Measuring a length of 527 kilometers or 327 miles, the river Main is the longest tributary of the Rhine which lays completely in Germany. It passes through the states of Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Hesse touching the many monuments from history and giving life to the wine growing tradition of Germany. Frankfurt am Main and Würzburg are two of the largest cities which are located along the river Main.
Geography
The river Main originates in Franconia near to Kulmbach. At the beginning there are two streams: the Red Main and the White Main which form the river.
Furthermore, the Red Mains origin point is at the Franconian Jura mountain range. This mountain range runs through Creussen and Bayreuth, and measures 50 kilometers or 31 miles in length. The Red Main rises in the Frankish Alb, precisely 10 kilometers in the south of Bayreuth and 5 Kilometers towards the west of Creussen. It got its name so because the river carries sediments laden with clay from the catchment area which are indeed red in color and hence the name. The first village which gets touched by the Red Main is Hörlasreuth and the first major town is – Creußen. It then starts to flow further towards the north where it reaches Bayreuth. Hereon it starts meandering in the northwestern direction passing through wide valleys.
On the other hand, the White Main begins in the mountains of the Fichtelgebirge. Fichtelgebirge measures a distance of 41 kilometers or 25 miles in terms of its length. The upper section of the White Main passes through the many valleys which are located in the German Highlands whereas its lower section crosses the Lower Main Lowlands and reaches Wiesbaden. At this point the White Main discharges itself into the river Rhine. The White Main in a place called Fichtelgebirge which is located 20 kilometers in the north east of Bayreuth. Interestingly, it was named so because of the bright granite rocks which can be found at the source of its origin. Those rocks appear to be white when water flows over them.
These two source rivers converge at a point which is towards the western outskirts of Kulmbach at Schloss Steinhausen. Main then evolves and passes through three of the German states, namely: Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Hesse. It forms a competing basin with the river Danube therefore you can find their boundaries to be similar to the European Watershed. Moreover, the important tributaries of the Main are: Regnitz, the Franconian Saale, the Tauber, and the Nidda.
The origins of the name – Main
As per the etymological routes of the name of the river it can be traced back to the Celts. Historical documentations have shown that the Celtic name of the river was Moin or MOGIN. Moreover, with the arrival of the Romans in the 1st century A.D. the name received a Latin twist and it thus became Moenus. One of the oldest documents, dating back to A.D. 43-44 claim the name to be Moenis. Furthermore, during the Middle Ages the name had almost the same phonetic intonations as today, and was spelled as Moyn or Moyne. It later on began to be spelt as Meyn which is of-course the closest to how it is spelled today.
In the Upper Franconia region
When the two sources converge and form a young Main at Kulmbah – Main begins its long journey westwards passing though myriad valleys which are located on the northern edge of the Franconian Alb. It passes through beautiful villages and many historical townscapes. Among them are Carolingian castles Burgkunstadt and Lichtenfels, also City Palace, parish church, gate towers among others.
Its tributary – Wei s main opens up in Burgkunstadt. Moreover, this tributary is often confused with the White Main but it is not the case. River Main then passes through the culturally rich town of Bad Staffelstein and Lichtensfels. This is classified as a wide valley area. This region is also famous because of the most unique German Baroque structure: Basilika Vierzehnheiligen. It is also known as the Basilica of the Fourteen Holy Helpers and was constructed between 1743 and 1772. Moreover, as the name suggests, it was dedicated to the Fourteen Holy Helpers which was a group of Saints who were venerated together in the Catholic Church during the time of the Black Death. It is located on the hillside opposite to Schloss Banz, a baroque monastery.
Furthermore, there are many Baroque structures, most of them dating as far back as the 11th century and some even earlier. They are located in the vicinities that Main passes through. Another famous monastery is the Banz Abbey. It was founded in the year 1070 by the Countess Alberada of Schweinfurt and her husband. This monastery used to be the oldest one of its kind in the upper Main region till the secularization phase in 1803. The abbey till the late Middle Ages and until 1575 used to simply accept monks who belonged to the nobility. Furthermore, it was also rebuilt after the Thirty Years War and later-on it was consecrated as a Baroque structure in 1719. Interior of the building is quite an interesting sight because everything there has been built in an elliptical formation and the statues, chancel, and the façade were designed and built by the famous Balthasar Esterbauer. Moreover, the abbey gained much more prominence during the second half of the 18th century as it became known as the place for gaining enlightenment throughout the Holy Roman Empire.
Moving above the historic landscape of Bad Staffelstein there is the Staffelberg, a hill which is a prominent part of the Germanic Bavarian region. It is often regarded as an important feature of the Franconian landscape. Studies have shown that the first settlements in this region date back to the Neolithic Stone Age. And, in the due course, the Romans, the Celts and the Franconians followed and settled here. It is quite a lively tourist attraction primarily because it provides a splendid panoramic view of the Main valley. The hill also provides optimal tracks and conditions that favor hikers. You can also find a church and a restaurant in the vicinity.
