- Kinzig (Rhine)
Infobox River
river_name = Kinzig
caption = The Kinzig near Schenkenzell
origin =Black Forest
mouth =Rhine
basin_countries =Germany
length = 95 km
elevation = approx. 666 m
discharge =
watershed =The Kinzig is a
river in southwesternGermany , a right tributary of theRhine .It runs for 95 km from the
Black Forest through theUpper Rhine River Plains . The Kinzig valley and secondary valleys constitute the largest system of valleys in the Black Forest. Depending on the definition, the Kinzig is either the border between the Northern and Middle Black Forest or part of the Middle Black Forest. It is located entirely inside the State ofBaden-Württemberg and its name is supposed to be of Celtic origin. During theWisconsin glaciation the Kinzig and theMurg created a commonKinzig-Murg river system.Course of the river
The origin of the Kinzig is located on the land of the town of
Loßburg in the district of Freudenstadt. It runs south, then makes a gradual turn to the west. It leaves the district of Freudenstadt just after it emerges fromAlpirsbach , touches the district of Rottweil and continues to spend the largest part of its course in the district of Ortenau. The Kinzig leaves the Black Forest nearOffenburg and flows into the Rhine nearKehl . The upper part the Kinzig is a true mountain river that over time has caused quite a few seriousfloods . Its middle and lower parts have been squeezed into a straight bed lined with talllevees .Renaturation is in progress in the area where theSchutter flows into the Kinzig.Name
In
1099 the river was first mentioned in "Hauptstaatsarchiv Stuttgart" as "ad Chinzechun, ad aliam Chinzichun", in1128 the "Staatsarchive Sindelfingen" referred to the river as Kinzicha. In1539 ,1543 ,1560 ,1620 ,1652 and1654 it was listed as Künzlin, Küntzgen, Kintzg, Kintzgen, Oberkentzgenwüß and Köntzig, respectively. In1837 it was referred to for the first time as Kinzig.According to
Adolf Bach andBruno Boesch there is some doubt about whether the name Kinzig can really be traced back to the "ad Chinczechun, ad aliam Chinzichun" of1099 . Bach points to the usage in the northernBreisgau where "Kinzigs" are described as "paths at the bottom of a canyon through theloess ". In UpperAlsace andGraubünden rivers with the word Kinzig in their name usually describe a canyon. Some argue that the name developed from theCelt ic "kent" meaning various kinds of quick movement or from the Lepontic word "Centica (Cinti)" which means "water".With all these possibilities in mind, we can return to Adolf Bach and Bruno Boesch, who think these derivations doubtful. In addition, the question remains of how far the Celts or Pre-Celts had settled the Kinzig area, and which settlers had originally given the river its name. While these questions are difficult to answer for pre-historic times, the fact is that the Kinzig only created a small canyon in its upper part. A completely different river with many twists and turns presents itself as it moves towards the
Upper Rhine River Plains . At the end of the lastIce Age it wound its way through the Plains for a long time, on the way absorbing theMurg and only joining the Rhine after it reached the general area ofHockenheim .Tributaries
The following rivers flow into the Kinzig:
Timber rafting
celebrate a dangerous profession that has been entirely replaced by trucking.
