Pegnitz River
Encyclopedia
The Pegnitz is a small river in Franconia
in the German
federal state of Bavaria
. The Pegnitz has its source in the city
of the same name at an altitude of 425 m (1,394.4 ft) and meets the Rednitz
at 283 m (928.5 ft) northwest of Fürth
. From that point on the river is called Regnitz
.
The Pegnitz is about 115 km (71.5 mi) long.
The river is inhabited by numerous ducks, coots, swan
s, and gulls.
From source to mouth:
After the big flood
in February 1909, straightening has shortened the river by four kilometers within the Nuremberg city limits.
Since 1996 planning and actions are progressing trying to lengthen the course of the river between Nuremberg and Fürth again and to shape it in a nature-oriented way.
Franconia
Franconia is a region of Germany comprising the northern parts of the modern state of Bavaria, a small part of southern Thuringia, and a region in northeastern Baden-Württemberg called Tauberfranken...
in the German
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...
federal 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...
. The Pegnitz has its source in the city
Pegnitz (city)
Pegnitz is a town in the Bayreuth district in Upper Franconia, Bavaria, Germany, with a population of approximately 15,000 inhabitants. It is also the source of the river Pegnitz...
of the same name at an altitude of 425 m (1,394.4 ft) and meets the Rednitz
Rednitz
The Rednitz is a river in Franconia, Germany, tributary of the Regnitz . The Rednitz is formed by the confluence of the rivers Fränkische Rezat and Schwäbische Rezat, in Georgensgmünd . The Rednitz flows north through Roth bei Nürnberg, Schwabach and the southwestern quarters of Nuremberg...
at 283 m (928.5 ft) northwest of Fürth
Fürth
The city of Fürth is located in northern Bavaria, Germany in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. It is now contiguous with the larger city of Nuremberg, the centres of the two cities being only 7 km apart....
. From that point on the river is called Regnitz
Regnitz
The Regnitz is a river in Bavaria, Germany. It is a left tributary of the Main and is in length.The river is formed by the confluence of the rivers Rednitz and Pegnitz, which meet in the city of Fürth. From there the Regnitz runs northwards through the cities of Erlangen and Forchheim...
.
The Pegnitz is about 115 km (71.5 mi) long.
The river is inhabited by numerous ducks, coots, swan
Swan
Swans, genus Cygnus, are birds of the family Anatidae, which also includes geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometimes, they are considered a distinct subfamily, Cygninae...
s, and gulls.
Affluences
- Flembach (creek) (left affluence)
- Hirschbach (creek) (left affluence)
- Högenbach (creek) (left affluence from the Pommelsbrunn direction)
- Happurger Bach (creek) (left affluence)
- Sittenbach (creek) (right affluence)
- Hammerbach (creek) (left affluence)
- Sandbach (creek) (left affluence)
- Schnaittach (creek) (right affluence)
- Röttenbach (creek) (right affluence)
- Bitterbach (creek) (right affluence)
- Röthenbach (creek) (left affluence)
- Langwassergraben (creek) (right affluence)
- Tiefgraben (creek) (right affluence)
- Goldbach (creek) (left affluence)
Cities on the Pegnitz
- PegnitzPegnitz (city)Pegnitz is a town in the Bayreuth district in Upper Franconia, Bavaria, Germany, with a population of approximately 15,000 inhabitants. It is also the source of the river Pegnitz...
- Neuhaus on the Pegnitz
- HersbruckHersbruckHersbruck is a small town in Middle Franconia, Bavaria, Germany, belonging to the district Nürnberger Land. Famous for the late-gothic artwork of the Hersbruck altar, the "Hirtenmuseum" and the beautiful landscape of the "Hersbrucker Schweiz".-History:...
- Lauf an der PegnitzLauf an der PegnitzLauf an der Pegnitz is a municipality near Nuremberg, Germany. It is the capital of the district Nürnberger Land, in Bavaria....
- Röthenbach an der PegnitzRöthenbach an der PegnitzRöthenbach an der Pegnitz is a municipality in the district Nürnberger Land, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the Pegnitz River, 4 km southwest of Lauf an der Pegnitz, and 12 km east of Nuremberg ....
- NurembergNurembergNuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
: Within city limits (about 14 km), the river forms secondary arms. Numerous bridgeBridgeA bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
s and footbridges cross the river, such as the unchanged RenaissanceRenaissanceThe Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
bridge FleischbrückeFleischbrückeThe Fleisch Bridge or Pegnitz Bridge is a late Renaissance bridge in Nuremberg, Germany. The bridge crosses the river Pegnitz in the center of the old town, linking the districts St. Sebald and St. Lorenz along the axis of the main market...
(1598) and the iron suspension bridgeSuspension bridgeA suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck is hung below suspension cables on vertical suspenders. Outside Tibet and Bhutan, where the first examples of this type of bridge were built in the 15th century, this type of bridge dates from the early 19th century...
Kettensteg, dating from 1824. To the west of the Maxbrücke there is a weirWeirA weir is a small overflow dam used to alter the flow characteristics of a river or stream. In most cases weirs take the form of a barrier across the river that causes water to pool behind the structure , but allows water to flow over the top...
. In the western part of the city, the river has been renaturalized one section at a time from 1998 to 2001, using the historical river bed as orientation. - FürthFürthThe city of Fürth is located in northern Bavaria, Germany in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. It is now contiguous with the larger city of Nuremberg, the centres of the two cities being only 7 km apart....
: Numerous bridges and footbridges exist. As part of project Uferstadt (riverside city), the redesign of the former Grundig site, the river has been put into a nature-like bed in 2003. On a length of one kilometer, two new loops and shallowed banks have been created, and part of the former river bed have been kept in the form of backwaters. These tasks have been cofinanced by the European UnionEuropean UnionThe European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
.
History
Flood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
in February 1909, straightening has shortened the river by four kilometers within the Nuremberg city limits.
Since 1996 planning and actions are progressing trying to lengthen the course of the river between Nuremberg and Fürth again and to shape it in a nature-oriented way.