Location & History: The Neckar is a tributary of the Rhine in Germany, 362 km long – with the longer upper reaches of the Eschach River at 380 km – which, with its approximately 14,000 km² catchment area, drains central Baden-Württemberg. It is the fifth-largest tributary of the Rhine and, in terms of both length and water flow, the twelfth-largest river in Germany.
The Neckar rises on the Baar River near Villingen-Schwenningen at 705 m above sea level. It initially flows northeast between the Black Forest and the Swabian Alb, then northwest from the "Neckarknie" near Plochingen, north through the metropolitan areas of Stuttgart and Heilbronn, then west from Eberbach in the Odenwald to Heidelberg, and finally northwest in the Upper Rhine Plain to Mannheim. Here it flows into the Rhine at 88 m above sea level. Its three largest tributaries are the Enz, the Kocher, and the Jagst. From Plochingen downstream, the Neckar River has been developed by means of dams to create a major shipping route (federal waterway). Due to straightening, embankments, and other measures, the water structure and flow dynamics of this former natural river have suffered greatly, and the rich floodplain landscapes have often disappeared. Several sections of the old riverbank (Altneckar) have since been renaturalized, and water quality has improved considerably since the 1970s.
The Neckar flows almost exclusively through Baden-Württemberg. Only in the Odenwald near Neckarsteinach and Hirschhorn is it partially a border river with Hesse. The Ersheim district of Hirschhorn, located in a narrow northern bend of the Neckar, and a downstream section of the left bank are the only parts of Hesse south of the Neckar.
Source: Wikipedia
Translated by Google •
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