Ölschnitz (White Main)
Encyclopedia
The Ölschnitz is a right-bank, northern headstream of the White Main
in the German state of Bavaria. It is 18.5 kilometres (11.5 mi) long.
and granite well stone in Solg, a village in the borough of Münchberg
. It discharges into the White Main near Bad Berneck
.
The Ölschnitz flows from Solg through a wide valley to the village of Ölschnitz. It then flows down to Tennersreuth, passes under the A 9 motorway, supplies water for the Streitau Mill and continues to Böseneck. From here the little river snakes through an ever-narrower valley. After many bends it reaches the Entenmühle ("duck mill"), then flows around the hill spur near Stein in a large curve before cutting through the hard, diabase
rock in a steep, rocky, narrow valley, rich in flora, and reaching the spa park (Kurpark) at Bad Berneck. After almost 19 km it discharges into the White Main. The Ölschnitz valley between the Entenmühle and Bad Berneck, through which the Westweg and Jean-Paul-Weg trails also run, is one of the most beautiful valleys in the Fichtelgebirge.
s introduced there. Between 1733 and 1810, 6,000 pearls were harvested. Pearl fishing came under the supervision of a pearl inspector and, after 1810, the Bavarian Forestry Department.
White Main
The White Main |Weismain]]), 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...
in the German state of Bavaria. It is 18.5 kilometres (11.5 mi) long.
Course
The Ölschnitz has its source at an impoundmentImpoundment
Impoundment is the election of a President of the United States not to spend money that has been appropriated by the U.S. Congress. The precedent for presidential impoundment was first set by Thomas Jefferson in 1801. The power was available to all presidents up to and including Richard Nixon, and...
and granite well stone in Solg, a village in the borough of Münchberg
Münchberg
Münchberg is a small town in Upper Franconia , Germany. It is sometimes referred to as the Textile Town of Bavaria. Its sister city is Jefferson City, Missouri, USA.-The city district's:-History:...
. It discharges into the White Main 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...
.
The Ölschnitz flows from Solg through a wide valley to the village of Ölschnitz. It then flows down to Tennersreuth, passes under the A 9 motorway, supplies water for the Streitau Mill and continues to Böseneck. From here the little river snakes through an ever-narrower valley. After many bends it reaches the Entenmühle ("duck mill"), then flows around the hill spur near Stein in a large curve before cutting through the hard, diabase
Diabase
Diabase or dolerite is a mafic, holocrystalline, subvolcanic rock equivalent to volcanic basalt or plutonic gabbro. In North American usage, the term diabase refers to the fresh rock, whilst elsewhere the term dolerite is used for the fresh rock and diabase refers to altered material...
rock in a steep, rocky, narrow valley, rich in flora, and reaching the spa park (Kurpark) at Bad Berneck. After almost 19 km it discharges into the White Main. The Ölschnitz valley between the Entenmühle and Bad Berneck, through which the Westweg and Jean-Paul-Weg trails also run, is one of the most beautiful valleys in the Fichtelgebirge.
Economic utilisation
Along the course of the stream, water power was used to drive many mill wheels. In 1536, the townsfolk of Berneck were giving fishing rights in the Ölsnitz and, in 1692, it was described as the "best trout stream in the Fichtelberge". In 1732, an ordinance concerning the Ölschnitz was issued by the Margrave of Bayreuth for the protection of the freshwater pearl musselFreshwater pearl mussel
The freshwater pearl mussel, scientific name Margaritifera margaritifera, is an endangered species of freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusc in the family Margaritiferidae....
s introduced there. Between 1733 and 1810, 6,000 pearls were harvested. Pearl fishing came under the supervision of a pearl inspector and, after 1810, the Bavarian Forestry Department.
Places
The Ölschnitz flows through the following places:
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Tributaries
- Querenbach (lefts)
- Lahmabach (right)
- Benkersbach (left)
- Grundbach (right)
- Angerbach (right)
- Rieglersbach (left)
- Schleifenbach (right)
- Lübnitzbach (left)
- Steingraben (right)
- Metzlersreuther Bach (left)
- Bärnreuther Graben (left)
Sources
- Konrad Arneth/Ernst Eichler: Slawische Flurnamen in der ehemaligen Markgrafschaft Bayreuth, in: Jahrbuch für Fränkische Landesforschung 1966, p. 191
- Dietmar Herrmann: Perlen in der Ölschnitz, in: The Siebenstern 2003, p. 11
- Dietmar Herrmann: Lexikon Fichtelgebirge, Hof 2000 (A-Z) Ölschnitz
- Rudolf Klupp: Fischerei in Oberfranken, 1985, p. 214
- Seidel Chr.: Eine Ölschnitzwanderung von der Quelle bis zur Mündung,in: The Siebenstern 1937, p. 169
- Vogt Ludwig: The Gewässernamen des Fichtelgebirges, in: The Siebenstern 1959, p. 113
- Max Wirth: The Ölschnitzquelle in Solg bei Münchberg, in: The Siebenstern 1970, p. 118