Elbbach (Lahn)

The Elbbach under the Stone Bridge in Hadamar

St. Wendelin bridge at Niederhadamar, viewed downstream from the direction Offheim ( county road 478 between two villages )

The Elbbach is a 40.7 km long, north and orographic right tributary of the Lahn, in Rhineland -Palatinate and Hesse.

Course

The Elbbach rises in Rhineland-Palatinate part of the Westerwald, a few kilometers northwest of Westerburg of several creeks north of Ailertchen. From there it flows in a southerly direction over after Kaden, eastward to Guckheim by Willmenrod and then Langendernbach in Hesse. From then to the south pulling, reaching the Elbbach Hadamar to pass under at Niederhadamar originating from the 12th century St. Wendelin bridge, probably the oldest stone bridge in Hesse. Then it flows further south in the relay, a district of Limburg an der Lahn, with an average water flow of approximately 4 m / s, in the Rhein- Lahn Creek.

Name

The name same or elf can possibly be attributed to elfr, the Norse word for the term " flow ". The Celtic and Germanic Albis Albia are the linguistic developments that lead ultimately to the name Elf ( e). Others, however, derive the name from same Indo-European * albhos for " white " or " flow " from. (Compare Elbe)

The municipality is named after the Elbingen there flowing past Elbbach, as well as the community Elbe Valley.

Economic History

1832 reported Leopold von Zedlitz - Neukirch in his new hydrographic lexicon for the German states of the many mills that took advantage of the water power of the Elbbachs. In addition to numerous flour mills along the stream course were also in Berzhahn an ironworks and in Niederhadamar driven an oil mill from him. From this economic importance of the creek was barely stay a bit. Today again run single hydropower plants on Elbbach, among others Oberzeuzheim and in Hadamar. In Niederzeuzheim the creek supplied a larger fish farm with water.

Nature

In the Hessian part of its course the Elbbach was provided through the nature reserve " Elbbachtal " and a perfectly aligned with this and with the same name FFH area under protection. The reserve follows the stream course to around ten kilometers from the country to the city limits of Hadamar and includes the lower reaches of the vice Bach. The boundary of the protected area is usually close to the stream, which means that the reserve covers despite its long distance only 84 hectares ( ha). The official Brief description and justification of the Habitats status is " Semi-natural watercourses associated with brook floodplain forests, tall herb communities, wetlands and fresh meadows, reedbeds and spring swamps, both from botanical as well as from faunistic point of view valuable area, habitat of numerous rare and consisted of endangered animal and plant species. particular importance for riverine species, local important bird breeding area. "

In the course include the nature reserve " limestone quarry at Hadamar " ( 9.8 ha ) and the FFH area " Elbbachaue east of Elz " ( 49.1 ha) short parts of the stream. The latter area consists of two subareas of a wet meadow area, which is important especially because of the presence of the Dark and the Light burnet Blue butterfly.

Inflows

Among the tributaries of the Elbbachs belong with orographic mapping (l = left side, R = right side) and river length ( downriver considered ):

  • Behind Church Erbach (r, 1.7 miles)
  • Kuhbach (r, 1.3 miles)
  • Dernbach ( l, with 3.1 miles)
  • Calves Bach (r; 4.9 km )
  • Otterbach ( l, 2.4 miles)
  • Schafbach ( l; 13.6 km )
  • Wood Creek ( l; 12.9 km )
  • Langendernbach ( Dembach ) ( l; 4.9 km )
  • Mühlbach ( l; 3.7 km )
  • Vices Bach ( Steinbach ) ( l; 19.0 km )
  • Grundbach ( Frick Hofener Bach) (r; 5.6 km )
  • Or stream ( value stream ) ( l, 3.0 miles)
  • Salzbach (r; 9.3 km )
  • Kumpgraben ( l, 0.6 miles)
  • Lohbach (r; 4.4 km )
  • Wood Creek ( l; 6.1 km )
  • Faulbach ( l, 3.3 miles)
  • Weiersbach (r; 3.2 km )
  • Dorfbach ( Tränkbach ) (r, 2.5 miles)
  • Ahlbach (Bach from Ursel Hof ) ( l, 3.8 miles)
  • Offheimer Bach ( l, 1.3 miles)
  • Erbach (r; 11.8 km )
  • Wambach ( Dill Bach) (r; 3.9 km )
Orography Elbtal Naturschutzgebiet Langendernbach (Elbbach) Lasterbach Grundbach (Elbbach) Oderbach Salzbach (Elbbach) Holzbach (Elbbach, Hadamar)
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