Traisen (river)

Traisen
Data
location	Lower Austria , Europe
River system	Danube
Drain over	Danube  → Black Sea
source	in the south north of the Kernhofer Gscheid , in the south-west east of the Traisenberg , see text
Source height	1130  m above sea level A.
muzzle	Danube at Altenwörth power station Coordinates: 48 ° 22 '20 "  N , 15 ° 51' 51"  E 48 ° 22 '20 "  N , 15 ° 51' 51"  E
Mouth height	180  m above sea level A.
Height difference	950 m
Bottom slope	12 ‰
length	80 km
Catchment area	915.4 km²
Discharge at the Windpassing A Eo gauge: 733.3 km². Location: 35.95 km above the mouth	NNQ (23/06/2003) MNQ 1981-2011 MQ 1981-2011 Mq 1981-2011 MHQ 1981-2011 HHQ (08.07.1997)	1.21 m³ / s 5.78 m³ / s 14.2 m³ / s 19.4 l / (s km²) 186 m³ / s 747 m³ / s
Right tributaries	Gölsen
Medium-sized cities	St. Polten
Small towns	Türnitz , Hohenberg , Lilienfeld , Traisen , Wilhelmsburg , Herzogenburg , Traismauer
The Traisen between the towns of Traisen and Wilhelmsburg

The Traisen , which is formed from the source rivers Türnitzer Traisen and Unrechttraisen, is a right tributary of the Danube in the south of Lower Austria . The Gölsen is the only major tributary.

Surname

The name of the river Traisen goes back to the Celtic word * tragisamā , which means "the very fast one". The name is handed down on a Roman stone found in St. Pölten.

The river was in turn directly or indirectly named after the neighboring places. It was the direct eponym for Traisen and Traismauer at the mouth, and in earlier times also for St. Pölten , whose name can be related to the river with Treisma ad monasterium Sti Ypoliti in 976.

Geography and geology

The river has a length of 80 kilometers and a catchment area of around 1000 square kilometers, which extends over an altitude range from 1750 down to 180 meters and drains a quarter of the Lower Austrian Limestone Alps . These include the high limestone stocks of Gippel and Göller as well as the mountains of Reisalpe , Tirolerkogel , Türnitzer Höger (all around 1400 m) and the extensive block of Traisenberg (1230 m). The entire river system measures around 530 kilometers of flowing water.

Upper course

The river has its source with two source rivers near St. Aegyd am Neuwalde and Türnitz in the Limestone Alps . The southwestern part is called Türnitzer Traisen , the southeastern Unrechttraisen . The two rivers are comparable in their amount of water. The Traisen runs there on average 10–15 cubic meters per second. The upper reaches up to Traisen lie in the limestone alps.

Türnitzer Traisen

The Türnitz Traisen at Lehenrotte

The Türnitz Traisen arises near Türnitz from the confluence of its two source rivers Türnitz and Traisenbach.

Between Türnitz and Dickenau the valley widens into a kerbsohlental. At just under 7 ‰, the gradient is far lower than at the feeders, and there are flat sliding banks with ungrown gravel banks and shallow water areas. The surrounding area borders on about the same level.

The Türnitz Traisen runs between Dickenau and Freiland in a narrow, winding valley. At about 5 ‰, the gradient is slightly less than that upstream. Mostly impact banks were created here , which merge directly into the hillside forest. This means that there are undercuts and woody and root structures. The Türnitz Traisen has an average flow rate of 4 m³ / s.

Traisenbach

The Traisenbach is the second source river of the Türnitzer Traisen next to the Türnitz . Its source is on the Traisenberg ( 47 ° 51 ′ 2 ″  N , 15 ° 25 ′ 43 ″  E and 47 ° 52 ′ 39 ″  N , 15 ° 34 ′ 12 ″  E ), with a flow rate of 2 m³ / s to the Türnitz Traisen. The Retzbach and the Högerbach flow into the Traisenbach as larger feeders. Up to Türnitz there is a gradient of up to 30 ‰, the stream mostly runs in a notched valley.

