Große Aue
Encyclopedia
The Große Aue is an 84.5 kilometres (52.5 mi) long, southwestern, left tributary
of the River Weser in northern North Rhine-Westphalia
and central Lower Saxony
in Germany.
in North Rhine-Westphalia
. After one and a half kilometres it turns north and from its confluence with the Nordbach, which joins it from the west at Schwenningdorf
, is known as the Große Aue. It crosses a water gap
in the Wiehen Hills, losing 40 metres of height and powering two mills, so that in the section through the Wiehen crest it has been named the Neuer Mühlbach ("New Mill Stream") after the Neue Mühle ("New Mill") at Schwenningdorf. Further downstream near Fiegenburg it collects a tributary from the west which drains the entire Egge valley (Eggetal), and is then known as the Mühlbach ("Mill Stream"), powering the mill at Gut Grollage , east of the Egge in front of the main crest of the Wiehen Hills.
At Bad Holzhausen it loses the name Mühlenbach. Here the Große Aue reaches the North German Plain
. At 10.6 kilometres it passes under the Mittelland Canal. On the western edge of Espelkamp
(65 kilometres)in the river meadows (riveraue) on the far side of the dyke, two small lakes have been laid out: the Großer Auesee
and the See am Kleihügel. The river continues north, passing Rahden
to the west, to Preußisch Ströhen (northernmost village in Rahden borough), here it picks up the waters of the Großer Dieckfluss,before crossing the border into Lower Saxony. Here the valley is part of the 'bog
belt' (Moorgürtel). Between kilometres 62.8 and 58.8 the Großer Aue flows in two parallel channels, of which one has been straightened, the other is the first part of a renaturalised route. Through Wagenfeld
-Ströhen the Großer Aue runs to Barenburg
. It flows eastwards through the southern part of the Sulingen Gap
and is then forced south by the geest
hills of the Steyerberg Forest. Beyond Steyerberg
it turns towards the northeast and reaches after a few kilometres the Weser Depression
, on whose western edge it flows through Liebenau, in order five kilometres later near Binnen
, half way to Nienburg, discharging into the River Weser. Its total length is about 85 kilometres (52.8 mi).
When the first cut of the spade for the renaturalisation took place in 1989 this project was unique in North Rhine-Westphalia. The monotonous river bed and riverside strips of land up to 300 m wide were turned into near-natural pastureland again. About 200 hectares (494.2 acre) of flood plain was created. The artificial water channel was largely retained, but parallel to it a new river course was laid out which ran along the old route in several places. Today it is clear that a rich animal and plant world has been created without the risk of major flooding.
s and in the standing and flowing waters there are grass rushes
, water violets
and blister sedges
as well as short-winged coneheads and large marsh grasshoppers. Threatened dragonflies, such as the banded darter
, southern emerald damselfly
live here as do birds like the whitethroat
and little grebe
. Reed bunting
s, reed warbler
s and snipe
also occur here.
The near-natural graslland and wet meadows in the upper reaches of the river near Rödinghausen are under nature conservation protection. The nature reserve has an area of 14.5 hectares (35.8 acre) and is known as the Aubach Valley Nature Reserve (NSG Aubachtal). Particularly valuable are the rich wet meadows and pastures with their sedges and reed beds.
52.499722°N 8.650556°W.
L = left-hand, R = right-hand tributaries looking downstream
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of the River Weser in northern North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
and central Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
in Germany.
Course
The Große Aue rises at a height of as the Aue on the southern side of the Wiehen Hills in the village of Dono in the parish of RödinghausenRödinghausen
Rödinghausen is a municipality in the district of Herford, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-Geography:Rödinghausen is situated on the southern slope of the Wiehengebirge, approx...
in North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
. After one and a half kilometres it turns north and from its confluence with the Nordbach, which joins it from the west at Schwenningdorf
Schwenningdorf
Schwenningdorf is a village in the parish of Rödinghausen ion the northeastern part of the German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Until 1968 Schwenningdorf was an independent parish in the Amt of Rödinghausen. The village was first mentioned in the records in 1088.- Location :The village...
