River Saale
| Saale | |
|---|---|
The Saale valley near Hof
|
|
| Country |
 Germany
|
| States | Bavaria, Thuringia, Saxony-Anhalt |
| Reference no. | DE: 56 |
| Basin features | |
| Main source | near Zell im Fichtelgebirge 728 m above sea level (NN) 50°07′14″N 11°49′50″E / 50.12056°N 11.83056°ECoordinates: 50°07′14″N 11°49′50″E / 50.12056°N 11.83056°E |
| River mouth | near Barby into the Elbe 49.5 m above sea level (NN) 51°57′17″N 11°54′50″E / 51.95472°N 11.91389°E |
| Progression | Elbe → North Sea |
| River system | Elbe |
| Basin size | 24,100 km2 (9,300 sq mi) |
| Landmarks |
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| Tributaries |
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| Bridges | Saale bridge, Rudolphstein, Old Saale bridge, Jena-Burgau |
| Inland ports | Hafen Halle (Saale), Sophienhafen in Halle (Saale) |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Length | 413 km (257 mi) |
| Discharge |
|
| Navigable | From its mouth to Bad Dürrenberg; for Europa ships to Halle-Trotha |
The Saale (German pronunciation: [ˈzaːlə]), also known as the Saxon Saale (German: Sächsische Saale) and Thuringian Saale (German: Thüringische Saale), is a river in Germany and a left-bank tributary of the Elbe. It is not to be confused with the smaller Franconian Saale, a right-bank tributary of the Main, or the Saale in Lower Saxony, a tributary of the Leine.
The Saale originates on the slope of the Großer Waldstein mountain near Zell in the Fichtelgebirge in Upper Franconia (Bavaria), at an elevation of 728 metres (2,388 ft). It pursues a winding course in a northern direction, and after passing the manufacturing town of Hof, enters Thuringia. It flows amid well-wooded low mountains of the Thuringian Forest until it reaches the valley of Saalfeld. After leaving Saalfeld the Saale reaches Rudolstadt. Here it receives the waters of the Schwarza, in whose valley lies the ruined castle of Schwarzburg, the ancestral seat of the formerly ruling House of Schwarzburg.
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Wikipedia