Piesau (river)
Encyclopedia
The Piesau River is a right tributary
of the Lichte River in Thuringia
, Germany
, and is approximately 7 km long. The name is derived from the municipality of Piesau
.
south of the municipality of Piesau in the Thuringian Highlands.
, first from the Rennsteig, to the municipality of Piesau. Then it merges with the Bärenbach, becoming the Piesau River, and flows north to the municipality of Lichte (Bock-und-Teich)
, the so-called Piesauknie.
After that it flows alongside the street Saalfelder Strasse in parallel to B 281. In the centre of Lichte (in the Wallendorf section) the Piesau joins the Lichte River. In Wallendorf, close to the Lichte East railway station, it flows under the rail viaduct over the Piesau Valley.
Below the municipality of Lichte, the river passes through a roughly 3 km long and 200 m deep gorge, which ends in the Deesbach Forebay
(height 42.5 m). This is followed by the Leibis-Lichte Dam
.
The Piesau and Lichte and their tributaries in the surrounding valleys have been known for centuries for deposits of placer gold
and are considered the most significant sources of gold in Germany. Recreational placer miners continue to find occasional gold nuggets.
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 Lichte River in Thuringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and is approximately 7 km long. The name is derived from the municipality of Piesau
Piesau
Piesau is a municipality in the district Saalfeld-Rudolstadt, in Thuringia, Germany close to the Thuringian Rennsteig.It has a glass-factory and is known as glass-maker-village. The first time glass was made in Piesau was in 1622. Up until today glass is the main reason of existence in Piesau. Carl...
.
Source
The Piesau has its source close to the RennsteigRennsteig
The Rennsteig is a ridge walk as well as an historical boundary path in the Thuringian Forest, Thuringian Highland and Franconian Forest in central Germany....
south of the municipality of Piesau in the Thuringian Highlands.
Course
The Piesau rises as the Piesau Kieselbach and flows through the Thuringian Forest Nature ParkThuringian Forest Nature Park
The Thuringian Forest Nature Park is one of the two nature parks in Thuringia.The 1990 founded park has a size of 2082 km². It extents around the Rennsteig and comprises almost the entire Thuringian Forest and the Thuringian Highlands with Eisenach in northwest and Sonneberg in the south...
, first from the Rennsteig, to the municipality of Piesau. Then it merges with the Bärenbach, becoming the Piesau River, and flows north to the municipality of Lichte (Bock-und-Teich)
Lichte
thumb|220px|Wallendorfer Porcelain Manufacture, Oct. 2006thumb|220px|[[Leibis-Lichte Dam]], 102.5 m highLichte is a municipality in the district of Saalfeld-Rudolstadt in Thuringia, Germany, close to the Thuringian Rennsteig.- Geography :...
, the so-called Piesauknie.
After that it flows alongside the street Saalfelder Strasse in parallel to B 281. In the centre of Lichte (in the Wallendorf section) the Piesau joins the Lichte River. In Wallendorf, close to the Lichte East railway station, it flows under the rail viaduct over the Piesau Valley.
Name
According to old written traditions, the original name of the river was Schmiedebach. This referred to the lower reaches, in the area of the Bock-und-Teich section of the municipality of Lichte. The present-day name of the river appears only after the foundation of the municipality of Piesau in 1627, derived from the name of the founder, Pisa.Tributaries
| Left | Kupfertalbach | ||
| Right | Baerenbach | Kulmbach | Taubenbach |
Below the municipality of Lichte, the river passes through a roughly 3 km long and 200 m deep gorge, which ends in the Deesbach Forebay
Deesbach Forebay
The Deesbach Forebay is a dam in the German state of Thuringia in the Thuringian Highland. It impounds the river Lichte and lies between the municipalities Lichte and Unterweissbach...
(height 42.5 m). This is followed by the Leibis-Lichte Dam
Leibis-Lichte Dam
The Leibis-Lichte Dam is a dam in the German state of Thuringia in the Thuringian Highland. It impounds the River Lichte and lies between Lichte municipality section Geiersthal and Unterweissbach. To that particular Storage reservoir belongs the Deesbach Forebay...
.
Particularity
The Piesau and Lichte have unusually steep and deep gorges, the difference between hill tops and valley bottoms often exceeding 100 m.The Piesau and Lichte and their tributaries in the surrounding valleys have been known for centuries for deposits of placer gold
Placer deposit
In geology, a placer deposit or placer is an accumulation of valuable minerals formed by gravity separation during sedimentary processes. The name is from the Spanish word placer, meaning "alluvial sand". Placer mining is an important source of gold, and was the main technique used in the early...
and are considered the most significant sources of gold in Germany. Recreational placer miners continue to find occasional gold nuggets.