Großache

The Tiroler Achen in the Entenlochklamm gorge

The Kitzbühel Ache in St. Johann

The mouth of the Tiroler Achen in the Chiemsee

The Großache is a 79 km long river in the east of the Austrian state of Tyrol and the Bavarian Chiemgau, successively carries five different names during its course: Above Kitzbühel Jochberger Ache, from Kitzbuhel to St Johann Kitzbühel in Tyrol Ache, in the middle reaches Kössener Ache or Großache, which is also the collective name of the Austrian part of the German underflow Tiroler Achen. It springs from the Thurn Pass on salzburgischem area, reached the Tyrolean border to 400 m, the German border 55 km and flows 24 km further at Grabenstatt in the Chiemsee.

Special

The Großache is not the only river whose name changes on the border of two countries gleichsprachiger. For the Austrian name, there is the additional shape Large Ache, for the Bavarian side form the Tiroler Ache. The spelling Achen represents no plural, but is a peculiarity of the Bavarian language. The name Kössener Ache happens.

In many, even reputable publications is for the Austrian part of the river erroneously indicated only a length of 48 miles and omitted in some maps of the Salzburg beginning of the body of water. In the official Austrian 1:200,000 map is shown as the top section of the river of Trattenbach which is longer and probably richer in water than the nominal top section of the river.

River

The nominal origin of Jochberger Ache is situated 1270 m above sea level at the Pass Thurn. However, a few of the first tributaries are longer and richer in water. The most important is the Trattenbach, comes as a trickle from a Hochkar at about 1900 m above sea level between the two peaks and the Ross Gruber Kogel south of the Little Rettenstein and is supplied with the Jochberger Ache yet from multiple sources prior to confluence.

The valleys of Jochberger Ache and Kitzbühel Ache are surrounded by the Kitzbühel Alps. The peaks at the ends of the side valleys have heights up to 2363 m above sea level ( Geißstein ) to Kitzbuhel less than 2000 m. The Großache forms the eastern boundary of the Kaiser Mountains. Shortly after St. John, still in Leukental, are the towns of Kirchdorf in Tirol and Erpfendorf. Between Kössen, located in a well Kaiserwinkel mentioned, the Inn valley open Ostwesttal, and the Bavarian valley near Schleching the river breaks through the Chiemgau Alps in a narrow gorge, the duck hole. In Grassau the Tiroler Achen reaches the foothills of the Alps.

About the Chiemsee and the Alz it belongs to the right side of the river system of the Inn, and thus that of the Danube, which flows into the Black Sea. Its main tributaries are after Fieberbrunner Ache with their side tributaries, and the Reither Ache, which rises in the Spertental in Aschau / Kirchberg, and dehydrated with the Goinger Hausbach and the Rettenbachferner the southern side of the Wilder Kaiser mountains, just before Kössen the Schwarzlofer of Reit im winkl, and in Kössen the Kohlbach with the Weissbach from Lake Walch.

Hydraulic and Water Conservation

The increasing population of Leuken and the Achen Valley, the lower valley of the Ache, since the sixties led to a heavy load on the Tiroler Achen and thus also of Lake Chiemsee with wastewater. In the 1970s, the grade was classified as critical. It was only through the increased channeling of riparian communities and the creation of modern sewage treatment plants, including in Kössen and Grassau ( WWTP Achental the German Achentalgemeinden since 1977), the pollution of water bodies could be significantly reduced.

The estuary into Lake Chiemsee is designated as a nature reserve.

In the years 1996-2001 the Großache was renatured in the field Kirchdorf in Tirol in the context of flood protection project Kirchdorf by received more flow space through deepening the bed and widening shore. To ensure safety, even at 100 - year flood events, the river bed of the river cross-section was reduced to a length of 6.5 km by 1.8 m, widened to an average of 60-100 m. In the river surrounding 20 hectares for the retention of water were provided. In addition to flood protection, this innovative strategy also brings additional benefits in demands for nature conservation and recreation. Were used to treat the wastewater in the catchment area of the Großache various wastewater purpose associations, such as the wastewater association Reither Ache was founded.