschopau, Flöha, Frankenberg, Mittweida and...
in the state of Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
in eastern Germany and in the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
. It rises in the Bohemian Ore Mountains near Horní Halže, northwest of the mining town
Mining town
A mining community, also known as a mining town or a mining camp, is a community that houses miners. Mining communities are usually created around a mine or a quarry for the extraction or smeltering of ore.-United States:...
of Měděnec
Měděnec
Měděnec is a village and municipality in Chomutov District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic.The municipality covers an area of , and has a population of 149 ....
.
Course
The upper section of the Preßnitz, through the mining areas of Orpus (Mezilesí u Přisečnice) to its confluence with the Hammerbach stream (Hamerský potok) from Dörnsdorf (Dolina), was formerly known as the Hammerlebach.Along the rest of the Preßnitz as it flows northwards are the old mining town
Mining town
A mining community, also known as a mining town or a mining camp, is a community that houses miners. Mining communities are usually created around a mine or a quarry for the extraction or smeltering of ore.-United States:...
of Přísečnice , which was blown up in 1973 along with the neighbouring villages of Rusová (German: Reischdorf) and Dolina (German: Dörnsdorf), in order to dam the Preßnitz at that point and form a reservoir. In 1976 the Preßnitz Dam (vodní nádrž Přisečnice) was completed.
At the first village in Saxony that the Preßnitz flows through, Schmalzgrube, it is joined by the Schwarzwasser stream from Jöhstadt
Jöhstadt
Jöhstadt is a town in the district of Erzgebirgskreis, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the Ore Mountains, on the border with the Czech Republic, 10 km southeast of Annaberg-Buchholz, and 35 km northeast of Karlovy Vary....
.
Above the town of Wolkenstein
Wolkenstein
Wolkenstein is a town in the district Erzgebirgskreis, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the Ore Mountains, on the Zschopau River, 22 km southeast of Chemnitz....
the Preßnitz finally discharges into the Zschopau.
Industry
Due to the iron ore deposits in the area there were many hammer mills along the Preßnitz in the past, for example in Schmalzgrube, Oberschmiedeberg, Mittelschmiedeberg und Niederschmiedeberg.North of the dam on the border with Saxony is the village of Kryštofovy Hamry
Kryštofovy Hamry
Kryštofovy Hamry is a village and municipality in Chomutov District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic.The municipality covers an area of , and has a population of 96 ....
(German: Christophhammer), in which one of the seven factories that manufactured cobalt blue
Cobalt blue
Cobalt blue is a cool, slightly desaturated blue color, historically made using cobalt salts of alumina. It is used in certain ceramics and painting; the different cobalt pigment smalt, based on silica, is more often used directly in tinted transparent glasses...
paint in Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
, the Blaufarbenwerk St. Christoph, was located until 1874.
From 1955 to 2001 refrigerators were manufactured at Niederschmiedeberg. In 1993 the factory developed the first chlorofluorocarbon
Chlorofluorocarbon
A chlorofluorocarbon is an organic compound that contains carbon, chlorine, and fluorine, produced as a volatile derivative of methane and ethane. A common subclass are the hydrochlorofluorocarbons , which contain hydrogen, as well. They are also commonly known by the DuPont trade name Freon...
- and fluorocarbon
Fluorocarbon
Fluorocarbons, sometimes referred to as perfluorocarbons or PFCs, are organofluorine compounds that contain only carbon and fluorine bonded together in strong carbon–fluorine bonds. Fluoroalkanes that contain only single bonds are more chemically and thermally stable than alkanes...
-free refrigerators under the trade name of FORON.
On the way to Steinbach
Jöhstadt
Jöhstadt is a town in the district of Erzgebirgskreis, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the Ore Mountains, on the border with the Czech Republic, 10 km southeast of Annaberg-Buchholz, and 35 km northeast of Karlovy Vary....
in the Preßnitz Valley is the "show mine" (Schaubergwerk) of Andreas Gegentrum Stolln.
Railway
From 1892 to 1986 the Pressnitz Valley RailwayPressnitz Valley Railway
The Pressnitz Valley Railway was a narrow gauge railway line in Saxony, Germany. It used to climb from Wolkenstein on the standard gauge Flöha - Vejprty line through the valley of river Pressnitz to Jöhstadt on the border with Bohemia...
ran between Wolkenstein and Schmalzgrube, parallel to the Preßnitz River. After its closure a walking and cycling path was built between Wolkenstein and Steinbach on the old railway embankment along which the course of the river can be followed. Between 1995 and 2000 a museum railway was built between Steinbach and Schmalzgrube on the old embankment.
Source
- Bernd Schreiter: Hammerwerke im Preßnitz- und Schwarzwassertal. Streifzüge durch die Geschichte des oberen Erzgebirges. Heft 14. Annaberg-Buchholz 1997. Download (pdf 200 KB)