Schwentine
Encyclopedia
The Schwentine is a river
in the North German
state of Schleswig-Holstein
. It is approximately 62 kilometres long and rises on the hill of Bungsberg
, the highest point in the state, near the village of Kasseedorf
in Ostholstein
. It then runs from its source to Kiel
where it flows into the Kiel Fjord
, a bay of the Baltic Sea
. It passes through several lakes, including the Großer Plöner See
, the largest lake in Schleswig-Holstein, as well as the towns Eutin
, Malente
, Plön
, Preetz
and Kiel
.
managed by the Kiel Utilities Company. The Schwentine Valley Waterworks (Wasserwerk Schwentinetal) has been located near Klausdorf since about 1900.
Although the Schwentine valley gives an exceptionally natural impression along virtually its entire length, it is closely linked to the industrialisation
of the city of Kiel
. Two hydroelectric plants, now classed as cultural monuments, (one on the Rosensee
) were laid out by the shipyard founder, Bernhard Howaldt, and are still in operation today.
The once great mill industry no longer exists today. The old Howaldt Shipyard (that was merged into the firm of HDW), of which only the old metal foundry remains, was given a new lease of life as an industrial museum. Thanks to various sponsor programmes (e. g. the EU's URBAN II programme) the region around the Schwentine estuary has gradually lost its character as an industrial wasteland.
Apart from the immediate area of the estuary, no cargo boats use on the Schwentine. Instead there are excursion boats (5-Seen-Fahrt, Schwentinetalfahrt) and rowing boats.
(Altarm der Schwentine) is a part of the Schwentine that has been designated as nature reserve
since 1984. It received this conservation status because the waterbody has remained close to its natural state due to its steep river banks and is a habitat for a range of rare plants and animals. It covers an area of 19 hectares (46.9 acre). In addition to the section of river it includes an ox bow lake, a tributary, hedgerows, wooded river banks and slopes, rich in herbs, and small ponds.
word Sventana or the Baltic
šventa which meant "The holy one" (die Heilige); see also: Balto-Slavic languages
.
The original source of the Schwentine was not on the Bungsberg
, but in the vicinity of Bornhöved
. The source of the present-day Alte Schwentine
is viewed by historians, natural scientists and linguistic researchers as the original source of the Schwentine. During the Early
and High Middle Ages
the little river marked the border between the German or Saxon region, which extended to the Baltic Sea
near Kiel, and the Slav-settled regions in the present-day Ostholstein.
Before Angles
settled in Britain in the post-Roman period, they lived in Schleswig; hence many words in English vocabulary have Slavonic roots: cf. e.g. Eng. loaf, lord - Sl. chleb, Eng. glass - Sl. głos.
In the Battle of Bornhöved (German: Schlacht bei Bornhöved) on the field of Sventanafeld (Sventanapolje or "Schwentine field") near the village of Bornhöved near Neumünster in 798 the Obodrites, led by Drożko, allied with the Franks, defeated the Nordalbingian Saxons.
See also: Wagria, Limes Saxoniae
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
in the North German
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...
state of Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...
. It is approximately 62 kilometres long and rises on the hill of Bungsberg
Bungsberg
The Bungsberg is the highest point in the north German state of Schleswig-Holstein . It lies in the region known as Holstein Switzerland in the municipality of Schönwalde am Bungsberg between Scheelholz and Mönchsneversdorf....
, the highest point in the state, near the village of Kasseedorf
Kasseedorf
Kasseedorf is a municipality in the district of Ostholstein, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. West of the village is the lake of the Stendorfer See....
in Ostholstein
Ostholstein
Ostholstein is a district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Stormarn, Segeberg and Plön, the Baltic Sea and the city of Lübeck.-History:...
. It then runs from its source to Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
where it flows into the Kiel Fjord
Kiel Fjord
Kiel Fjord is an approximately long fjord or firth of the Baltic Sea along the shores of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Formed by glacial movement during the last Ice Age, it lies between the Danish Wold and Wagria. It originates at the Hörn in centre-city Kiel and merges into the Bay of Kiel.The...
, a bay of the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
. It passes through several lakes, including the Großer Plöner See
Großer Plöner See
The Großer Plöner See or Lake Plön is the largest lake in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is located near the town of Plön...
, the largest lake in Schleswig-Holstein, as well as the towns Eutin
Eutin
Eutin is the district capital of Eastern Holstein located in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein. As of 2005, it had some 17,000 inhabitants....
, Malente
Malente
This Article is about a German location. For the DJ with the same name, see Malente .Malente is a municipality in the district of Ostholstein, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is about 5 km northwest of Eutin and 35 km north of Lübeck....
