Unstrut
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Unstrut | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Origin | Thuringia |
| Mouth | Saale |
| Basin countries | Germany |
| Length | 192 km |
The Unstrut is a river in Germany, tributary of the Saale. It originates in northern Thuringia near Dingelstädt (west of Kefferhausen in the Eichsfeld area). In its lower reaches, it flows through Saxony-Anhalt and empties into the Saale near Naumburg. The total length of the Unstrut is 192 km. Towns along the Unstrut include Mühlhausen, Sömmerda, Bad Frankenhausen, Artern, Roßleben, and Freyburg. Tributaries of the Unstrut are the Gera, Wipper, Helme, and Lossa.
Together with the Saale, the Unstrut forms the winegrowing district of Saale-Unstrut. The well-known brand of sparkling wine, "Rotkäppchen" ("Little Red Riding Hood") is produced in the cellars of Freyburg.
[edit] Name
Strödu in Old High German means a boggy thicket, un- is a prefix to intensify the meaning, so the Unstrut region was a very swampy areal. In 575 the river was called Onestrudis, in the 7th century Unestrude, in 994 Vnstruod.
[edit] History
In 531, according to the Decem Libri of Gregory of Tours, the decisive battle between the Franconians and Thuringians took place along the Unstrut, which resulted in the destruction and annexation of the early medieval Thuringian kingdom by the Franconian empire. In 933 the german king Heinrich I. fought after a ten-year truce against a hungarian army in the battle of Riade, a place near the Unstrut, but now unknown. His victory led to a period of peace until the Hungarians returned in 955 and were defeated again. One of his favourite places was Memleben at the Unstrut, where a so called Pfalz, palatium or villa regia was built. He died there in 936, his son Otto I. in 973. A cloister was built there in the next years becoming one of the most important in the German realm for a short time. Remains are still to be seen, the place of the palatium is not known any more.
According to its swampy cheracter the Unstrut was not able to bear ships for a long time, and even by boat it was difficult to travel. Finally, in the years 1790-1794, the river was made navigable on order of the Saxon elector. It became an important shipping lane for a century, especially sandstone and limestone was shipped. From 1889, when the railroad Unstrutbahn alongside the river was built, the significance sank. The Unstrut region is with 300 ha on of the smallest wine growing districts, but quite well-known.
[edit] Sights
- Historical city Mühlhausen
- castle ruin Wendelstein
- cloister ruin Memleben
- castle Neuenburg at Freyburg
