Girish Mahajan (Editor)

Main (river)

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Main source
  
Upper Franconia

Length
  
527 km

Source
  
Upper Franconia

Country
  
Germany

River mouth
  
Rhine

Discharge
  
200 m³/s

Mouth
  
Rhine

Main (river) wwweuropeanwaterwayseuweimagesinfodeutschla

Basin size
  
27,292 km (10,538 sq mi)

Cities
  
Frankfurt, Offenbach, Hanau, Würzburg, Aschaffenburg

Bridges
  
Eiserner Steg, Alte Mainbrücke, Alte Brücke, Holbeinsteg

The Main ( [ˈmaɪn]) is a river in Germany. With a length of 527 km (327 mi) (including the White Main: 574 km (357 mi)), it is the longest right tributary of the Rhine, and the longest river lying entirely in Germany (if the Weser and the Werra are considered as two separate rivers; together they are longer). The largest cities along the Main are Frankfurt am Main and Würzburg.

Contents

Map of Main, Germany

GeographyEdit

The mainspring of the Main River flows through the German states of Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg (forming the border with Bavaria for some distance) and Hesse. Its basin competes with the Danube for water; as a result, many of its boundaries are identical with those of the European Watershed.

The Main begins near Kulmbach in Franconia at the joining of its two headstreams, the Red Main (Roter Main) and the White Main (Weißer Main). The Red Main originates in the Franconian Jura mountain range, 50 km (31 mi) in length, and runs through Creussen and Bayreuth. The White Main originates in the mountains of the Fichtelgebirge; it is 41 km (25 mi) long. In its upper and middle section it runs through the valleys of the German Highlands. Its lower section crosses the Lower Main Lowlands (Hanau-Seligenstadt Basin and northern Upper Rhine Plain) to Wiesbaden, where it discharges into the Rhine. Major tributaries of the Main are the Regnitz, the Franconian Saale, the Tauber, and the Nidda.

The name derives from the Latin Moenus or Menus, and is not related to the name of the city Mainz (Latin: Moguntiacum).

The Main is navigable for shipping from its mouth at the Rhine close to Mainz for 396 kilometres (246 mi) to Bamberg. Since 1992, the Main has been connected to the Danube via the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal and the highly regulated Altmühl river. The Main has been canalized with 34 large locks (300 m × 12 m (984 ft × 39 ft)) to allow CEMT class V (110 m × 11.45 m (360.9 ft × 37.6 ft)) vessels to navigate the total length of the river. The 16 locks in the adjacent Rhine-Main-Danube Canal and the Danube itself are of the same dimensions.

Dams and locksEdit

There are 34 dams and locks along the 380 km navigable portion of the Main, from the confluence with the Regnitz near Bamberg, to the Rhine.

  • No.: Number of the lock (from upstream to downstream).
  • Name: Name of the lock.
  • Location: City or town where the lock is located.
  • Year built: Year when the lock was put into operation (replacement dates are also listed where applicable).
  • Main-km: Location on the Main, measured from the 0 km stone in Mainz-Kostheim. The reference point is the center of the lock or lock group.
  • Distance between locks : length in km of impoundment (between adjacent locks).
  • Altitude: height in meters above mean sea level of the upper water at normal levels.
  • Height: Height of the dam in meters (the height of the Kostheim lock depends on the water level of the Rhine).
  • Lock length: Usable length of the lock chamber in meters.
  • Lock width: Usable width of the lock chamber in meters.

    • Hydroelectric power generationEdit

    Most of the dams along the Main also have turbines for power generation.

  • No.: Number of the dam (from upstream to downstream).
  • Name: Name of the dam.
  • Height: Height of the dam in meters (the height of the Kostheim dam depends on the water level of the Rhine).
  • Power: Maximum power generation capacity in megawatts.
  • Turbines: Type and number of turbines.
  • Operator: Operator of the hydroelectric plant.

    • TributariesEdit

    Tributaries from source to mouth:

    Ports and municipalitiesEdit

    Around Frankfurt are several large inland ports. Because the river is rather narrow on many of the upper reaches, navigation with larger vessels and push convoys requires great skill.

    The largest cities along the Main are Frankfurt am Main and Würzburg. The Main also passes the following towns and cities: Burgkunstadt, Lichtenfels, Bad Staffelstein, Eltmann, Haßfurt, Schweinfurt, Volkach, Kitzingen, Marktbreit, Ochsenfurt, Karlstadt, Gemünden, Lohr, Marktheidenfeld, Wertheim, Miltenberg, Obernburg, Erlenbach/Main, Aschaffenburg, Seligenstadt, Hainburg, Hanau, Offenbach, Hattersheim, Flörsheim, and Rüsselsheim.

    The river has gained enormous importance as a vital part of European "Corridor VII", the inland waterway link from the North Sea to the Black Sea.

    Main lineEdit

    In a historical and political sense, the Main line is referred to as the northern border of Southern Germany, with its predominantly Catholic population. The river roughly marked the southern border of the North German Federation, established in 1867 under Prussian leadership as the predecessor of the German Empire.

    The river course also corresponds with the Speyer line isogloss between Central and Upper German dialects, sometimes mocked as Weißwurstäquator.

    RecreationEdit

    The Main-Radweg is a major German bicycle path running along the Main River. It is approximately 600 kilometres (370 mi) long and was the first long-distance bicycle path to be awarded 5 stars by the General German Bicycle Club ADFC in 2008. It starts from either Creußen or Bischofsgrün and ends in Mainz.

    SightsEdit

  • Roman camp at Marktbreit

    • References

    Main (river) Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA