Neckar

The Neckar is a river that flows through the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, in Germany. It is born in Schwenningen, very close to the sources of the Danube, in the Black Forest, in the district of Villingen-Schwenningen. After traveling 367 km through the western foothills of the Swabian Alb, it empties into the Rhine River near Mannheim.

The name Neckar comes -via Nicarus and Neccarus- from the Celtic word Nikros, which means rough water.

History

Since around 1100 AD, timber from the Black Forest has flown down the Neckar and Rhine to its final destination in the Netherlands. In ancient times the transport of timber was carried out by means of rafts (Floß in German). Currently it is done with river barges.

Geography

It passes through several major cities on its way to the Rhine River: Rottweil, Tübingen, Stuttgart, Heilbronn, and Heidelberg. Past Heidelberg, the Neckar discharges an average of 145 m³/s of water into the Rhine. This makes the Neckar the fourth largest tributary of the Rhine and the tenth largest river in Germany.

Its main tributaries are the Eyach, the Fils, the Rems, the Enz, the Kocher and, before flowing into the Rhine, the Jagst.

From Stuttgart it is navigable; the first of the locks is located in Bad Cannstatt. The Neckar is canalized to Plochingen and is navigable for barges of 1,000 tons.

Culture

Throughout its valley you can find many castles, such as the Hornberg in Neckarzimmern and the Guttenberg in Neckarmühlbach. On its banks is also the Obrigheim nuclear power plant, which will be dismantled in the coming years.

The Old Bridge and the Heidelberg Palace.