Selz

For people with this last name, seeSelz (surname).For a town in Alsace, France, seeSeltz.For the French river known in German asSelz,seeSeille (Moselle).

TheSelzis a river inRhineland-Palatinate,Germany,and a left hand tributary of theRhine.It flows through the largest Germanwine region,Rheinhessen(Rhenish Hesse).

Selz
Location
Country	Germany
State	Rhineland-Palatinate
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Donnersbergkreis
• elevation	321 m (1,053 ft)
Mouth
• location	RhineatIngelheim
• coordinates	49°59′45″N8°1′33″E
Length	63 km (39 mi)
Basin size	375 km2(145 sq mi)
Discharge
• average	0.77 m3/s (27 cu ft/s)
Basin features
Progression	Rhine→North Sea

It rises near the village ofOrbisin the county ofDonnersbergkreis,crosses the border from thePalatinateinto Rhenish Hesse and after about 8 kilometres (5 mi) the town ofAlzeyin theAlzey-Wormsdistrict. There the river passes a pond, and disappears underground, flowing through ditches under the town. On its way it passes throughGau-Odernheim,Nieder-OlmandIngelheim,before finally discharging into the Rhine inFrei-Weinheim,a district of Ingelheim.

The Selz has acatchment areaof 375 square kilometres (145 sq mi) characterised by a warm, dry climate with an average annualprecipitationof around 500 millimetres (20 in). Despite its low, and often irregular water flow, the Selz is regarded as the main river in the rather dry rolling countryside of Rhenish Hesse. During periods of low water, its waters consist of a significant amount of clean effluent from sewage farms.

Environmental restoration

For a number of decades of the 20th century there was a lot canalisation of rivers and streams in Germany. As a result of this river straightening process that was carried out between 1958 and 1963, the Selz stream was constricted between embankments and flows in a relatively meandering course through the plain between the famous rolling hills of Rhenish Hesse. In order to prevent river bed degradation and to improve both biodiversity andflood protection,the local nature conservation association (Selztalverband) and the district ofMainz-Bingenmanaged a revitalization of the Selz over a considerable length betweenHahnheim,UndenheimandSörgenloch.

The loss of thefloodplainand shorter sections of river caused higher water levels and risk of flood than in the past. Some floods that nearly caused a disaster were the reason for a restoration concept. The concept includes flood protection, river bed stabilization andrenaturizationmeasures. The main objectives are:

• flood protection up to a100-year flood
• improvement of the ecological situation
• stabilizing river bed/erosion control
• stabilizing groundwater level

Floodplains have been widened to between 50 and 100 metres (160 and 330 ft). Nature is allowed to develop undisturbed in biotopes, which protect and promote thebiodiversityof the landscape with itsmeadows,ditches, bank slopes,marshareas,wetland,Phragmites,willows,hedgesand boundary ridges. During the past 25 years, the village of Hahnheim has planted 27,000 trees and hedges along the Selz within its boundaries.

Since the Selz renaturation project covers several miles of the Selz's riverbank, it has increased the overall length of the river.

Tributaries

• Weidas
• Heimersheimer Bach

Settlements

Selz spring in Orbis

The Selz spring with attachedKneipphydrotherapybasin in February 2007

The first few metres are hard

The following villages and towns are located on the Selz (from source to mouth):

• Orbis
• Morschheim
• Mauchenheim
• Alzey
• Alzey-Schafhausen
• Framersheim(confluence ofWeidasand Selz)
• Gau-Köngernheim
• Gau-Odernheim
• Bechtolsheim
• Undenheim
• Friesenheim
• Köngernheim
• Selzen
• Hahnheim
• Sörgenloch
• Nieder-Olm,the reason for the foundation of Nieder-Olm is given by the passage of an old Roman road over the Selz river which led to the Roman camps around Mainz and the city itself.
• Stadecken-Elsheim
• Bubenheim
• Schwabenheim an der Selz
• Großwinternheim
• Ingelheim am Rhein

Cycle track

Course of the Selz, fence of the spring

A signposted cycle track along the Selz, theSelztalradweg,does partially use two old railway tracks of theAmicheandZuckerlottche.Both trackbeds now have a tarmac surface. Sometimes the cycle path along the river bed may be used in dry weather. Both routes are covered by tall trees, shading the cycleway from the hot sun.

See also

• List of rivers of Rhineland-Palatinate

External links

• restoring Selz RiverArchived2004-12-21 at theWayback Machine
• "pathways along the Selz"(PDF).(3.37 MB)