, Plön
Plön
Plön is the district seat of the Plön district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, and has about 13,000 inhabitants. It lies right on the shores of Schleswig-Holstein's biggest lake, the Great Plön Lake, as well as on several smaller lakes, touching the town on virtually all sides...
, Preetz
Preetz
Preetz is a town in the district of Plön, in Schleswig-Holstein, Northern Germany. In the town centre is a small lake, the Kirchsee.-History:...
and Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
.
Water management
The Schwentine is of great importance in the supply of drinking waterDrinking water
Drinking water or potable water is water pure enough to be consumed or used with low risk of immediate or long term harm. In most developed countries, the water supplied to households, commerce and industry is all of drinking water standard, even though only a very small proportion is actually...
managed by the Kiel Utilities Company. The Schwentine Valley Waterworks (Wasserwerk Schwentinetal) has been located near Klausdorf since about 1900.
Although the Schwentine valley gives an exceptionally natural impression along virtually its entire length, it is closely linked to the industrialisation
Industrialisation
Industrialization is the process of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an industrial one...
of the city of Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
. Two hydroelectric plants, now classed as cultural monuments, (one on the Rosensee
Rosensee
The Rosensee is a lake in the region of Holstein Switzerland in the state of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.- History :The lake began as a reservoir, built in 1908 as part of the construction of the Schwentine Hydropower Plants by shipyard builder, Bernhard Howaldt, and today is a fundamental...
) were laid out by the shipyard founder, Bernhard Howaldt, and are still in operation today.
The once great mill industry no longer exists today. The old Howaldt Shipyard (that was merged into the firm of HDW), of which only the old metal foundry remains, was given a new lease of life as an industrial museum. Thanks to various sponsor programmes (e. g. the EU's URBAN II programme) the region around the Schwentine estuary has gradually lost its character as an industrial wasteland.
Apart from the immediate area of the estuary, no cargo boats use on the Schwentine. Instead there are excursion boats (5-Seen-Fahrt, Schwentinetalfahrt) and rowing boats.
Nature conservation
The Schwentine Oxbow LakeSchwentine Oxbow Lake
The Schwentine Oxbow Lake is an area around part of the River Schwentine between Raisdorf and Klausdorf that was designated a nature reserve in 1984. It received this conservation status because the waterbody has remained close to its natural state due to its steep river banks and is a habitat for...
(Altarm der Schwentine) is a part of the Schwentine that has been designated as nature reserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
since 1984. It received this conservation status because the waterbody has remained close to its natural state due to its steep river banks and is a habitat for a range of rare plants and animals. It covers an area of 19 hectares (46.9 acre). In addition to the section of river it includes an ox bow lake, a tributary, hedgerows, wooded river banks and slopes, rich in herbs, and small ponds.
History
The name Schwentine comes from the SlavicSlavic peoples
The Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...
word Sventana or the Baltic
Balts
The Balts or Baltic peoples , defined as speakers of one of the Baltic languages, a branch of the Indo-European language family, are descended from a group of Indo-European tribes who settled the area between the Jutland peninsula in the west and Moscow, Oka and Volga rivers basins in the east...
šventa which meant "The holy one" (die Heilige); see also: Balto-Slavic languages
Balto-Slavic languages
The Balto-Slavic language group traditionally comprises Baltic and Slavic languages, belonging to the Indo-European family of languages. Baltic and Slavic languages share several linguistic traits not found in any other Indo-European branch, which points to the period of common development...
.
The original source of the Schwentine was not on the Bungsberg
Bungsberg
The Bungsberg is the highest point in the north German state of Schleswig-Holstein . It lies in the region known as Holstein Switzerland in the municipality of Schönwalde am Bungsberg between Scheelholz and Mönchsneversdorf....
, but in the vicinity of Bornhöved
Bornhöved
Bornhöved is a municipality in the district of Segeberg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated approx. 15 km east of Neumünster.Bornhöved is part of the Amt Bornhöved....
. The source of the present-day Alte Schwentine
Alte Schwentine
The Alte Schwentine is a river in the region of Holstein in North Germany. Its different sections are also known as the Bornau, Depenau, Kührener Au, Postau and Mühlenau.- Course :...
is viewed by historians, natural scientists and linguistic researchers as the original source of the Schwentine. During the Early
Early Middle Ages
The Early Middle Ages was the period of European history lasting from the 5th century to approximately 1000. The Early Middle Ages followed the decline of the Western Roman Empire and preceded the High Middle Ages...
and High Middle Ages
High Middle Ages
The High Middle Ages was the period of European history around the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries . The High Middle Ages were preceded by the Early Middle Ages and followed by the Late Middle Ages, which by convention end around 1500....
the little river marked the border between the German or Saxon region, which extended to the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
near Kiel, and the Slav-settled regions in the present-day Ostholstein.
