White Main
Encyclopedia
The White Main is the larger and shorter of the two headstreams of the River Main. It rises in the Fichtelgebirge
and merges near Steinenhausen, southwest of Kulmbach
, with the left-hand, southern headstream, the Red Main, to form the Main. The length of the White Main is variously given as 41 km and 52.8 km. The source of the White Main lies on light granite
rock, which lends it its white colouration.
. Margrave Frederick fixed it and had it enclosed in granite blocks in 1717. He also had the Hohenzollern coat-of-arms carved into the granite. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
visited the spring in 1785, but reckoned the Seehausbrunnen southeast of the Schneeberg
as the source of the Main, for he wrote: "...the source of the Main, which rises close to the house here and where the stream here amounts to a no more than a tin washtub, ...".
Although the Red Main is a few kilometres longer, the source of the larger White Main is seen as that of the Main.
. Shortly thereafter it changes direction abruptly to the northwest and cuts its way through a narrow valley. Just before Fröbershammer it leaves the granite of the central massif. Near Fröbershammer it meets the Kroppenbach which enters from the right. Near Rangen it turns towards the southwest and flows through a very, narrow, wild, scenic gorge. At the far end it reaches a mill, the Glasermühle, where it is joined from the left by the Brombergsbach and, shortly thereafter, by the Lützelmain, also known as the Lützelmainbach. After that it also picks up the little Steinbach. Near Bad Berneck
-Schmelz the Schmelzbach and the Zoppatenbach enter it from the left. The White Main now turns northwest, passes through the village of Frankenhammer before reaching Bad Berneck. Here it is joined from the right by the Ölschnitz
and the Rimlasgrundbach. It then passes north of Blumenau, where it merges with the Obere Wiesenbächlein and, immediately afterwards, the Untere Wiesenbächlein, from the left-hand side.
Near Kremitz it meets the left-hand tributary of the Kronach coming from the southeast. It passes through Lanzendorf und Himmelkron
, where it is met from the right by the Streitmühlbach, near Neuenmarkt
-Schlömen and then the Laubenbach. Next it alters course towards the west, until it reaches Trebgast
, where it picks up the stream of the same name coming from the south. It then swings northwest and flows past Feuln, collecting the waters of the Feulnerbach; then the Veitsgraben near Ködnitz
and the Mühlgraben. It travels through Fölschnitz and Kauerndorf, where it is joined by the Schorgast
. It now runs in a southwesterly direction past Aichig, where it is fed by the Teufelsgraben, and enters Kulmbach
. There it is met by the Purbach and the Dobrach
from the right and the Kinzelsbach from the left. Near Steinhausen Castle, the White Main finally merges with the Red Main to form the River Main.
, grayling
, brown trout
, brook trout
, barbel
, perch
, carp bream
, pike
, carp
, rainbow trout
, roach, rudd and tench
.
Fichtelgebirge
The Fichtelgebirge is a mountain range in northeastern Bavaria, Germany. It extends from the valley of the Red Main River to the Czech border, a few foothills spilling over into the Czech Republic. It continues in a northeastern direction as the Ore Mountains, and in a southeastern direction as...
and merges near Steinenhausen, southwest of Kulmbach
Kulmbach
Kulmbach is the capital of the district of Kulmbach in Bavaria in Germany. The town is famous for Plassenburg Castle, which houses the largest tin soldier museum in the world, and for its famous sausages, or Bratwürste.-Location:...
, with the left-hand, southern headstream, the Red Main, to form the Main. The length of the White Main is variously given as 41 km and 52.8 km. The source of the White Main lies on light granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
rock, which lends it its white colouration.
Source
The source of the White Main is a wellspring located at 887 m above NN on the eastern slope of the OchsenkopfOchsenkopf (Fichtelgebirge)
The Ochsenkopf is the second-highest mountain in the Fichtelgebirge with a height of . On its summit is an observation tower and a transmission tower for VHF and TV programmes by Bayerischer Rundfunk....
