Gehlsbach (river)

Gehlsbach at Klein Pankow

The Gehlsbach is a tributary of the Elde in the south of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

Course

The creek has its origin in a wetland with former Torfstichen west of the village in the district Ganzlin Ludwig pleasure Parchim, about five miles west of the southern tip of Lake Plau. The watercourse is combined here with drainage ditches. To the west, the direction of flow fields and meadows of the municipalities of book mountain and Gehlsbach be traversed mainly. Southwest of Vietlübbe the nature reserve Gehlsbachtal is achieved. On the left side opens a likewise placed under protection and Quaßliner Moor draining Seegraben. Further to the west is the close to nature here running Gehlsbach the southern boundaries of Crays. In the municipality of Siggelkow the watercourse forms meanders from, takes the outflow of Lake Blank, the Basnichbach, on and near the Elde without open directly into this. In artificial extension of the stream The stream now runs under the name on the left side parallel to the Elde. North of Groß Pankow this goes into a oxbow lake of the Elde, opens into the short stretch of Moosterbach.

Throughout 28.6 meters height difference can be overcome. Including the current, the Gehlsbach to a length of about 23.5 km.

History

Origin of Gehlsbaches is probably a drainage path that ran in the area between the ice advances Sander Brandenburg and Frankfurt stages of the Weichselian. In Darß and in the mouth region bordering bogs, which are also formed from meltwater runoff.

The creek and its tributaries have been used to in the first half of the 20th century to the operation of water mills. By 1953, the lake Blanken peat in height. Since the 1970s, emerged near the villages of Klein Dammerow, Darß and Wilsen plants, water withdrawals for irrigation of agricultural land from the waters. The pumps were operated until 1989. In 1987, a trout hatchery facility was opened in Wilsen. By dismantling of a weir in Wilsen in 2000, the patency of the aquatic fauna could be restored.

Nature reserve Gehlsbachtal

The 249 -acre nature reserve was established on October 1, 1990, was extended on October 9, 1996 and includes the lower reaches of the Gehlsbaches from height Vietlübbe, the lower reaches of the opening into the creek Seegrabens with the Darßer Seewiesen, the underflow of a leading- from small Pankow trench and the respective adjacent riparian areas. It is pursued as a goal the protection and development of the stream with rare animal and plant species.