Editing Neckar (section)

== River landscape ==
{{unreferenced section|date=December 2019}}

=== Natural landscape ===
Narrow and widening valleys alternate along the Neckar's course. The narrows are mostly deepenings into the Muschelkalk plateau and the [[Buntsandstein]] below. Widenings developed in the area of morphologically soft clay and marl. Wide valley meadows also developed through the strong backfilling with Aue clay since the start of settlement in the [[Neolithic]] and the accompanying [[deforestation]] and [[soil erosion]]. In the area of the narrows the [[meander]] and [[Meander cutoff|cut-off meander spurs]] stand out. The meanders were formed through the primal Neckar, which sluggishly flowed through the almost even [[Muschelkalk]] plateau, forming the basic structures during the deepening phases and cutting into the hard Muschelkalk. The best known cut-off meander spur is the one at [[Lauffen am Neckar|Lauffen]]; it cut through in historical times and created a waterfall (historic: ''Laufen''). At the cutbanks one can find rocks, formed by the limestone of the upper Muschelkalk. For example, the rock gardens at [[Hessigheim]]. They lie on the marls and clays of the middle Muschelkalks and can sag in whole stone packages, so-called ''Schollen'', down towards the Neckar. In the Odenwald narrow [[ravine]]s and [[Canyon|gorges]] lead into the Neckar from both sides, as for example, the Wolfschlucht and the Margarethenschlucht.

=== Cultural landscape ===
[[File:HessigheimerFelsengaerten 800x600.jpg|thumb|left|View from the Hessigheimer rock gardens into the Neckar valley]]
[[File:Cannstatter Zuckerle.jpg|thumb|left|Stone terraces at the [[Cannstatter Zuckerle]], located on the Neckar slopes in Stuttgart]]
[[File:Neckar NSU.JPG|thumb|The Neckar in Neckarsulm, in the background the coal power station of Heilbronn]]
[[File:Neckar Dilsberg 01.jpg|thumb|The Neckar loop around the [[Dilsberg castle]], as seen from the [[Hinterburg (Neckarsteinach)|Hinterburg]]]]
[[File:Neckarwiese.jpg|thumb|[[Heidelberg#History|Heidelberg]], the [[Neuenheim]] riverside with the neckar meadow and the Heiligenberg]]
Due to the risk of flooding the valley plains remained unsettled for a long time, but the nutritious and, due to its good structure, very [[arable land]] was intensively used for agriculture, and to a large degree the valley plains are still used agriculturally today. The fertile soil allows the cultivation of lucrative specialty crops like vegetables or [[hops]], for example, between Rottenburg and Tübingen.

[[Gravel pit]] quarrying in the valley plains takes away agricultural land, but created large lakes, nowadays used for recreational purposes. These [[borrow pit]]s also became habitat for birds, amphibians and aquatic creatures. Such large borrow pits can be found for example near [[Kirchentellinsfurt]] and between [[Freiberg am Neckar]] and [[Pleidelsheim]]. The gravel bodies of the Neckar have an additional role as water reservoir and are in many places used for drinking water production.<ref>[https://earsc.org/sebs/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Water-Quality-Management-in-Germany-final-1.pdf A Case Study. Lake Water Quality Management in Germany]</ref> The paths usually went over the heights and only crossed the valleys where there were fords over the Neckar.

This changed with the onset of [[industrialisation]] in the 19th century. It brought fundamental conflicts regarding the [[Land use|land usage]] of the flat valley plain. Large even spaces became sought after for industrial sites. The Neckar was mostly straightened in order to prevent flooding and to gain areas for industrial buildings. The river itself was expanded over the course of centuries. With the development into a heavy shipping lane in the early 20th century, the last freely flowing parts between Plochingen and the mouth disappeared and the whole river in this part nowadays is characterized by dam areas. In the strongly textured Neckar area the valley became the only possibility for modern transportation infrastructure. Construction of railway lines and avenues in the valley plains changed the Neckar valley from a cultural to an industrial landscape.

