Retschenbach

BW

The Retschenbach is about 6 km long right tributary of the Effelder in the Thuringian Slate Mountains.

Course

The Retschenbach rises approximately 650 m above sea level. NN on the southern slope of the 829 meter high mountain Buhler. It flows for about 1 km above ground, but then disappears into the Zinselhöhle, a small cave in the limestone of the Thuringian Slate Mountains. The Zinselhöhle was probably leached over millennia by the waters of Retschenbach.

About 500 meters south of the Zinselhöhle enters the stream back to the surface out, in times of low water level, but this part of the stream bed keeps falling dry. Further, the river runs through the 3 km long Retschenbachgrund, an enclosed mountain slopes of meadow land. In the course of reclamation measures of species-rich and ecologically idyllic Retschenbachgrund was severely damaged by a straightening and partial lowering of the river bed.

In the course of Retschenbach passes under the line of the hinterland railway. There immediately branches off the mill race to the rare villages Upper Mill, which in turn feeds a biologically very valuable small pond. The Retschenbach crosses then the local situation Seltendorf in north-south direction, running directly on the rare villages sports ground along to lead shortly afterwards when Bätzenmühle at the southern end of Seltendorf in the Effelder. The Effelder in turn opens into the Froschgrundsee, a man-made flood control reservoir in the Itz, a tributary of the River Main.

• River system Itz
• River in Europe
• River in Thuringia
• Waters in the district of Sonneberg
• Waters in the Thuringian Forest Nature Park