Dreisam

Dreisam
River
Freiburg im Breisgau downstream of the Schwabentor Bridge (August 2005)
Country	Germany
State	Baden-Württemberg
Region	Black Forest
Districts	Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald, Emmendingen
Municipalities	Freiburg im Breisgau, Kirchzarten, March, Riegel am Kaiserstuhl, Stegen
Tributaries
- left	Krumbach, Brugga
- right	Eschbach, Glotter
Source confluence	Rotbach and Wagensteinbach
- location	Kirchzarten, Germany
- elevation	377 m (1,237 ft)
Mouth	Elz
- location	Riegel am Kaiserstuhl, Germany
- elevation	178 m (584 ft)
Length	29 km (18 mi)

The Dreisam (Celtic: *tragisamā, "the very fast one") is a 29 km long river, and a tributary of the Elz in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. The waters of the Dreisam feed the famous Freiburg Bächle runnels.

The Dreisam originates in the Dreisam valley (Dreisamtal) which is located in the Southern Black Forest (Südschwarzwald). The origin of the river can be found close to a bridge on the Landesstraße 127 which leads from Kirchzarten to Stegen. Here, two streams, the Rotbach and Wagensteinbach, meet to form the Dreisam river. This confluence is located in the western part of the Southern Black Forest Nature Park below the so-called Höllental, where the Rotchbach flows through, and the Wagensteigtal. From there on the Dreisam, which was canalized, flows towards the west and reaches Freiburg at the eastern end of Ebnet. Along the way the Dreisam meets the Krummbach and Brugga, two streams originating south of the Dreisam, as well as the Eschbach stream which flows north of the Dreisam. The river leaves the Black Forest at the Freiburg soccer stadium called Schwarzwald-Stadion and continues flowing westwards. In the eastern part of the city, water is withdrawn from the river at Sandfang. It is used to supply the Gewerbekanal, an industrial canal, and the famous Freiburg Bächle with water. A division of the river into a northern and southern branch takes place in the historic city center. The majority of the southern branch flows back into the Dreisam directly west of the Höllentalbahnbrücke bridge which is located in the Stühlinger district. The remaining water runs through the areas Eschholz and Bischofslinde towards the west and ultimately flows back into the Dreisam near Lehen.

The northern branch of the river runs often subterraneously through the northwestern historic center of the districts Beurbarung and Brühl and flows westwards of Gundelfingen into Schobbach. Schobbach then again leads into the Glotter at Nimburg-Bottingen. As a result, the Freiburger Bächlewasser flows into the Dreisam only shortly before Riegel. In the urban area of Freiburg, the Dreisam itself runs in northwestern direction along the B31. After crossing under the A5 the river flows through March, at the eastern edge of the Kaiserstuhl as well as the western edge of Nimberg towards Riegel, where it leads into the Elz. From 1817 to 1842 the Dreisam was canalized in its whole length from Kirchzarten to Riegel under the leadership of Johann Gottfried Tulla. However it should be renaturalized in the east of Freiburg at a length of 800m. It overcomes 199m height, from Kirchzarten (337m NHN) until its mouth into the Elz (178m) at Riegel. 135m above or southwards of the river mouth the Glotter leads into the Dreisam, coming from south-southeastern. Northeastern of St. Michaelsberg (241 m NHN), the Alte Dreisam, from south-southwestern, flows into the direct mouth of Dreisam and Elz.