Wrongful tracing

The injustice traces near the source

The Unrechttraisen, the southeastern source flow, rises in the Northern Limestone 47 ° 50 '23 "  N , 15 ° 28' 24"  O . In St. Aegyd am Neuwalde the Unrechttraisen that originates at the Traisen Mountain combined, with the feeders Weissbach and near Kernhof springing Keerbach . After this confluence, the Unrechttraisen carries an average of 2 m³ / s, previously there was no surface water flow due to seepage into the gravel body. The feeders run in notched valleys with partial valley floor extensions, the mean valley gradient is 25 ‰ with local steep sections up to 55 ‰.

From St. Aegyd to Untermitterbach, the Unrechttraisen flows through a Sohlenkerbtal, to Hohenberg a narrow Kerbtal. The mean gradient is relatively high at over 11 ‰, but far less than upstream. The banks are mostly steep, often undermined and accordingly rich in wood and root structures. They border directly on the hillside forest over large areas.

The situation as far as Freiland is similar, only the gradient is reduced to 8.5 ‰. The flow rate at the confluence is around 4 m³ / s.

Traisen

In Freiland, the Türnitzer and Unrechttraisen flow together. As far as Schrambach, where the Zögersbach flows in at 0.3 m³ / s, the Traisen runs in a notch valley, the banks are mostly steep and rich in woody structures due to undercutting, the hillside forest extends to the bank. As far as Lilienfeld, sole notch valleys follow alternating with sole valleys. Here there are flatter slip banks with ungrown gravel banks. In the further course to Traisen in a narrow notched valley, the banks of the banks dominate, with often undermined bank areas that merge directly into the hillside forest. The gradient here is only 4.6 ‰, the flow has increased to 8 m³ / s. The river flows through the limestone foothills of the Alps to the village of Traisen.

Middle course

Between Traisen and Wilhelmsburg, the Traisen flows through the flysch zone. The valley floor, which is up to 800 m wide, can be classified as wide in relation to the width of the river. At 4.9 ‰, the gradient is only slightly higher than upstream. There is extensive bank erosion on the impact banks and gravel banks on the sliding banks. In the middle course, in addition to the largest feeder, the Gölsen , the Steubach in Rotheau and the Kreisbach in Wilhelmsburg each flow with about 0.3 m³ / s.

Lower course

The Traisen at its confluence with the Danube

In the lower reaches from Wilhelmsburg the river flows through the Tertiärmolasse of the Alpine foothills in a valley up to five kilometers wide and has only a few tributaries. With the exception of the Nadelbach, these flow into the Mühlbach, which flows over the entire section parallel to the Traisen. The mill streams, which are diverted to the right bank in Altmannsdorf and left bank just south of the West Autobahn , take a large part of the mean water. From St. Pölten the Traisen passes Herzogenburg , after flowing through the Traismauer it flows into the Danube after the Altenwörth power station . The mouth was relocated eight kilometers to the east as part of the construction of the Altenwörth power station on the Danube.

Renaturation

Renaturation work at Mitterhaufen

The lower course of the Traisen between Traismauer and the mouth of the Danube runs in an artificially created river bed. This had a negative impact on the neighboring floodplain areas, and fish migration from the Danube into the Traisen is also made more difficult. After the first restoration plans was approved by the AG composite for assistance in + LIFE applied for. The aim of the renaturation is to convert the 12.5 km long straight section of the river into a meandering river with corresponding natural vegetation. After approval by LIFE + and the neighboring communities, the construction project began in 2013 and is to be completed in 2019 ^[obsolete] . The total cost is 26 million euros.