, is known as the Große Aue. It crosses a water gap
Water gap
A water gap is an opening or notch which flowing water has carved through a mountain range. Water gaps often offer a practical route for road and rail transport to cross mountain ridges.- Geology :...
in the Wiehen Hills, losing 40 metres of height and powering two mills, so that in the section through the Wiehen crest it has been named the Neuer Mühlbach ("New Mill Stream") after the Neue Mühle ("New Mill") at Schwenningdorf. Further downstream near Fiegenburg it collects a tributary from the west which drains the entire Egge valley (Eggetal), and is then known as the Mühlbach ("Mill Stream"), powering the mill at Gut Grollage , east of the Egge in front of the main crest of the Wiehen Hills.
At Bad Holzhausen it loses the name Mühlenbach. Here the Große Aue reaches the North German Plain
North German plain
The North German Plain or Northern Lowland is one of the major geographical regions of Germany. It is the German part of the North European Plain...
. At 10.6 kilometres it passes under the Mittelland Canal. On the western edge of Espelkamp
Espelkamp
Espelkamp is a town in the Minden-Lübbecke district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-Geography:Espelkamp is situated approximately 10 kilometers north of Lübbecke and 20 kilometers north-west of Minden.-Neighbouring places:-Division of the town:...
(65 kilometres)in the river meadows (riveraue) on the far side of the dyke, two small lakes have been laid out: the Großer Auesee
Großer Auesee
Großer Auesee is a lake in Kreis Minden-Lübbecke, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. At an elevation of 45 m, its surface area is 4.5 ha....
and the See am Kleihügel. The river continues north, passing Rahden
Rahden
Rahden is a town in the Minden-Lübbecke district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-Geography:Rahden is situated approx. 15 km north of Lübbecke and 25 km north-west of Minden...
to the west, to Preußisch Ströhen (northernmost village in Rahden borough), here it picks up the waters of the Großer Dieckfluss,before crossing the border into Lower Saxony. Here the valley is part of the 'bog
Bog
A bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens....
belt' (Moorgürtel). Between kilometres 62.8 and 58.8 the Großer Aue flows in two parallel channels, of which one has been straightened, the other is the first part of a renaturalised route. Through Wagenfeld
Wagenfeld
Wagenfeld is a municipality in the district of Diepholz, Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 15 km east of Diepholz, and 40 km northwest of Minden....
-Ströhen the Großer Aue runs to Barenburg
Barenburg
Barenburg is a municipality in the district of Diepholz, in Lower Saxony, Germany....
. It flows eastwards through the southern part of the Sulingen Gap
Sulingen
Sulingen is a town in the district of Diepholz, Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximatively 30 km east of Diepholz, and 45 km south of Bremen....
and is then forced south by the geest
Geest (topography)
Geest is a type of slightly raised landscape that occurs in the plains of in Northern Germany, the Northern Netherlands and Denmark. It is a landscape of sandy and gravelly soils, usually mantled by a heathland vegetation, comprising glacial deposits left behind after the last ice age during the...
hills of the Steyerberg Forest. Beyond Steyerberg
Steyerberg
Steyerberg is a municipality in the district of Nienburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 15 km southwest of Nienburg, and 30 km north of Minden....
it turns towards the northeast and reaches after a few kilometres the Weser Depression
Weser Depression
North of Porta Westfalica in Germany the River Weser no longer flows through a valley, but a broad plain known as the Weser Depression , consisting of meadows and river terraces.The depression is accompanied by geest ridges in places...
, on whose western edge it flows through Liebenau, in order five kilometres later near Binnen
Binnen
Binnen is a municipality in the district of Nienburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany....
, half way to Nienburg, discharging into the River Weser. Its total length is about 85 kilometres (52.8 mi).