The Main moves south from here, crossing the many floodplains and reaches the outskirts of Bamberg. From this point on it becomes a tributary of Regnitz. In the year 1992 the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal project was completed in Bamberg which also connects with the industrial town of Nuremberg and the many inland waterways of the German land. Below the Bamberg region, Main flows for a straight 20 kilometers without veering elsewhere.
Maindreieck
The river Main forms a sort of a truncated triangle in this region between the cities – Schweinfurt, Marktbreit, Ochsenfurt and Gemünden. You can also spot the many vineyards a little inwards on either side of the riverbanks. Here, the green landscape looks just splendid.
Architecture of this region is quite rich. There is the former imperial city of Schweinfurt which also became a prominent sight for Martin Luther’s reformation in 1542. The famous sights to visit here are:
- The Gothic Town Hall: Which was constructed between – 1570 and 1572.
- The church of St. Johannes: It was consecrated in 1562.
- The Old Grammar School: It is also the seat of the local museum.
- Museum Georg Schäfer: Here you can find the best of the 19th century paintings by the artists belonging to German speaking regions.
- The Schweinfurter Rathaus: Or the Town Hall, this building houses the Friedrich Rückert monument right in its center. You can also explore the local market which is located outside this building.
This region is also is known for the Bearing manufacturing industries. It has now turned into a hub for the same. If you turn towards the south you can see the now disconnected Grafenrheinfeld nuclear power plant whose cooling towers dominate the landscape. It almost portrays a haunting effect.
Main now moves about 20 kilometers in the southwestern direction where it goes on and forms a loop. The point where it forms the loop is where the city of Volkach is situated. This region is famous for its viticulture, i.e. Grape wine cultivation. The interesting feature of the loop is that it carries all the essential sediments which facilitate the cultivation of wine and thus the crops of this region are regarded to be among the best in the world.
There is also the famous wine trading town of Kitzingan which dates back to the Middle Ages. This town has a very famous Town Hall which was designed as per the Renaissance tradition.
The Untermain
In this region Main gets into the form of S-shape between the towns of Maintal, Frankfurt and Offenbach. This formation results in a natural floodplain. Due to the many towns which are located on the bank of Main here, such as Höchst, Frankfurt and others – this region has become a major trading center. Furthermore, Main has also resulted in the many waterway services which further facilitate the trade.
The last towns to fall on this journey of Main are the Kostheim and Gustavsburg. During World War II this region formed the front for the Allied forces. The opening where Main meets or flows into Rhine is in-fact located right opposite to the Mainz Citadel.
More facts about Main
Its longest tributaries are the Franconian Saale which measures a distance of 114 kilometers, the Nidda which travels a distance of 90 kilometers and the Regnitz which extends up to 59 kilometers.
Geological evidences have shown that the formation of the river goes back up to 35 million years. Nearly, 14.7 million years ago a massive meteorite strike had resulted in the creation of a lake which dried out later on. Moreover, the many rivers including Main had dried out about 2.6 million years ago, but due to the emergence of the Upper Rhine Graben the watershed shifted southwards and this resulted in the rejuvenation of the rivers.
Main was also known to have been freezing almost completely till about the 19th century. But such geological events have become a matter of rarity because of the many industrial plants and global warming. Just till about a few years back Main used to be the best river for the purpose of fishing but recent examinations of the water have shown high grade impurities which have adversely affected marine life.
Today, many conservation programs have resulted in the river getting back its life but it will be a while till Main reaches its former status.
Transportation
Since the ancient times Main has facilitated waterway transportation. Adequate references have been found for the same in documents dating back to the Celtic and Germanci Cimbri age. When the Roman empire was expanding under the reign of Augustus and Tiberius Main performed an arterial function.
Timbers floating on the Main were first mentioned in the late 14th century. During the 1950s this became to be known as timber rafting. This was a crucial mode of transportation especially in the Upper Main region.
Today, you can find more than 30 ports and 34 barrages all throughout the river which facilitate domestic trade and regional transportation.
While travelling you can also explore the Main valleys though the railway channels and then take the boats or ferries to go further inland. Main guarantees a journey of a lifetime. Land adjacent to Main also has an extensive road network, therefore, there is nothing that can hinder any sort of adventure plans that you might conjecture.
The river Main has also featured in many art forms, particularly in the realm of paintings. It has managed to fascinate the imaginative faculties of many artists across the ages. Main has also featured in many poems such as:
- The zehnstrophige Ode The Main by Friedrich Hölderlin. This poem emerged in the year 1799.
- Drove us down the Main by Friedrich Rückert was composed in 1788.
- The walking tour of Joseph Victor von Scheffel – Written in 1859, it was a poem that was narrated in the particular setting as an anthem by Valentin Becker for Franken.
- After returning to Frankfurt from Marie Luise Kaschnitz: The poem carries connotative meanings which are primarily derived out of the destruction of the World Wars. It was published in the year 1947.
- It crosses the main bridge of stone – it is an old folk song which was set to tune in 1952 by Felicitas Kukuck.