Water quality

Water quality Significantly to strongly changed. Good condition Very good condition




36 percent of the traises still largely correspond to their natural condition (“very good condition”). This makes it one of the purest waters in Austria in the upper reaches . Another 14 percent can be described as “good” (no river engineering or energy management interventions), while 50 percent of the waterways are anthropogenic.

economy

energy

Mills were built along the Traisen very early on. Due to the frequent low water levels and the associated losses, more and more mill streams were built (see Harlander Coats ). Today there are 16 power generation plants on the Mühlbach streams along the Traisen. These are usually only of very low performance and are operated privately.

Traffic and transport route

As a traffic route, the Traisen was rarely used due to its frequently changing river bed. Only rafting was widespread for a long time. The wood needed to rebuild after the major fires of 1474 and 1512 in St. Pölten was bought from Lilienfeld and Wilhelmsburg and carried over the Traisen. From 1718 Vienna was supplied with firewood from the Traisen. The last big drifts took place around 1861. After that, only small quantities were transported to Lilienfeld.

tourism

The Traisen valleys are not very suitable for summer tourism , which is mainly due to the steep terrain and the lack of lakes. For mountaineering and climbing, on the other hand, there are many worthwhile destinations, some of which (despite the longer journey) are among Vienna's local mountains:

• Gippel ( 1669  m ) and partly Göller ( 1766  m ) - with a wide view and possible transitions to the Rax-Schneeberg group and the Mariazeller mountains
• Muckenkogel ( 1250  m ) and Reisalpe ( 1399  m )
• Türnitzer Höger ( 1372  m ) and Eibl ( 1002  m ).
• Almost all of the mountains mentioned are suitable for winter sports and ski tours, and there are several cross-country trails in the valleys .

There are some show caves in the Traisental , such as the one in the Anthofrotte.

Overall, tourism only plays a minor role in economic terms, with the population decline in the upper reaches of more than one percent annually in some places. As countermeasures, cultural associations are being set up in some places and special tourism is being promoted on various occasions. Starting in Traismauer, the Traisental is accessible by a cycle path in the form of a family and pilgrim cycle path , which continues with a length of 111 km to Mariazell. But agriculture and gastronomy are also increasingly relying on regional products, which are also entered in the register of traditional foods . Accordingly, the regions are also members of the Genussregion Österreich association . Specifically, these are fruit juices, the Traisentaler Hofkas and the game in the areas around Lilienfeld.

Viticulture

Since an amendment to the law in 1995, the Traisental has been the youngest wine-growing region in Austria. One of the oldest Austrian wine seeds was found in the area, which has been proven to date from the earlier Bronze Age (around 2000 BC).

In the lowest Traisental - from the Danube to the St. Pölten area - viticulture is possible on sandy loess soils and conglomerates . The Traisental wine-growing region comprises over 770 hectares of cultivation area, making it the smallest in Austria. In 2006, the Traisental was the first DAC region to be approved for Riesling .

Flood

The state parliament ship in St. Pölten after the September flood in 2007

Melting snow and storms, together with the steep gradient in the upper reaches and the poor resistance of the river bed, have repeatedly led to floods in the past. The Traisen flooded its banks thirteen times between 1541 and 1880.

Historical floods

In a hiking guide from the Biedermeier period , the work " Vienna's Environs for twenty hours in a circle " by Adolf Schmidl from 1835, the latent danger of flooding is described:

In half an hour you come through Ober-Ratzendorf , past the large paper factory, to the bridge, which is 101 fathoms [~ 190 m] long, resting on 18 yokes, over the Traisen, beyond which St. Pölten lies. One gets an idea of ​​the devastation which the river causes when suddenly pouring water, when one sees the wide bed which one had to give it for leeway.