Renaturalisation
After everything had been done in the years after the Second World War to turn the Große Aue into a canal-like river and thereby to create a flood-free river channel, initiatives during the 1980s in the Minden-Lübbecke region led to the decision to renaturalise the landscape. The intent was to enable the area, which had lost many of its native plant and animal species, to recover. A habitat was to be created to support riparian woods, hedges and plants and animals typical of the area.When the first cut of the spade for the renaturalisation took place in 1989 this project was unique in North Rhine-Westphalia. The monotonous river bed and riverside strips of land up to 300 m wide were turned into near-natural pastureland again. About 200 hectares (494.2 acre) of flood plain was created. The artificial water channel was largely retained, but parallel to it a new river course was laid out which ran along the old route in several places. Today it is clear that a rich animal and plant world has been created without the risk of major flooding.
Fauna und Flora
A valuable habitat has been generated on the Große Aue for plants and animals typical of water meadows. In the wet biotopeBiotope
Biotope is an area of uniform environmental conditions providing a living place for a specific assemblage of plants and animals. Biotope is almost synonymous with the term habitat, but while the subject of a habitat is a species or a population, the subject of a biotope is a biological community.It...
s and in the standing and flowing waters there are grass rushes
Butomus
Butomus is the sole genus in the monogeneric plant family Butomaceae, containing the single species Butomus umbellatus, also known as flowering rush or grass rush.-Description:...
, water violets
Hottonia palustris
Hottonia palustris of the family Primulaceae is an aquatic plant-Description:This plant has a stem reaching up to 80 cm in height. Its basal roots are buried in the underlying mud while other silvery, shiny roots dangle freely in the water...
and blister sedges
Carex vesicaria
Carex vesicaria is an essentially Holarctic species of sedge known by the common name Blister Sedge. The dried fibers, sometimes used as thermal insulation in polar regions, are known as sennegrass, saennegrass or similar, from the plant's Bokmål name Sennegras.-Distribution:This sedge is native to...
as well as short-winged coneheads and large marsh grasshoppers. Threatened dragonflies, such as the banded darter
Banded Darter
The Banded Darter is a European species of dragonfly of the family Libellulidae.-Description:Males of the Banded Darter, like most members of the genus, have a red abdomen. The species' primary distinguishing feature however is the presence, in both sexes, of broad black bands across the outer...
, southern emerald damselfly
Lestes barbarus
Lestes barbarus is a damselfly of the family Lestidae. It has the typical appearance of a Lestes damselfly; it has a metallic green body and at rest it holds its wings away from its body. Its common name in English is the Migrant Spreadwing but in Great Britain it is often known as the Southern...
live here as do birds like the whitethroat
Whitethroat
The Common Whitethroat, Sylvia communis, is a common and widespread typical warbler which breeds throughout Europe and across much of temperate western Asia. This small passerine bird is strongly migratory, and winters in tropical Africa, Arabia and Pakistan.This is one of several Sylvia species...
and little grebe
Little Grebe
The Little Grebe , also known as Dabchick, member of the grebe family of water birds. At 23 to 29 cm in length it is the smallest European member of its family. It is commonly found in open bodies of water across most of its range.-Description:The Little Grebe is a small water bird with a pointed...
. Reed bunting
Reed Bunting
The Reed Bunting, Emberiza schoeniclus, is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a group now separated by most modern authors from the finches, Fringillidae....
s, reed warbler
Reed Warbler
The Eurasian Reed Warbler, or just Reed Warbler, Acrocephalus scirpaceus, is an Old World warbler in the genus Acrocephalus. It breeds across Europe into temperate western Asia. It is migratory, wintering in sub-Saharan Africa....
s and snipe
Common Snipe
The Common Snipe is a small, stocky wader native to the Old World. The breeding habitat is marshes, bogs, tundra and wet meadows throughout northern Europe and northern Asia...
also occur here.
