Hergstbach

The Hergstbach in Ruchsen

The Hergstbach is almost 15 km long river in northern Baden-Württemberg in the Neckar - Odenwald-Kreis and the district of Heilbronn, tapers Ruchsen from the north and to the right of the Jagst in Möckmühler Teilort.

The actual Hergstbach from body city is almost 9 kilometers long pursued to the running of the Hergstgrabens to the sources at Hergenstadt, one comes to a length of about 13 kilometers, with the entire right upper reaches Hergstgraben that begins in Marie city, from 14.5 km. Its catchment area is bounded by the the Kessach and to the west of which the Seckach in the east and covers 32.5 km ², making the Hergstbach ranked among the tributaries of the Jagst on the 10th Place. Measured by its water supply, however, is strikingly low. Nevertheless, it can reach at least a depth of up to 1.3 meters at normal water.

Hergstgraben and Heidel ditch

The Hergstbach arises in the body the city from the confluence of the left and right Hergstgraben Heidel ditch, which are almost the same size and the same length and are approximately parallel.

The search for the origin of the Hergstbachs does not provide a clear result. A source of Hergstgrabens is not defined. There are some little rich sources northeast of Hergenstadt (city Adelsheim ) in about 350 meters of altitude, another source is in itself Hergenstadt From there begins the Hergstgraben its course in southern and southwestern directions. The water, however, he leads here is mainly surface water; the flow of water quickly smitten by a stable source can therefore be no question. The wells of the early Hergstbachtales up to the hamlet of Marie height (city Osterburken ), where today the Histotainmentpark Adventon.

The little valley of Heidel trench involves first a small river, the Hundel. These seeps after a short run. Near the Hundel is hop garden, a part of the community Schoental in Hohenlohe. It was not until further down the valley of the trench is then called Heidel ditch. At the height of the sports facilities of the SV body city he joins the Hergstgraben.

The Hundel before their percolation

River

From its origins to its confluence with the Jagst the Hergstbach flows almost exclusively in southern and southwestern directions. Below the body of the city lined with willow and alder creek enters its still flat and gentle valley and in Möckmühler municipality and flows soon after by basket. About a kilometer below basket flows from the left to the very short Heilbronner a ditch, and a few meters downstream flows from the right slightly larger Bärbach. Both result in only a few months a year some water. Various other ditches and ravines wear periodically with the feeding of the Hergstbachs. Between the city and the body Bärbachmündung the Hergstbach is partially straightened.

The further one follows the creek downstream, the more changes the appearance of his Tales, which is always narrower and deeper digs in the Muschelkalk and winds getting stronger. For settlements here is no more space. In this section, the Hergstbach has even created a small rock wall of about 8 meters. Its south-facing percussion slopes were formerly used partially viticultural and now form valuable habitats. The narrow flood plains are partly used for agriculture. A small road connects basket with Ruchsen, branches off from him between the villages of the access road to the hamlet Dippach to which nestles at a shallower location on the slope. The Hergstbach finally reached Ruchsen and thus the valley of the Jagst, in which he. , At an altitude of about 176 m above sea NN flows.

In the lower Hergstbachtal. The bed of the Hergstbachs appears in many places disproportionately wide.

Upon entry by the Ruchsen Hergstbachtal opens to Jagsttal.

Hergstbach with meadowsweet at the last minute on his way

Mouth of the Hergstbachs in the Jagst (2008)

Hergstbachmündung (2009, after intervention)

Flood leading Hergstbach at the mouth. The more brightly colored Hergstbachwasser is a few meters after the confluence recognizable ( December 2009).

Mouth with a slight flood on 25 February 2010

Water flowing down the Hergstbachs

Although according to the catchment area of ​​Hergstbach 's tenth-largest inflow of Jagst, it performs compared to other, according to the catchment area and comparable air streams very little water, from both natural and man-made causes.

The Hergstbach lies mostly in limestone, a limestone rock in which it often comes to seepage, and apparently loses significant amounts of water on its surface. His bed is higher than that of the adjacent, more powerful streams Kessach and Seckach; he is so in a similar adverse situation as the Jagst over their competitors (see there), but, unlike the Hergstbach, also has some water-rich sections.

In the area of Hergstbachs - as generally in the southern land - Keuper available only in thin, often overlaid by loess soil residues that lie on the high plains. The upper shell is heavily karstified and therefore very permeable to water. The middle limestone, a rock salinares, would aquifers considered, but is highly leached and are most groundwater at deeper layers from. The lower shell is less heavily karstified and takes over the function as aquifers. The bed of the Hergstbachs draws quite the upper Muschelkalk, while the nearby river beds of Seckach, Kessach and Jagst are mainly in the middle Muschelkalk. Although the Hergstbach falls down quite strongly to the south, it does not reach to its mouth in the middle Ruchsen shell because the layers of rock fall to the south. The lower shell - the most important aquifer in this area - is therefore lower than the bed of the Hergstbachs. So little ground water finds its way into the Hergstbach, while the largest part comes in other basins.

Another circumstance that land consolidation is added, in the course of those many places around the floors were Hergstbach around drained and therefore turned to ground stores less water, the water flows faster shallow, so the outflow is concentrated to a few particularly strong flood. According to local resident ordinary water flow was actually greater before the land clearing.

Appearances teaches that the bed of the Hergstbaches is disproportionately large for the typical flow. Especially in the summer months this regularly so strong returns that eventually the Korber treatment plant is the most important tributary. For the Hergstbach is above this treatment plant significantly earlier and longer dry as below, but also down from her dried up its waters flow sometimes completely, so that only then is a chain of ponds and puddles. For the average water supply but this is unlikely to have an impact, as does not change the total annual runoff, but only its distribution over the year.