Fauna
A regeneration program has been in progress since
2002 to re-introducesalmon into the Kinzig by putting young salmon into the water and removing obstacles. These efforts seem to be successful as in early2005 , for the first time in 50 years, salmon spawn were found in a river inBaden-Württemberg .Infrastructure
The width, length and favourable east-west direction in the middle and lower valley make the Kinzig valley important for infrastructure. The Romans maintained a road that traversed the valley. The "Kinzigtalstraße" was a military road built under Emperor
Vespasian in73 /74 AD fromOffenburg through the Kinzig valley into the RomanRottweil (Arae Flaviae) and on toTuttlingen . The main purpose of the road was to shorten the strategically important connection betweenMainz andAugsburg . Until this road was built, the connection took troops via the Rhine bend atBasel and during the revolt of the Batavers in69 /70 AD, this had proved to be a problem. During construction of the road, several Castelles were built. In addition to Rottweil, the rest areas inOffenburg -Rammersweier, Offenburg-Zunsweier, Waldmössingen, Sulz andGeislingen -Häsenbühl , were augmented by part of theAlblimes fortifications inFrittlingen , Lautlingen andBurladingen -Hausen. All of them were located inUpper Germanic country except for Burladingen which was inRhaetian territory. The surprising discovery of the fortification in Frittlingen in1992 only a few kilometers southeast of Rottweil shows that the "Kinzigtalstraße" was secured and covered with a tight net of military fortifications. The suggestion that the Kinzig valley itself was home to another fortification has thus gained credibility. Until then, it was supposed that there must have been one or two more yet to be discovered fortifications merely on the basis that the distance between the known ones in Offenburg and Waldmössingen was very big. Another fortification is assumed in Rottenburg by the end of the1st century however, it is not clear whether it existed as early as73 /74 AD or not until later in98 AD.Roughly at the same time that the "Kinzigtalstraße" was built, Roman forts were constructed further north on the right side of the
Rhine in places likeFrankfurt , Heddernheim,Karben ,Groß-Gerau ,Gernsheim ,Ladenburg (Lopodunum),Heidelberg andBaden-Baden (Aquae). Whether these were advanced posts or the Roman border between73 and98 AD, (following a generally defined line east of the Rhine), has yet to be determined.In
98 AD, in the area of present day southwest Germany, the route betweenOdenwald andNeckar came under Roman control, making the connection from Mainz to Augsburg shorter yet. As a result, the "Kinzigtalstraße" lost superregional significance.In present day Germany, the federal highway B 33 runs parallel to the Kinzig from Offenburg until it leaves the Kinzig in the upper valley to follow the Gutach towards
Villingen-Schwenningen . FromHausach on towardsFreudenstadt , the federal highwayB 294 , follows the upper Kinzig.For the "
Schwarzwaldbahn " train service, the valley is also very important. It runs from Offenburg to Hausach where it turns into the Gutach valley to continue on toKonstanz at theBodensee . In the upper Kinzig valley, the "Kinzigtalbahn" provides a connection between Hausach and Freudenstadt.Towns along the Kinzig
(starting at the origin)
Sources
* Emil Imm (Hrsg.) - Land um Kinzig und Rench, Rombach-Verlag (1974)
* Kurt Klein - Leben am Fluss, Schwarzwald-Verlag (2002)
* STALF, A. (1932): Korrektion und Unterhaltung der Kinzig. Die Ortenau 19. pp 124-144.
* NEUWERCK, A. (1986): Der Lachsfang in der Kinzig. Die Ortenau 66. pp 499-525.
* Bach, Adolf, Deutsche Namenkunde, Bd. II/2, Heidelberg 1981
* Bahlow, Hans, Deutschlands geographische Namenwelt, Frankfurt 1985, p. 263
* Boesch, Bruno,Kleine Schriften zur Namenforschung, Heidelberg 1981
* Buck, M. R., Oberdeutsches Flurnamenbuch, Stuttgart 1880, p. 130
* Keinath, Walther, Orts- und Flurnamen in Württemberg, Stuttgart 1951
* Krahe, Hans, Unsere ältesten Flussnamen, Wiesbaden 1964
* Obermüller, Wilhelm, Deutsch – Keltisches Wörterbuch, 1872, Reprint-Druck, Vaduz 1993, Bd. II, pp 178f
* Springer, Otto, Die Flussnamen Württembergs und Badens, Stuttgart 1930, pp 53, 60
* Traub, Ludwig, Württembergische Flußnamen aus vorgeschichtlicher Zeit in ihrer Bedeutung für die einheimische Frühgeschichte, in: Württembergische Vierteljahrshefte für Landesgeschichte, XXXIV. Jahrgang, 1928, Stuttgart 1929, p. 16External links
* [http://www.kinzigtal.com/ Tourism site of the Kinzig Valley communities]
* [http://www.floesserei-museum.de/ Rafters' Museum Gengenbach]
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20060220081315/http://www.schiltach.de/schiltach/floesser.htm History of Rafting in Schiltach]
* [http://www.deheim.de/kinzigtal/ Information about and images]
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