The near-natural graslland and wet meadows in the upper reaches of the river near Rödinghausen are under nature conservation protection. The nature reserve has an area of 14.5 hectares (35.8 acre) and is known as the Aubach Valley Nature Reserve (NSG Aubachtal). Particularly valuable are the rich wet meadows and pastures with their sedges and reed beds.
Tributaries
Its tributaries include the Flöthe and the Kleine Aue ("Little Aue"), that join it from the east, and the Großer Dieckfluss, which flows westwards, and merges into the Großer Aue at Preußisch Ströhen, at52.499722°N 8.650556°W.
L = left-hand, R = right-hand tributaries looking downstream
- KlosterbachKlosterbach (Große Aue)The Klosterbach is a right-hand tributary of the Große Aue, which is known as the Neuer Mühlenbach at the point where they join, in north Germany. The Klosterbach lies entirely within the parish of Rödinghausen in the district of Herford, North Rhine-Westphalia.The Klosterbach emerges north of Dono...
(R; near Dono) - NordbachNordbachThe Nordbach is a 1.7 kilometre long, left tributary of the Große Aue in East Westphalian Rödinghausen in the district of Herford in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia...
(L; near Stukenhöfen) - SchierenbekeSchierenbekeThe Schierenbeke is a long, left tributary of the Große Aue, or Neuer Mühlenbach as it is known in its upper reaches in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The stream lies entirely within the East Westphalian parish of Rödinghausen in the district of Herford.- Course :The Schierenbeke...
(L; near SchwenningdorfSchwenningdorfSchwenningdorf is a village in the parish of Rödinghausen ion the northeastern part of the German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Until 1968 Schwenningdorf was an independent parish in the Amt of Rödinghausen. The village was first mentioned in the records in 1088.- Location :The village...
) - Mühlenbach (L; near Börninghausen)
- Bruchriede (R; near Holzhausen)
- Landwehrbach (L: near Holzhausen)
- Obermehner Mühlenbach / Mehner BachMehner BachThe Mehner Bach, also called the Obermehner Mühlenbach or just the Mühlenbach, is a 9.0 kilometre long stream, that mainly flows through the East Westphalian borough of Lübbecke but also through Preußisch Oldendorf...
(R; near Hedem) - Grenzgraben (L; near Hedem)
- Hedemer Bruchgraben (L; near Hedem)
- Gartemanns Bach (R; near Fiestel)
- Flöthe (R; Fiestel)
- Fabenstedter Graben (R; near Gabelhorst)
- Kleine Aue (R; near Holsingerort)
- Großer Dieckfluss (L; near Börstel)
- Wickriede (R; near Rehersort)
- Langer Graben (R; near Hakenhäuserort)
- Herrenriede (R; )
- Wiete (L; Schweineinsel)
- Kleine Aue (L; Barenburg)
- SuleSule (river)The Sule belongs to the Weser river system in north Germany. With a length of about it flows exclusively through the district of Diepholz in the federal state of Lower Saxony....
(L; Barenburg) - Schweinelake (R; )
- Kirchdorfer Mühlenbach (R; Gut Borgstedt)
- Schliebeeke (R; )
- AllerbeekeAllerbeekeThe Allerbeeke is a stream that belongs to the Weser river system in north Germany. With a length of about if flows through the district of Diepholz in the state of Lower Saxony....
(L; Hasselbusch) - SiedeSiede (river)The Siede is a left-hand tributary of the Große Aue, about long in north Germany. It runs mainly through the southern part of the district of Diepholz and belongs to the Weser river system.- Course :...
(L; Wehrenberg) - Rüsselbach (R; )
- Peeksriede (L; )
- Sarninghäuser Meerbach (R; Sarninghausen)
- Langhorst Kuhlengraben (R; Flecken Steyerberg)
- Dunkgraben (L; Reese)
- Winterbach (L; Eickhof)