European Watershed Fountain (Wasserscheidebrunnen) Graben-Treuchtlingen

The Main-Danube watershed runs not far from Graben (district of Treuchtlingen). The fountain placed at the top allows the pumped water to flow via the Swabian Rezat, Rednitz, Regnitz, Main and Rhine into the North Sea; on the other hand, it can also reach the Black Sea via Altmühl and the Danube.

However, this demonstration is canceled if there is frost or a severe lack of water.

You can pump water yourself from this special fountain using a pump. The water then splits into two small streams to the left and right. You can see that quite clearly in the picture.

The left stream flows south into the Altmühl, from there into the Danube and finally into the Black Sea. The right arm takes the water over the Swabian Rezat into the Main, further into the Rhine and finally, after a 1000 km long route, into the North Sea.

Source / more information:
altmuehltaltipps.de/2014/01/17/europaeische-wasserscheide

A watershed usually runs along a ridge - on one side the water flows into one river system and on the other into another. The watershed near Graben/Treuchtlingen is a valley watershed and lies only about 420 m above sea level on a plain. This means that in the immediate vicinity it will not be quite so clear whether the water from a melting snowflake flows into the Danube or the Rhine system. Fascinating!The idea from the time of Charlemagne to build the first artificial connection between the Rhine and Danube systems right here was therefore an obvious one. Remains of this attempt, the Fossa Carolina or the "Karlsgraben", lie just a few meters southwest of the watershed well and are definitely worth a visit.