- Saale
Infobox River
river_name = Saale
caption =
origin =Upper Franconia (Bavaria )
mouth =Elbe
basin_countries =Germany
length = 413 km (257 mi)
elevation = 728 m (2,389 ft)
discharge = 115 m³/s
watershed = 24,100 km²The Saale, also known as the Saxon Saale ( _de. Sächsische Saale) and Thuringian Saale ( _de. Thüringische Saale), is a
river inGermany and a left-banktributary of theElbe . It is not to be confused with the smallerFranconian Saale , a right-bank tributary of theMain , or theSaale (Leine) , a tributary of theLeine .Course
The Saale originates on the Waldstein, between
Bayreuth and Hof inUpper Franconia (Bavaria ), springing out of theFichtelgebirge at an altitude of 728 m. It pursues a winding course in anorth ern direction, and after passing the manufacturing town of Hof, entersThuringia . It flows amid well-wooded low mountains (TheThüringer Wald ) until it reaches the pleasant valley ofSaalfeld . After leaving Saalfeld the Saale reachesRudolstadt . Here it receives the waters of the Schwarza, in whose valley lies the castle ofSchwarzburg , the ancestral seat of theprinces of the formerly ruling house ofSchwarzburg-Rudolstadt .From Saalfeld the Saale enters the limestone hill region north of the
Thuringian Forest , and sweeps beneath the barren, conical hills enclosing the university town ofJena . It entersSaxony-Anhalt and passes the spa ofBad Kösen , washes numerous vine-clad hills and, after receiving atNaumburg the deep and navigableUnstrut , flows pastWeißenfels ,Merseburg , Halle,Bernburg andCalbe , and joins the Elbe just above Barby, after traversing a distance of km to mi|413|wiki=yes|abbr=yes. (It has been shortened km to mi|#expr:427-413 by a bypass from its natural length of km to mi|427.)It is navigable from
Naumburg with the help ofsluice s, and is connected with theWeiße Elster nearLeipzig by a canal. The soil of the lower part of its valley is of exceptional fertility, and produces, amongst other crops, large supplies ofsugar beet . Among its tributaries are theWeiße Elster ,Regnitz and Orla on the right bank, and the Ilm,Unstrut ,Salza ,Wipper and Bode on the left. Its upper course is rapid. Its valley, down toMerseburg , contains many castles which crown the enclosing heights.ee also
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Saale-Unstrut , awine -growing regionReferences
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