One example is the densely populated and industrialised Neckar valley between [[Plochingen]] and [[Bad Cannstatt]], which harbors large companies such as [[Daimler AG]] (the maker of [[Mercedes-Benz|Mercedes Benz]] cars) and [[Mahle GmbH]] and recreational facilities with large area consumption like the [[MHPArena]], the [[Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle]] or the [[Cannstatter Wasen]], the second-largest fair of Germany. The term ''Wasen'' gives a clue, that there used to be a floodplain on which the fair was held. Distinctive points in the industrial landscape of the Neckar valley are the high chimneys of the [[coal-fired power station]] [[Altbach Power Station|Altbach/Deizisau]] and [[Heilbronn Power Station|Heilbronn]] as well as the assembly halls of the Daimler-engine plant in Untertürkheim and the Audi plant in Neckarsulm.

Along the Neckar's valley in the [[Odenwald]] hills many castles can be found, including [[Hornberg Castle (Neckarzimmern)|Hornberg Castle]] and Guttenberg Castle in [[Haßmersheim]]; the now-mothballed [[Obrigheim Nuclear Power Plant]] and the active [[Neckarwestheim Nuclear Power Plant]] are also located there.

In contrast to the plains, the mostly steep slopes are often forested and in forestry use. The sun-exposed south-facing sites are frequently used for vineyards and are terraced with dry walls. There the local red wine grapes [[Trollinger]], [[Schwarzriesling]] and [[Lemberger (grape)|Lemberger]] are cultivated, which are also traditionally mostly drunk in [[Württemberg]]. Especially the middle Neckar around Besigheim and Lauffen is characterized by in parts extremely steep vineyards, which can be cultivated only by hand.

The vine terrasses at the Neckar together with the drainage area of the tributaries deliver the largest part of the cultivation area of the [[Württemberg (wine region)|Württemberg wine region]]. The vineyards at the lower reaches from Heinsheim to Heidelberg are part of the [[Baden (wine region)|Baden wine region]]. Until the end of the 19th century, vineyard cultivation was more extensive in the Neckar valley including unfavorable sites. Today these have been abandoned and gone fallow, reclaimed by wildlife. One example is the southern slopes of the [[Spitzberg (Tübingen)|Spitzberg]] above the Neckar near Tübingen.

The river's course provides a popular route for [[Cycling|cyclists]], especially during the summer months. The slopes of the Neckar are preferred areas for high-level residential areas because they allow wide, unobstructed views.

=== Renaturation ===
[[File:NaturschutzgebietAltneckar.jpg|thumb|The unregulated old Neckar at Freiberg am Neckar]]

The diverse usage of [[raw water]] and [[waterway]], as well for the production of [[hydropower]] brought with it substantial interventions into the [[Ecology|ecological structure]] of the river. Multiple initiatives are advocated for the [[land restoration]] the Neckar, the ecological enhancement of the river network, the improvement of the [[water quality]], improved [[flood control]] and the creation of attractive local [[Recreation area|recreational areas]] alongside the river. Only recently{{when|date=December 2019}} within the frame of the nationwide campaign lively rivers and the initiative ''Lebendiger Neckar'' (German: lively Neckar), it was begun to free it from its partly-existing concrete corset. The river has in parts been redeveloped as a local recreational area and habitat for animals and plants. It still remains a symbol of endangered nature with the highest power plant density in Germany. At an oxygen content of below 4&nbsp;mg/L power plant owners have to run specially designed turbines to inject air into the water. As of 2003, no mass die-off of fish due to lack of oxygen had occurred for 20 years.<ref>{{citation|title=Gütezustand der Fließgewässer im Neckar-Einzugsgebiet|series=IKoNE 5|at=p.&nbsp;18|language=de|url=http://www.ikone-online.de/fileadmin/template/hefte/IKONE_Heft_5.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120201003413/http://www.ikone-online.de/fileadmin/template/hefte/IKONE_Heft_5.pdf|archive-date=2012-02-01|url-status=dead}}</ref>