The Lech (; , Licca) is a river in Austria and Germany. It is a right tributary of the Danube in length with a drainage basin of .

History

On more than one occasion, historic events have been decided on the banks of this river.

  • In 278 Roman emperor Probus vanquished a larger invasion force of Burgundians and Vandals, which had been raiding the Roman province of Rhaetia.
  • At Lechfeld, a stony plain between the Lech and the Wertach near Augsburg, Otto I defeated the Magyars in August 955.
  • In the Battle of Rain in April 1632, Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden defeated and mortally wounded Johan Tzerclaes, Count of Tilly.

Hydroelectric power plants

Currently, there are 33 hydroelectric power plants on the Lech. The power plants are listed beginning at the headwaters:

{|class="wikitable sortable"

|-

! Dam

! Name

! Installed capacity (MW)

! Year of completion

! Image

|-

| <small>1</small>

| Lechstaustufe Horn || 5.0 || 1952 || 100px

|-

| <small>2</small>

| Forggensee || 45.5 || 1954 || 100px

|-

| <small>3</small>

| Premer Lechsee || 19.2 || 1972 || 100px

|-

| <small>4</small>

| Lechstaustufe Lechbruck || 5.0 || 1903/1958 || 100px

|-

| <small>5</small>

| Lechstaustufe 3 – Urspring || 10.2 || 1971 ||

|-

| <small>6</small>

| Lechstaustufe 4 – Dessau || 10.2 || 1971 ||

|-

| <small>7</small>

| Dornautalsperre || 16.6 || 1960 || 100px

|-

| <small>8</small>

| Lechstaustufe 7 – Finsterau || 7.7 || 1950 ||

|-

| <small>9</small>

| Lechstaustufe 8 – Sperber || 7.3 || 1947 || 100px

|- |}

| <small>10</small>

| Lechstaustufe 8a – Kinsau || 9.2 || 1992 || 100px

|- |}

| <small>11</small>

| Lechstaustufe 9 – Apfeldorf || 7.2 || 1944 || 100px

|- |}

| <small>12</small>

| Lechstaustufe 10 – Epfach || 8.3 || 1948 || 100px

|- |}

| <small>13</small>

| Lechstaustufe 11 – Lechblick || 8.1 || 1943 || 100px

|- |}

| <small>14</small>

| Lechstaustufe 12 – Lechmühlen || 7.9 || 1943 || 100px

|- |}

| <small>15</small>

| Lechstaustufe 13 – Dornstetten || 8.2 || 1943 || 100px

|- |}

| <small>16</small>

| Lechstaustufe 14 – Pitzling || 7.9 || 1944 || 100px

|- |}

| <small>17</small>

| Lechstaustufe 15 – Landsberg || 8.0 || 1944 || 100px

|- |}

| <small>18</small>

| Lechstaustufe 18 – Kaufering || 16.7 || 1975 ||

|- |}

| <small>19</small>

| Lechstaustufe 19 – Schwabstadl || 12.0 || 1981 ||

|- |}

| <small>20</small>

| Lechstaustufe 20 – Scheuring || 12.2 || 1980 ||

|- |}

| <small>21</small>

| Lechstaustufe 21 – Prittriching || 12.1 || 1983 ||

|- |}

| <small>22</small>

| Lechstaustufe 22 – Unterbergen || 12.4 || 1982 || 100px

|- |}

| <small>23</small>

| Lechstaustufe 23 – Mandichosee || 12.0 || 1978 || 100px

|- |}

| <small>24</small>

| Hochablass || 3.1 || 2013 || 100px

|- |}

| <small>25</small>

| Eisenbahnerwehr || 3.2 || 2006 || 100px

|- |}

| <small>26</small>

| Wolfzahnauwehr || 2.0 || 2010 || 100px

|- |}

| <small>27</small>

| Kraftwerk Gersthofen || 9.9 || 1901 ||

|- |}

| <small>28</small>

| Kraftwerk Langweid || 7.0 || 1908 || 100px

|- |}

| <small>29</small>

| Kraftwerk Meitingen || 11.6 || 1922 || 100px

|- |}

| <small>30</small>

| Staustufe Ellgau || 10.0 || 1952 ||

|- |}

| <small>31</small>

| Staustufe Oberpeiching || 12.3 || 1954 ||

|- |}

| <small>32</small>

| Staustufe Rain || 11.2 || 1955 ||

|- |}

| <small>33</small>

| Staustufe Feldheim || 8.5 || 1960 || 100px

|-

|}

<gallery>

File:Lech Augsburg.jpg|The Lech in Augsburg

File:Lech-between-landsberg-kaufering.JPG|The Lech, in the background the city of Landsberg

File:Tussen Weissenbach en Forchach, de Lech foto7 2014-07-25 13.33.jpg|The Lech between Weissenbach and Forchach

File:Tussen Elmen en Stanzach, der Lech foto6 2014-07-25 14.34.jpg|The Lech between Elmen and Stanzach

File:Blick auf Lech und Apfeldorf.jpg|The Lech between Apfeldorf and Epfach

File:Lech River.jpg|The Lech River by Andrei Gavrilița

</gallery>

See also

  • List of rivers of Bavaria
  • List of rivers of Austria

References

  • Eberhard Pfeuffer: Der Lech. Wissner-Verlag, Augsburg 2010, .
  • R. Zettl: Lechauf-lechab. Wißner-Verlag 2002, .
  • Dr. Peter Nowotny: Erlebnis Lech. Verlag – J. Eberl KG, Immenstadt 2001.
  • Dr. Bernhard Raster: Nutzung und anthropogene Veränderung des Lechs in historischer Zeit. Diss. Würzburg 1979.
  • Bayerisches Hauptstaatsarchiv (Hrsg.): Altbayerische Flusslandschaften an Donau, Lech, Isar und Inn. = Ausstellungskatalog, Anton H. Konrad, Verlag Weißenhorn 1998.
  • Werner Gamerith: Lechtal. Tyrolia Verlag, Innsbruck-Wien 2002.
  • Peter Nasemann: Lebensraum Füssener Lech. Holdenrieds Druck- und Verlags GmbH, o. J.
  • Norbert Müller: Augsburger Ökologische Schriften, Heft 2: Der Lech. Stadt Augsburg 1991,

;Specific