Wutach (river)

Wutach
The Wutach at Tiengen between the mouths of the Steina and Schlücht
Map showing the course of the Wutach and its relation the Rhine (Rhein) and Danube (Donau)
Basin
River system	Rhine//North Sea
Main source	On the Seebuck (Black Forest) as the Seebach 47°52′14″N 8°00′59″E / 47.87056°N 8.01639°E / 47.87056; 8.01639
Source elevation	1,440 m (4,720 ft)
River mouth	The Rhine near Waldshut-Tiengen 47°36′51″N 8°14′59″E / 47.61417°N 8.24972°E / 47.61417; 8.24972Coordinates: 47°36′51″N 8°14′59″E / 47.61417°N 8.24972°E / 47.61417; 8.24972
Mouth elevation	315 m (1,033 ft)
Size	1139.6 km2[1]
Country	Germany, Switzerland
Physiognomy
Length	91 km[2]
Avg. discharge	16.1 m3/s (570 cu ft/s)
Tributaries	Left Kotbach (mouth river of the Klettgau rivers, the Klingengraben and the Schwarzbach) Right Schlücht, Steina
Waterbodies	Feldsee, Titisee

The Wutach is a river in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, partly located on the border with the canton of Schaffhausen, Switzerland. It is formed in the southern part of the Black Forest by the confluence of two smaller rivers, the Haslach and the Gutach, near the town of Lenzkirch.

The Wutach Gorge

The Wutach near Tiengen

The larger of the two is the Gutach, which flows out of lake Titisee; the largest of the streams feeding the lake is the Seebach, which rises near the peak of the Feldberg, the highest point in the Black Forest, and this is usually taken as the ultimate source of the Wutach. On this basis, the total length of the river is 90.2 km.

From the confluence where the river acquires the name Wutach, it flows ESE through a series of three gorges with a total length of more than 30 km and a maximum depth of 160 metres (see Wutach Gorge) which has long been a tourist attraction. Between the second and the last part of the gorge, near the village of Achdorf in the municipality of Blumberg, it takes a sharp turn (known as the Wutachknie or Knee of the Wutach), and subsequently flows SW to join the Rhine near Tiengen in the town of Waldshut-Tiengen.

At the Wutachknie the river is very close to the headwaters of the Danube, until the last glacial period the upper course of the Wutach was the headstream of the Danube catchment (called Feldbergdonau).

The stretch of the Wutach is the site of two remarkable railways. The upper stretch of the first gorge is crossed and followed by the so-called Höllentalbahn. The valley just below the third gorge is the site of the Wutach Valley Railway, officially known in German as the Wutachtalbahn but commonly known as the Sauschwänzlebahn (pigtail) because it proceeds in a series of tight turns, including crossing back over itself, in order to make a substantial increase in height without exceeding a 1:100 gradient.

The name Wutach means "Furious water", referring to the whitewater flow through the gorge. Wut is recognisably cognate to a modern German word for anger; ach, which forms part of the names of many rivers in the region, comes from an old Celtic word for water, cognate with Latin aqua.

References

Tributaries of the Rhine Left (western) Vorderrhein Aua Russein Schmuèr Alpine Rhine Vorderrhein Tamina Rietaach Alter Rhein Freibach Lake Constance Goldach High Rhine Thur Töss Glatt Aare Sissle Ergolz Birs Birsig Upper Rhine Ill Moder Sauer Lauter Spiegelbach Queich Speyerbach Rehbach Isenach Eckbach Eisbach Pfrimm Selz Middle Rhine Nahe Moselle Nette Brohlbach Ahr Lower Rhine Erft Right (eastern) Vorderrhein Rein da Tuma Rein da Curnera Rein da Medel Rein da Sumvitg Glogn Rabiusa Hinterrhein Ragn da Ferrera Albula/Alvra Alpine Rhine Hinterrhein Plessur Landquart Mülbach Ill Frutz Lake Constance Dornbirner Ach Bregenzer Ach Leiblach Schussen Rotach Brunnisaach Lipbach Seefelder Aach Stockacher Aach Radolfzeller Aach High Rhine Biber Wutach Alb Murg Wehra Upper Rhine Wiese Elz Kinzig Rench Acher Murg Alb Pfinz Saalbach Kraichbach Leimbach Neckar Weschnitz Modau Main Middle Rhine Wisper Lahn Wied Lower Rhine Sieg Wupper Düssel Ruhr Emscher Lippe IJssel Oude IJssel/Issel Berkel Schipbeek

Important cities and tourist sites in  Germany: Greater region of Freiburg (Breisgau–Black forest–High Rhine) Major cities Freiburg im Breisgau Lörrach Offenburg Villingen-Schwenningen Other touristic sites Alpirsbach Baiersbronn Freudenstadt Furtwangen im Schwarzwald Schluchsee Titisee-Neustadt Todtnau Waldshut-Tiengen Landscapes Breisgau Feldberg Hölle Valley Kaiserstuhl Schauinsland Black forest Triberg Waterfalls River Wutach Neighboring areas Germany Karlsruhe Konstanz (Constance) Stuttgart France Colmar Mulhouse Strasbourg Switzerland Basel