. Margrave Frederick fixed it and had it enclosed in granite blocks in 1717. He also had the Hohenzollern coat-of-arms carved into the granite. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German writer, pictorial artist, biologist, theoretical physicist, and polymath. He is considered the supreme genius of modern German literature. His works span the fields of poetry, drama, prose, philosophy, and science. His Faust has been called the greatest long...
visited the spring in 1785, but reckoned the Seehausbrunnen southeast of the Schneeberg
Schneeberg (Fichtelgebirge)
At , the Schneeberg is the highest mountain in the Fichtelgebirge, a mountain range in Upper Franconia in northeast Bavaria, Germany. It can be readily identified from a distance by its squat tower - a relic of the Cold War...
as the source of the Main, for he wrote: "...the source of the Main, which rises close to the house here and where the stream here amounts to a no more than a tin washtub, ...".
Although the Red Main is a few kilometres longer, the source of the larger White Main is seen as that of the Main.
Course
Initially the White Main flows steeply downhill towards the northeast. After about 1.4 km it feeds a small lake near Karches in the municipality of BischofsgrünBischofsgrün
Bischofsgrün is a municipality in the district of Bayreuth in Bavaria in Germany.Bischofsgrün is situated within the Fichtelgebirge mountain range between the range's two largest mountains; Schneeberg and the Ochsenkopf...
. Shortly thereafter it changes direction abruptly to the northwest and cuts its way through a narrow valley. Just before Fröbershammer it leaves the granite of the central massif. Near Fröbershammer it meets the Kroppenbach which enters from the right. Near Rangen it turns towards the southwest and flows through a very, narrow, wild, scenic gorge. At the far end it reaches a mill, the Glasermühle, where it is joined from the left by the Brombergsbach and, shortly thereafter, by the Lützelmain, also known as the Lützelmainbach. After that it also picks up the little Steinbach. Near Bad Berneck
Bad Berneck
Bad Berneck is a spa town in the district of Bayreuth, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the White Main river, in the Fichtelgebirge mountains, 13 km northeast of Bayreuth. Its official title is Bad Berneck im Fichtelgebirge. It lies in the northern part of the Bavarian province of Upper...
-Schmelz the Schmelzbach and the Zoppatenbach enter it from the left. The White Main now turns northwest, passes through the village of Frankenhammer before reaching Bad Berneck. Here it is joined from the right by the Ölschnitz
Ölschnitz (White Main)
The Ölschnitz is a right-bank, northern headstream of the White Main in the German state of Bavaria. It is long.- Course :The Ölschnitz has its source at an impoundment and granite well stone in Solg, a village in the borough of Münchberg. It discharges into the White Main near...
and the Rimlasgrundbach. It then passes north of Blumenau, where it merges with the Obere Wiesenbächlein and, immediately afterwards, the Untere Wiesenbächlein, from the left-hand side.
Near Kremitz it meets the left-hand tributary of the Kronach coming from the southeast. It passes through Lanzendorf und Himmelkron
Himmelkron
Himmelkron is a municipality in the district of Kulmbach in Bavaria in Germany.-City arrangement:Himmelkron is arranged in the following boroughs:* Gössenreuth* Himmelkron* Lanzendorf...
, where it is met from the right by the Streitmühlbach, near Neuenmarkt
Neuenmarkt
Neuenmarkt is a municipality in the district of Kulmbach in Bavaria in Germany.-City arrangement:Neuenmarkt is arranged in the following boroughs:...
-Schlömen and then the Laubenbach. Next it alters course towards the west, until it reaches Trebgast
Trebgast
Trebgast is a municipality in the district of Kulmbach in Bavaria in Germany.-City arrangement:Trebgast is arranged in the following boroughs:* Feuln* Lindau* Trebgast* Waizendorf...
, where it picks up the stream of the same name coming from the south. It then swings northwest and flows past Feuln, collecting the waters of the Feulnerbach; then the Veitsgraben near Ködnitz
Ködnitz
Ködnitz is a municipality in the district of Kulmbach in Bavaria in Germany.-City arrangement:Ködnitz is arranged in the following boroughs:...
and the Mühlgraben. It travels through Fölschnitz and Kauerndorf, where it is joined by the Schorgast
Schorgast
Schorgast is a river of Bavaria, Germany....
