Everything about The Unstrut totally explained
The
Unstrut is a
river in
Germany, left tributary of the
Saale. It originates in northern
Thuringia near
Dingelstädt (west of
Kefferhausen in the
Eichsfeld area). In its lower reaches, it flows through
Saxony-Anhalt and empties into the
Saale near
Naumburg. The total length of the Unstrut is . Towns along the Unstrut include
Mühlhausen,
Sömmerda,
Bad Frankenhausen,
Artern,
Roßleben, and
Freyburg.
Tributaries of the Unstrut are the
Gera,
Wipper,
Helme, and
Lossa.
Together with the Saale, the Unstrut forms the winegrowing district of
Saale-Unstrut. The well-known brand of sparkling wine, "Rotkäppchen" ("
Little Red Riding Hood") is produced in the cellars of
Freyburg.
Name
Strödu in Old High German means a boggy thicket, un- is a prefix to intensify the meaning, so the Unstrut region was a very swampy areal.
In 575 the river was called Onestrudis, in the 7th century Unestrude, in 994 Vnstruod.
History
In 531, according to the Decem Libri of
Gregory of Tours, the decisive battle between the
Franconians and
Thuringians took place along the Unstrut, which resulted in the destruction and annexation of the early medieval Thuringian kingdom by the Frankish empire. In 933 the German king
Heinrich I. fought, after a ten-year truce, against a Hungarian army in the
Battle of Riade, a place near the Unstrut, but which is now unknown. His victory led to a period of peace, until the Hungarians returned in 955 and were defeated again.
One of his favourite places was
Memleben on the Unstrut, where a so called Pfalz,
palatium or
villa regia was built. He died there in 936, and his son, Otto I, in 973. A monastery was built there in the next years, becoming one of the most important in the German realm for a short time. Remains are still to be seen; the exact location of the
palatium isn't known any more.
Due to its swampy character, the Unstrut wasn't navigable for ships for a long time. Finally, in the years 1790-1794, the river was made navigable on the orders of the Elector of Saxony. It became an important shipping lane for a century; in particular, sandstone and limestone were shipped. From 1889, when the railroad, the Unstrutbahn, alongside the river was built, the significance of the river route was much reduced.
The Unstrut region is, with an are of 300 ha, one of the smallest wine growing districts, but quite well-known.
Sights
- Historical city Mühlhausen
- castle ruin Wendelstein
- cloister ruin Memleben
- castle Neuenburg at Freyburg
Further Information
Get more info on 'Unstrut'.
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