Isar
Isar | |
---|---|
Location | |
Countries | |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | |
• location | Eiskarlspitze, Alps, Austria |
• coordinates | 47°22′29″N 11°24′43″E / 47.37472°N 11.41194°E |
• elevation | 1,160 m (3,810 ft) |
Mouth | |
• location | Danube |
• coordinates | 48°48′11″N 12°58′35″E / 48.80306°N 12.97639°E |
Length | 291.5 km (181.1 mi) [1] |
Basin size | 8,962 km2 (3,460 sq mi) [1] |
Discharge | |
• location | mouth |
• average | 174 m3/s (6,100 cu ft/s) |
Basin features | |
Progression | Danube→ Black Sea |
The Isar [ˈiːzaʁ] is a river in Austria and in Bavaria, Germany. Its source is in the Karwendel mountain range of the Alps. The Isar river enters Germany near Mittenwald and flows through Bad Tölz, Munich, and Landshut before reaching the Danube near Deggendorf. With 295 km length, it is among the longest rivers in Bavaria. It is Germany's second most important tributary of the Danube.
Etymology
One theory is that the name Isar stems from *es or *is in the
- Eisack / Isarco (Italy)
- Ésera (Spain)
- Isar (Spanish town, in the province of Burgos)
- Isauro / Foglia (Italy)
- Isère (France)
- Isel (Austria)
- IJssel (Netherlands; known to Romans as Isala)
- IJzer/Yser(Belgium)
- Isonzo(Italy)
- Jizera (Czech Republic)
Geography
The Isar river drains a substantial part of the Bavarian Alps and parts of the Karwendel mountains.
Apart from the larger tributaries
The official source of the Isar is located in the
The Isar enters Upper Bavaria after ca. 22 km just north of Scharnitz, the Isar is dammed for the first time between Mittenwald and Krün. Some of the Isar waters are channeled via the Rißbach into the Walchensee, the Rißbach flow direction having been reversed. The Isar water flows into the giant downpipes of the Walchensee Hydroelectric Power Station. 200 metres lower, the Walchensee Hydroelectric Power Station releases water into the Kochelsee. From here it flows into the river Loisach, Isar's second most important tributary.
Not far down the Isar river is a large reservoir called
The Isar river flows through a sub-alpine,
Passing
History
Among Central European habitats, Alpine rivers are ranked among those most substantially altered by humans over the past hundred years. The Isar Rivers are now protected from development.[3]
At the lower Isar between
Following their executions on October 16, 1946, the ashes of the convicted Nazi war criminals Joachim von Ribbentrop, Hans Frank, Wilhelm Keitel, Alfred Jodl, Alfred Rosenberg, Ernst Kaltenbrunner, Wilhelm Frick, Arthur Seyss-Inquart, Fritz Sauckel, and Julius Streicher were scattered in the Isar, as were those of Hermann Göring who had committed suicide the previous night in defiance of his scheduled execution.[citation needed]
In the 1940s and 1950s the federal state of Bavaria financed the construction of major hydroelectric power plants, the Sylvenstein reservoir on the Isar was constructed between 1954 and 1959.[5]
From 2000 till 2011 the Isarplan was implemented to reduce the risk of flooding. The planning and implementation was the responsibility of the Regional Office for Water Management and the city of Munich. Embankments were removed and the river bed was widened, establishing connections to surrounding flood plains. Riverbed rock ramps were constructed so that fish can move upstream again.[6]
Environmental issues
Since the 1920s the water of the river Isar has been used for the generation of electricity. This has had far-reaching consequences for the local fauna and flora. To provide the 28 hydroelectric power plants with enough water power the river's water is diverted several times and almost the whole river was
The construction of the Sylvenstein Dam and numerous regulations relating to the river, pushed through in the early 19th century, have strongly enhanced its character. The construction of the Sylvenstein dam has prevented the river from overflowing its banks. Lately, there have been attempts to bring the Isar river closer back to a natural character. For example, since May 2000 the river is being re-naturalized in the southern part of the river's passage through the city of Munich. The riverbed is being widened, the banks are flattened and small gravel islands are built along with near-natural rock ramps to slow the waterflow.
Besides an improved protection against flooding the Isar river was, thus, brought into an almost natural state and this resulted in an improved quality of the recreational area within the city of
Private environmental initiatives
To preserve the beauty of the Isar valley Gabriel von Seidl founded the Isartalverein in 1902. This first civil initiative from Munich purchased 90 ha of land, and today maintains more than 330 km of hiking trails.
References
- ^ a b Complete table of the Bavarian Waterbody Register by the Bavarian State Office for the Environment (xls, 10.3 MB)
- ISBN 978-3-7030-0469-8
- ISBN 9780822973416.
- ISBN 9780822981596.
- ISBN 9780822973416.
- ISBN 9783319560915.