Revitalising the source area of the Danube
Improved quality of life for people and nature

‘Brigach und Breg bringen die Donau zu Weg’
A well-known German saying, meaning: The two rivers Brigach and Breg set the Danube on its way.

With the revitalisation and redesign of the confluence, a worthy introduction to the source of Europe’s second-longest river was created.
The primary goal was achieving good ecological status of the watercourse in accordance with the Water Framework Directive. At the same time, tourism and local recreation should have their place in an intensively used environment. The watercourses were freed from their corset of stone blocks and redesigned to be close to nature. They are now an attractive natural experience.

PLANNING
The rivers Brigach, Breg and Danube were straightened decades or centuries ago. The water environment, the former floodplain, was and is intensively utilised by humans. Typical watercourse structures, habitats for aquatic, riparian and floodplain species and the self-dynamic development of the watercourse were largely absent.
The wheel of time cannot be turned back: the built infrastructure and intensive human activity in the immediate vicinity of the waters prevented a complete freeing of the rivers. Nevertheless, the measure gave the watercourses more space to develop naturally and dynamically.

CONFLUENCE AS CENTREPIECE
The centrepiece of the measure was the new confluence and the start of the Danube, approx. 300 metres above the previous confluence. The space for the creation of a dynamic river landscape and associated floodplain was created by large-scale excavation of the site, which until recently was home to the facilities of the former district animal shelter and the dog club.
At the same time, the Breg was diverted approximately 150 metres south of the current bridge ‘Grundbrücke’ and now flows into the Brigach about 300 metres to the west. A new bridge was built for the Brigachweg over the new watercourse. The rivers Brigach, Breg and Young Danube were each upgraded along a length of about 1 km.

The approximately 50,000 m³ of earth excavated from the project were used to build a visual and noise barrier to the east, between the confluence and adjacent motorway. There, through planting and succession, copses alternating with mown or grazed meadows can develop. At the same time, the up to 9 m high hill offers beautiful views of the confluence.

PEOPLE / TOURISM / RECREATION
The newly designed source can be experienced in a variety of ways.
Paths have been reorganised and new connections and circular routes were created with the construction of a cycle bridge. Three blue steles signify that the area belongs to the ‘Young Danube’ landscape park.

For cyclists (this is the start of the Danube cycle trail) there are numerous parking spaces and charging stations for e-bikes. A drinking fountain, loungers and benches invite you to take a break. To find out more about the Danube region, its biodiversity, floods and other topics you can download a corresponding app (still under construction) to your smartphone and experience various stations digitally and interactively either in the field or at home.

Two inconspicuous shafts in the ground along the footpath house the sound installation ‘Zusammenfluss’ (confluence) by Daniel Ott & Enrico Stolzenburg. Here, sounds from all 10 countries along the Danube are interwoven into a sound composition.

To guide the many visitors in the confluence area and to enable people with mobility issues to experience nature, footbridges and viewing platforms were created. This means the confluence can be visited without disturbing animals and plants.

As the Danube was extended by about 300 metres as a result of the works, a new kilometre marker, a popular photo point, now indicates the official start of the Danube.
The source of the Danube was officially opened on 30 June 2022. Since then, nature has continued to dynamically shape the new floodplain. This will be accompanied by broad-scale monitoring in the future.

• All landscape architecture offices involved in the design of landscape:
365° freiraum + umwelt, 88662 Überlingen, Germany
Author of the draft: Christian Seng
Project staff: David Zielfeld, Julian Frantzen, Alexandra Haslinger, Felix Grandy, Johannes Schmid, Felix Schwarz, Martin Moser, Miriam Lorenz, Henryk Haberl

• All architecture offices involved in the design:
Hirthe Architekt BDA, project engineering heavy load bridge: Thomas Hirthe

• Other credits:
Sound installation:
Prof. Enrico Stolzenburg, Daniel Ott

Building ground and geotechnical engineering:
Ingenieurgruppe Geotechnik, 79199 Kirchzarten

Hydrology and groundwater monitoring:
Dr. Björn Bahrig, 78476 Allensbach

Legacy pollution:
Umweltconsult Dieck e.K., 78628 Rottweil

Environmental planning:
menz umweltplanung, 72072 Tübingen

Planning and site management for the demolition:
Breinlinger Ingenieure, 78532 Tuttlingen

Planning of supporting structure:
Prof. Faltlhauser, Beratende Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH, 72770 Reutlingen

Hydraulics and fish habitat modelling:
sje Ecohydraulic Engineering GmbH, 70569 Stuttgart

Environmental construction supervision:
Baader Konzept GmbH, 78194 Immendingen

Fish monitoring:
Hydra Fischereibiologie, 69168 Wiesloch

Drone flights:
I AM HYDRO GmbH, 78112 St. Georgen

App development:
imsimity | kabetec GmbH & Co. KG, 78136 Schonach im Schwarzwald

Companies involved in construction:
Demolition:
BERB GmbH & Co. KG, 72172 Sulz am Neckar

Earthworks, water and road construction:
Max Wild GmbH, 88450 Berkheim

Heavy load bridge:
Schleith GmbH, 7855 Achern

Cycle path bridge:
Schaffitzel Holzindustrie GmbH & Co. KG, 74253 Schwäbisch Hall

Restoration and documentation monument „Mutter Baar“:
Ricardo Itta, 88662 Überlingen

Client | Owner:
Regierungspräsidium Freiburg, Abteilung 5 Umwelt, Ref. 53.1
Marlene Reichegger, Irmastraße 11, 78166 Donaueschingen

Processing period:
2014-2023

Planning and construction costs:
EUR 4 million (net)

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