Looking at the modest Hergstbach at ordinary water flow or even in mid-summer, it is hard to believe how powerful the stream may swell at high tide. In December 1993, he flooded the low-lying parts Ruchsens, at a road junction, the water had flowed half meters high above the street. Also basket is regularly hit by floods. The effort is a long time to obtain from the city Moeckmuehl protective measures against it. Dangerous is the very rapid rise of the water level, which, although of course in small bodies of water, in the case of Hergstbaches but - as with countless other streams in agricultural areas - is especially to be intensified by the agricultural areas are often drained, that the fields are regularly crossed by drainage channels that you meticulously cleans the ditches on dirt roads and often allowing no hedges and copses. It seems to want to discharge the rain water as quickly as possible - literally by the saying " after us the deluge ".

The flood in basket are only partly due to the Hergstbach, because he rarely reaches such a high water channel that he would come out of its artificial bed here. More often, the water comes from a nondescript Seitentälchen, the fox hole. The trench is then backward extending verdolt in the village area with a too narrow, almost flat -lying tube. Is now available to the Hergstbach high, he dammed the outflow from the foxhole. If now rush down the Seitentälchen after heavy rain or prolonged rainfall on water-saturated soil large masses of water, this look for a aboveground way - can only lead of the streets and of course does not stop even in front of buildings.

Landscape, vegetation and wildlife

The Hergstbachtal, especially its lower portion, can be considered to be important from the perspective of nature conservation and landscape conservation as well as recreation. This situation is mainly due to the fact that this area is extraordinarily rich and small-scale structure, houses a wealth of special biotopes with appropriate species and that the valley is relatively little interference.

Characteristic of this is especially the variety and the mosaic-like alternation of semi-natural woodlands, hedges and bushes, meadows and Auebiotopen harboring a certain abundance of many rare or protected plant species. These include gold thistles, Pasque, columbines, Field Cow- wheat, branchy grass lily, bee orchid, military orchid, purple orchid or the Fringed Gentian. In former vineyards extend today partly orchards, of which the lack of care are in different stages of succession. On some surfaces ancient forms of land use (extensive grassland use, grape or fruit growing on orchards ) are imitated by nursing measures to obtain the corresponding biotopes so. This applies especially to areas on the steep slopes of impact, but only a minority; the majority of percussion slopes is verwalden long term where this is not already done.

The Hergstbach is due to extreme water level fluctuations (see above ) arm of fish. Shown are the rainbow trout, brown trout, minnow, bullhead and loach.

On Hergstbach it is possible to encounter the kingfisher, but it can be assumed that he or she is only a guest.

The report drawn up by the Forestry Testing and Research Institute of Baden -Württemberg General Wildwege plan for Baden- Württemberg provides that a wildlife corridor of national significance through the lower Hergstbachtal is to pass. The corresponding axis connecting the Swabian-Franconian Forest over the forests of Hohenlohe plain, the Harthäuser forest and the Weidach with the eastern Odenwald. The route crosses between Ruchsen and rams the Jagsttal and leads through the lower Hergstbachtal and the forest Möckmühler way in Hagenbach in the forest Old Bannholz before she crosses the Seckachtal between Roigheim and Senn field. According to this conception the Hergstbachtal from the perspective of the biotope network would be of great importance too formal.

Over most of the Hergstbachtales extends the 360 -acre conservation area Hergstbachtal. There are there also the 3.8 -hectare nature reserve vineyard in Hergstbachtal, a species-rich dry grassland slope, an oak tree as a single natural monument and the two-dimensional nature monuments In the lower valley, steppe Heidebach Wingert, Front vineyard fields and steppe Heath Lower riser. The latter part, although very close to Ruchsen, the city rams. For more information on the protected areas can be found on the sides of the LUBW, see references.

Helmet Orchid (Orchis militaris ) in the FND " ​​steppe Heidebach Wingert " in the lower Hergstbachtal

Look into Hergstbachtal of the hillside in the FND " ​​steppe Heidebach Wingert "

In May, the already remarkable semi-arid grassland is dotted with thousands helmet boys herbs

Leisure

The Hergstbachtal, especially below basket, is popular for hiking, walking and cycling due to its scenic beauty. The city Moeckmuehl to further expand her bike trails network, there are aspirations and plans for a bike path that will connect it to the basket in Hergstbachstraße and should lead to abdominal city. However, the bike path collides with landscape and nature conservation interests. The previously planned route passes through a remote, previously untapped section and is located in the conservation area Hergstbachtal.

History

Centrally located on the flood plain of the Hergstbachs near the Bärbachmündung is a grave hill, the little Korber Katzenbuckel. The Upper Hergenstadt townspeople forest in which the sources of Hergstbaches lie is crossed by the Limes, the course is on a straight-up wall -like elevation of over one kilometer long in the forest still recognizable today.

Apparently, the Hergstbach was once called at least at the lower flow period, Diebach. So it renames there any case of maps from the 16th century. After this name to the hamlet Dippach is named.

The land consolidation of the seventies as well as the straightening of the Hergstbach and its source rivers had significant consequences for the landscape of the Hergstbachtals, ecology and the water balance. For details see the paragraph on water management. But the stream is still predominantly natural or remained close to nature, especially in the lower Hergstbachtal.

Inflows

Tributaries of the Hergstbaches after the confluence of Hergstgraben and Heidel Graben:

• Blade trench ( right), 1.9 km
• Bach from the Märzengrund (right), 0.5 km
• Fuchsklinge (right), 1.4 km
• Heilbronner trench ( left)
• Bärbach (right), 1.7 km

Places on Hergstbach

• Hergenstadt ( on Hergstgraben )
• Leibstadt
• Basket
• Dippach
• Ruchsen