Before Angles
Angles
The Angles is a modern English term for a Germanic people who took their name from the ancestral cultural region of Angeln, a district located in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany...
settled in Britain in the post-Roman period, they lived in Schleswig; hence many words in English vocabulary have Slavonic roots: cf. e.g. Eng. loaf, lord - Sl. chleb, Eng. glass - Sl. głos.
In the Battle of Bornhöved (German: Schlacht bei Bornhöved) on the field of Sventanafeld (Sventanapolje or "Schwentine field") near the village of Bornhöved near Neumünster in 798 the Obodrites, led by Drożko, allied with the Franks, defeated the Nordalbingian Saxons.
See also: Wagria, Limes Saxoniae
Limes Saxoniae
The Limes Saxoniae , also known as the Limes Saxonicus or Sachsenwall , was a limes or border between the Saxons and the Slavic Obotrites, established about 810 in present-day Schleswig-Holstein....
Photos
Course
List of lakes through which the Schwentine flows (in downstream order):- Stendorfer SeeStendorfer SeeThe Stendorfer See is a lake west of Kasseedorf in Holstein Switzerland, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.The lake lies east of the Stendorf Manor House in the parish of Kasseedorf and is surrounded by a rolling moraine landscape....
- Sibbersdorfer SeeSibbersdorfer SeeThe Sibbersdorfer See is a lake in the district of Ostholstein within the region known as Holstein Switzerland in the North German state of Schleswig-Holstein.It lies between Sibbersdorf and Fissau, north of the Großer Eutiner See, near the town of Eutin....
- Großer Eutiner SeeGroßer Eutiner SeeThe Großer Eutiner See is a lake in Holstein Switzerland, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It lies northeast of the town of Eutin.It has an area of , is up to 17 metres deep and lies at a height of about . It northern side borders directly on the woods of the Seeschaarwald...
- KellerseeKellerseeThe Kellersee is a lake in the Holstein Switzerland region of North Germany.It lies east of the village of Malente on the River Schwentine, has an area of , is up to 27 metres deep and lies at a height of...
- DiekseeDieksee- Geography :It has an area of , a maximum length of about 3.4 kilometres and a maximum width of 1.6 kilometres.The lake is up to 38 metres deep, its surface elevation is about and it is crossed by the River Schwentine from east to west...
- LangenseeLangensee (Holstein)The Langensee is a lake in the North German lakeland region of Holstein Switzerland.It lies on the River Schwentine between the lakes of Dieksee and Behler See . It covers an area of , is up to 8 metres deep and lies at a height of ....
- Behler SeeBehler SeeThe Behler See is a lake in the Holstein Switzerland region of North Germany. It lies between Timmdorf to the east and the town of Plön to the west...
- HöftseeHöftseeThe Höftsee is a lake in the Holstein Switzerland in North Germany.It lies on the River Schwentine east of the town of Plön between the Behler See and the Großer Plöner See.It has an area of about , is up to 16 metres deep and lies about ....
- Großer Plöner SeeGroßer Plöner SeeThe Großer Plöner See or Lake Plön is the largest lake in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is located near the town of Plön...
- Stadtsee
- Schwanensee
- Kleiner Plöner SeeKleiner Plöner See- Geography:It lies west of the town of the Plön, has an area of , is up to about 31 metres deep and has a surface elevation of around . The lake is owned both by the state of Schleswig-Holstein as well as various private individuals....
- KronseeKronseeThe Kronsee is a lake in the Holstein Switzerland region of North Germany.It lies on the River Schwentine between the Kleiner Plöner See, upstream, andthe Fuhlensee, downstream, south of Wahlstorf Manor House....
- Fuhlensee
- Lanker SeeLanker SeeThe Lanker See is a lake in the region of Holstein Switzerland in North Germany. It lies south of the town of Preetz in the district of Plön, and is crossed from south to north by the River Schwentine.The Lanker See has wealth of small bays....
- Kirchsee
- RosenseeRosenseeThe Rosensee is a lake in the region of Holstein Switzerland in the state of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.- History :The lake began as a reservoir, built in 1908 as part of the construction of the Schwentine Hydropower Plants by shipyard builder, Bernhard Howaldt, and today is a fundamental...
, a reservoir