During the floods in 1897 , the Traisental was also affected, St. Pölten and Herzogenburg were inundated. The floods on the upper reaches of the Traisen were particularly devastating. The Türnitz Traisen tore all bridges with it, the injustice only a few. In Lilienfeld alone, the Traisen washed away 10 bridges; in Gölsental , the feeders in particular overflowed their banks. A local newspaper wrote at the time:

“In St. Pölten, too, on July 30th, the dirty yellow-brown water of the Traisen rushed into the soft landscape of the city. The whole area towards Herzogenburg formed a lake, from which the isolated huts and houses near the river bed and groups of trees peeked out like island points ... "

- St.Pöltner Zeitung, 1897

During the extreme floods in 1997 , parts of numerous towns along the Traisen were heavily flooded.

Flood of the Traisen

date	Flow rate Q [m³ / s]	Water level W [cm]
0July 8, 1997	747	395
May 16, 2014	533	357
0Sep 7 2007	453	341
0July 1, 1975	438	362
0Aug 7, 2006	402	322
Aug 13, 2002	385	325
0June 3, 2006	347	299
Oct 22, 1996	326	285
July 26, 1972	244	277
0Aug 2, 1991	221	254
May 18, 1991	206	250
17th Mar 1997	203	243

The table above takes the data from the Windpassing measuring point, the last point before the Mühlbach is diverted from the Traisen.

Flood protection and regulation

The Traisen flood in 1903

Development of the HQ ₁₀₀ area (flood area in the event of a hundred-year flood) in the St. Pölten area

Due to the recurring floods and the associated changes in the river bed, the Traisentaler tried to tame the river early on. For example, posts were rammed in at the break-in points, connected with wicker and filled with gravel. These and similar measures were locally very limited in their effectiveness and their protection was short-lived. The first more extensive protective structures date back to 1817. However, these were only implemented in very short sections, so that the realization matured that the problem could only be solved through coordinated regulatory measures in larger sections. Nevertheless, it was not until 1872 that the regulation from Wilhelmsburg to the mouth of the Danube was decided. In order to carry out the project, the 44 participating municipalities founded the water cooperative on the Upper and Lower Traisen . The measures that had been started were ruined by the next major flood in 1903. In the following year, a renewed regulation of the Traisen was decided and construction work began in 1905. The bank protection structures, the embankment protection and the base fixing and steps were carried out by local workers. The work, which lasted until 1913, was repeatedly disrupted by floods. Repairing the flood damage alone accounted for 22 percent of the total costs.

The First World War and several floods, the strongest of which in 1921, again destroyed almost all regulation. The repair of this damage lasted until 1930. The second major Traisen regulation begun in 1933 was interrupted with the connection in 1938, since the workers were deployed elsewhere from then on.

After the end of the war, the Traisenwasserverband resumed its activities. In the next few years mainly war damage was repaired. In 1947 the Traisen became a so-called federal river , from then on the federal government bore the construction costs.

Flood protection was continuously improved until the 1970s. Secondary dams were built between 1974 and 1998. Today the Traisenwasserverband consists of 14 municipalities and is one of the largest water associations in Austria.

traffic

See also : List of Traisenbrücken in St. Pölten

The main traffic route in the Traisental is Mariazeller Straße (B20) . The Krems expressway (S33) runs in the lower Traisental .

In summary, the four side valleys of the Traisen provide various approaches from the Danube region and the Vienna Woods to the Styrian-Lower Austrian Limestone Alps . Some, like the Mariazeller route on the B20, have been in use for a long time; However, because of the steep terrain, the Mariazellerbahn runs through the hilly Pielach Valley and thus bypasses the southwestern valley head of the Traisen near Annaberg.

The Traisental Cycle Path was opened on June 10, 2007 and extends over 111 kilometers from the Danube Cycle Path in Traismauer to Mariazell .

literature

• Gertrud Haidvogl: From the river landscape to the flowing water. The development of selected Austrian rivers in the 19th and 20th centuries with special consideration of the colonization of the floodplain . Dissertation. University of Vienna, Vienna 2008, pp. 92–129. - Full text online (PDF; 8.5 MB).
• Heinz Wiesbauer: The Traisen: Review - Outlook . (Ed .: BMNT, Amt d. NÖ Landesreg./Abt. Wasserbau, Traisen-Wasserverband), Verl. Bibliothek der Provinz , Wien 2019, ISBN 978-3-99028-850-4 .