. It now runs in a southwesterly direction past Aichig, where it is fed by the Teufelsgraben, and enters Kulmbach
Kulmbach
Kulmbach is the capital of the district of Kulmbach in Bavaria in Germany. The town is famous for Plassenburg Castle, which houses the largest tin soldier museum in the world, and for its famous sausages, or Bratwürste.-Location:...
. There it is met by the Purbach and the Dobrach
Dobrach
Dobrach is a river of Bavaria, Germany....
from the right and the Kinzelsbach from the left. Near Steinhausen Castle, the White Main finally merges with the Red Main to form the River Main.
Fauna
The White Main is home to the eelEuropean eel
The European eel, Anguilla anguilla, is a species of eel, a snake-like, catadromous fish. They can reach in exceptional cases a length of 1½ m, but are normally much smaller, about 60–80 cm, and rarely more than 1 m....
, grayling
Grayling (species)
The grayling is a species of freshwater fish in the salmon family of order Salmoniformes. It is the type species of its genus. Native to the Palearctic ecozone, the grayling is widespread throughout northern Europe, from the United Kingdom and France to the Ural Mountains in Russia...
, brown trout
Brown trout
The brown trout and the sea trout are fish of the same species....
, brook trout
Brook trout
The brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis, is a species of fish in the salmon family of order Salmoniformes. In many parts of its range, it is known as the speckled trout or squaretail. A potamodromous population in Lake Superior are known as coaster trout or, simply, as coasters...
, barbel
Barbus barbus
Barbus barbus is a species of freshwater fish in the Cyprinidae family of minnows and carps. It shares the common name "barbel" with its many relatives in the genus Barbus and is properly known as the Common Barbel.B...
, perch
Percidae
The Percidae are a family of perciform fish found in fresh and brackish waters of the Northern Hemisphere. The family contains about 200 species in ten genera...
, carp bream
Carp bream
The common bream, freshwater bream, bream, bronze bream or carp bream, Abramis brama, is a European species of freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae....
, pike
Northern Pike
The northern pike , is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus Esox...
, carp
Common carp
The Common carp is a widespread freshwater fish of eutrophic waters in lakes and large rivers in Europe and Asia. The wild populations are considered vulnerable to extinction, but the species has also been domesticated and introduced into environments worldwide, and is often considered an invasive...
, rainbow trout
Rainbow trout
The rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is a sea run rainbow trout usually returning to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 3 years at sea. In other words, rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species....
, roach, rudd and tench
Tench
The tench or doctor fish is a freshwater and brackish water fish of the cyprinid family found throughout Eurasia from Western Europe including the British Isles east into Asia as far as the Ob and Yenisei Rivers. It is also found in Lake Baikal...
.
Tributaries
- Paschenbach (right)
- Kroppenbach (right)
- Brommbergsbach (left)
- Lützelmain (left)
- Steinbach (left)
- Schmelzbach (left)
- Zoppatenbach (left)
- ÖlschnitzÖlschnitz (White Main)The Ölschnitz is a right-bank, northern headstream of the White Main in the German state of Bavaria. It is long.- Course :The Ölschnitz has its source at an impoundment and granite well stone in Solg, a village in the borough of Münchberg. It discharges into the White Main near...
(right) - Rimlasgrundbach (right)
- Oberes Wiesenbächlein (left)
- Unteres Wiesenbächlein (left)
- Kronach (left)
- StreitmühlbachStreitmühlbachStreitmühlbach is a river of Bavaria, Germany....
(right) - Laubenbach (right)
- Trebgast (left)
- Feulner Bach (right)
- Veitsgraben (left)
- Mühlgraben (left)
- SchorgastSchorgastSchorgast is a river of Bavaria, Germany....
(right) - Teufelsgraben (right)
- Purbach (right)
- DobrachDobrachDobrach is a river of Bavaria, Germany....
(right) - Kinzelsbach (left)
Source
Bogner, Franz X. (2006). Der Obermain. Ein Luftbildporträt von Bayreuth bis Bamberg. Ellwanger-Verlag, Bayreuth, 2006. ISBN 3-925361-57-XExternal links
- Main River Website on the River Main by the Tourist Board of Franconia.
- Link Gewässerkunde: Einzugsgebiet Main