Upper Harz Ditches Explained

The Upper Harz Ditches (German: Oberharzer Gräben, pronounced as /de/) are hillside ditches, running roughly parallel to the contour lines, that were laid out in the Upper Harz in Germany from the 16th to the 19th centuries to supply water power to the silver mines there. They are an important component of the Upper Harz Water Regale, a historical water system that is now a cultural monument.

Design

The ditches consist of a trench and an embankment (Grabenbrust) next to it, made of spoil piled up when the ditch was excavated. The embankments are frequently protected from erosion by a dry stone wall. In most cases, they also act as inspection paths for the ditch keepers (Grabenwärter) and, today, as public footpaths. The ditches are only inclined at about 1–2 ‰ (i.e. about 1 to 2 millimetres per metre). As a result, they run almost parallel to the contour lines of the terrain.

As protection against seepage the embankment and bed of the ditch are usually sealed with grass sods or clay. At inlets, where the ditch crosses forest streams, there are so-called Fehlschläge, small weirs, by which the water flow in the ditch can be regulated. When water levels are high these have to be opened, i.e. the boards controlling the flow must be removed.

The hydraulic capacity of most ditches is between 100 and 200 litres per second; on the Rehberg Ditch it is up to 600 L/s and on the Dyke Ditch up to 1000 L/s.

List of the Upper Harz ditches

The ditches are listed in an order which is based on the system by Preussag, who named the ditches in an order based on the power stations that could be supplied by them. At present only those working ditches still operated by the Harzwasserwerke are shown.

English NameGerman NameBuiltLengthRoute
Abbe DitchAbbegraben18271667 mDrain from the Abbe east of Torfhaus to the Dyke Ditch
Flörichshai DitchFlörichshaier Graben18271311 mPart of the Oder west of Torfhaus to the Dyke Ditch
Clausthal Flood Ditch Clausthaler Flutgraben18274116 mDrain from the source area of the Sieber and the Sonnenkappe to the Dyke Ditch
Dyke DitchDammgraben 1732–1827 15.409 mFrom the Brocken-Bruchberg area to the Upper Hausherzberg Pond
Morgenbrodstal DitchMorgenbrodstaler Graben4111 mDrain from the upper course of the Söse to the Dyke Ditch
Huttal Ditch Huttaler Graben17631168 mLink from Huttal Pond (†) to the Huttaler Widerwaage
Jägersbleek Ditch Jägersbleeker Graben726 mFrom Jägersbleek Pond to the Fortune watercourse
Dorothea Water Wheel DitchDorotheer Kehrradsgraben903 mStag Pond to the reciprocal water wheel (diameter 8.6 m) at the Dorothea Pit
Field DitchFeldgraben 2112 mFrom the southern part of the town of Clausthal to the Middle Pfauenteich
Kellerhals Ditch Kellerhalser Graben 508 mBypass for the Upper Kellerhals Pond
Upper Schalke Ditch Oberer Schalker Graben 2721 mFrom the southern part of the Schalke to Hahnenklee, original length almost 9 km
Lower Schalke Ditch Unterer Schalker Graben 2721 mFrom the southern part of the Schalke into Kiefholz Pond
Zankwiese Bottom Ditch (also Kahleberg Fault Ditch)Zankwieser Grundgraben (also Kahleberger Bruchgraben)329 mFrom Widerwaage Zankwiese Pond into Kiefholz Pond
Zellerfeld Ditch Zellerfelder Kunstgraben 4839 mOriginally 6.19 km long from the Middle Kellerhals Pond to Zellerfeld
Ringer DitchRinger Graben383 mFrom the bottom outlet of the Middle Zechen Pond to the Ringe Zechenhaus
Upper Einersberg Ditch Oberer Einersberger Graben 1250 mFrom the bottom outlet of the Middle Zechen Pond towards Einersberg
4th Stamp Mill Ditch 4. Pochgraben 991 mIn the Zellerfeld valley, parallel to the Zellbach
Eschenbach Flood Ditch Eschenbacher Flutgraben 874 mFrom the Zellweg (Zellerfeld) into Lower Eschenbach Pond
Upper Eschenbach ChuteOberer Eschenbacher Fallgraben 350 mFrom Lower Eschenb. Pond (upper drain) to the Schinderloch
Lower Eschenbach ChuteUnterer Eschenbacher Fallgraben 291 mFrom the Lower Eschenb. Pond (lower drain) to the Zellbach
Bremerhöhe Ditch Bremerhöher Graben1287 mFrom the Schinderloch (Zellbach) to the Rosenhof mines
Schmidt's DitchSchmidtsgraben453 mDiversion of the Flambach around the two Flambach Ponds
Taubefrau DitchTaubefrauer Graben 574 mEastern inlet ditch for the Sumpfteich
Wäsche DitchWäschegraben 420 mFrom the bottom outlet of the Middle Grumbach Pond
Hedge DitchHeckegraben 326 mPart of the Lower Rosenhof Ditches in the area of Pixhai Mill
Stadtweg Bottom Ditch Stadtweger Grundgraben 193 mFrom the bottom outlet of the Stadtweg Pond drain around the Mill Pond below
Jungfrau DitchJungfrau Graben300 mFrom the Winterwiese tunnel into the Middle Zechen Pond
Elisabeth Ditch Elisabether Graben300 mDiversion around the Lower Peacock Pond, formerly also intended to be part of the Dyke Ditch
Upper Rosenhof ChuteOberer Rosenhöfer Fall 1299 mConsists of four link ditches between the tunnels of the ORF
Lower Rosenhof ChuteUnterer Rosenhöfer Fall637 mfour link ditches between the tunnels of the Lower Rosenhof Chute
Hühnerbrühe Ditch Hühnerbrüher Graben to 1725 775 mDiversion of the Hühnerbrühe into the Oderteich (western Oderteich)
Königskopf Ditch Königsköpfer Graben to 17251467 mBypass for several streams of the Königskopf into the Oderteich (from the east)
Rehberg DitchRehberger Graben 16997211 mFrom the bottom outlet of the Oderteich to Sankt Andreasberg
Sonnenberg Ditch Sonnenberger Graben before 16003619 mFrom parts of the Sonnenberg into the Rehberg Ditch

See also

External links