Saale Valley Attractions

The Saale rises in the Fichtelgebirge and flows northwest down the slopes of the Franconian Forest and the Thuringian Hills in a winding and deeply indented valley; then, emerging from the hills at Saalfeld, it bears northeast. At Weissenfels it enters the Saxon Lowland, and at Barby, after a course of 427km/265mi, it flows into the Elbe. From Naumburg the river is navigable for small vessels, from Halle for larger ones.

The catchment area of the Saale takes in not only the Thuringian Hills and the northern part of the Thuringian Forest, but also the whole of the Thuringian Basin, the Eastern Harz and its foreland, the Vogtland and part of the Saxon Lowland.

The Saale valley is divided into three very different sections: the upper valley as far as Saalfeld; the middle valley in the river's course through the fringes of the Thuringian Basin; and the lower valley in the lowlands below Weissenfels.