Web links

Commons : Traisen  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Overview of the measuring points on the Traisen at noel.gv.at
• Entry on Traisen, Lower Austria, River in the Austria Forum  (in the AEIOU Austria Lexicon )
• life-traisen.at - Project for the renaturation of the lower reaches

Individual evidence

1. ↑ BMLFUW (Hrsg.): Area directory of the river areas: Danube area from the Enns to the Leitha. In: Contributions to Austria's hydrography, issue 62, Vienna 2014, pp. 70/148. PDF download , accessed July 8, 2018.
2. ↑ Federal Ministry for Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management (Ed.): Hydrographisches Jahrbuch von Österreich 2011. 119th Volume. Vienna 2013, p. OG 231, PDF (12.9 MB) on bmlrt.gv.at (yearbook 2011)
3. ↑ Bernhard Maier : Small lexicon of names and words of Celtic origin. CH Beck OHG, Munich 2003, ISBN 3-406-49470-6 , keyword Dreisam , p. 49.
4. ↑ Page of the municipality of Traisen ( memento of the original from September 19, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
5. ↑ ^{a b c d e f} Spratzern, then and now , chapter Traisen floods and regulatory measures
6. ↑ ^{a b} Communication from the geology and mining students . Issue 1, Volume 1, 1949
7. ↑ Networking report Traisen-Gölsen  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 2.7 MB)  
8. ↑ ^{a b} Mostviertel.info on Traisen (PDF; 144 kB)
9. ↑ News about the LIFE + project Traisen. Retrieved July 18, 2015 . 
10. ↑ fliessgewaesser.at on Traisen
11. ↑ List of EVN Naturkraft hydropower plants
12. ↑ Traisental Cycle Path (accessed on August 4, 2010)
13. ↑ Traisental Cycle Path , accessed on March 8, 2013.
14. ↑ Traisental fruit juices . Entry No. 145 in the register of traditional foods of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Regions and Tourism .
    Traisental fruit juices at the Genuss Region Österreich association .
15. ↑ Traisentaler Hofkas . Entry in the register of traditional foods of the Austrian Federal Ministry for Agriculture, Regions and Tourism .
    Traisentaler Hofkas at the Genuss Region Österreich association .
16. ↑ Lilienfelder-Voralpen Wild . Entry No. 126 in the register of traditional foods of the Austrian Federal Ministry for Agriculture, Regions and Tourism .
    Lilienfelder-Voralpen Wild at the Verein Genuss Region Österreich .
17. ↑ ^{a b} Information on the wine-growing region on traisentalerwein.at ( Memento of the original from December 3, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
18. ^ Adolf Schmidl: Vienna's surroundings for twenty hours in a circle. Described by Adolf Schmidl after his own hikes. Printed and published by Carl Gerold, Vienna 1835, p. 310.
19. ↑ Article  in:  Wiener Zeitung , July 31, 1897, p. 5 (online at ANNO ).
20. ↑ Article  in:  Neue Freie Presse , July 30, 1897, p. 3 (online at ANNO ).
21. ↑ Article  in:  Neue Freie Presse , August 5, 1897, p. 5 (online at ANNO ).
22. ↑ Article  in:  Neue Freie Presse , August 4, 1897, p. 18 (online at ANNO ).
23. ↑ noe.gv.at ( Memento of the original from October 2, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. : Water level and flow at the Windpassing station 
24. ↑ http://www.noel.gv.at/Externeseiten/wasserstand/static/stations/207910/station.html , accessed on May 30, 2014
25. ↑ st-poelten.gv.at to the Traisenwasserverband
26. ↑ Traisental cycle path on waldviertel.at