Odenbach (Glan)
# Odenbach (Glan)

The Odenbach is a 22.7-kilometre-long (14.1 mi) orographically right bank tributary of the Glan in the counties of Kaiserslautern and Kusel in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate.

## Geography

### Course

The Odenbach rises about 8 km (5.0 mi) north of Kaiserslautern in the North Palatine Uplands near the hamlet of Sonnenhof. It flows – mainly in a north-northwesterly direction – through the municipalities of Schneckenhausen, Schallodenbach and Niederkirchen in the county of Kaiserslautern and through Hefersweiler, Reipoltskirchen, Ginsweiler and Adenbach in the county of Kusel, before emptying into the Glan in the eponymous village of Odenbach after a distance of just under 23 kilometres.

### Catchment

The catchment of the Odenbach covers an area of 85.956 $km^2$ (33.188 sq mi) and consist of 50% arable land, 25.6% pasture, 20.2% woodland and 4.2% settlements.

### Tributaries

The most important tributary of the Odenbach is the Nußbach [de; cv], which alone drains 21% of the catchment of the Odenbach. The other streams have a catchment of less than 10 $km^2$ (3.9 sq mi).

The following table shows the tributaries of the Odenbach from source to mouth, as listed by the Water Management Authority of Rhineland-Palatinate. The table gives the name, whether it is a left or right tributary, its length, its catchment area,, the location of its confluence, the height of its confluence and its waterbody number.

| Name | Left/right tributary | Length [km] | Catchment $[km^2]$ | Distance from mouth [km] | Height at confluence [m above sea level] | GKZ |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Steidelbach | left | 0.7 | 00.415 | West of Schneckenhausen | 326 | 25468-1112 |
| Horterbach | right | 2.2 | 02.205 | On the western edge of Schneckenhausen | 319 | 25468-112 |
| (stream from) Gorrhof | left | 0.5 | 00.222 | Between Schneckenhausen and Schallodenbach | 314 | 25468-1192 |
| Kirschgraben | right | 0.8 | 00.535 | Between Schneckenhausen and Schallodenbach | 313 | 25468-1194 |
| Sellbach | right | 1.0 | 00.781 | East of Schallodenbach | 308 | 25468-12 |
| (stream from the) source | left | 0.4 | 00.198 | East of Schallodenbach | 304 | 25468-132 |
| Baierbach | right | 0.9 | 00.825 | West of Schallodenbach | 301 | 25468-134 |
| Faulborn | left | 1.0 | 00.618 | Northwest of Schallodenbach | 292 | 25468-136 |
| Neuhöfer Bach | left | 0.9 | 00.742 | Between Schallodenbach and Niederkirchen-Wörsbach | 290 | 25468-14 |
| Wörsbach | left | 1,4 | 01,584 | südlich von Wörsbach-Rauschermühle | 281 | 25468-16 |
| Lenzelbach | left | 0.5 | 0 | Near Wörsbach-Rauschermühle | 281 | 25468-1912 |
| Finstergraben | right | 1.7 | 00,349 | NNE of Wörsbach-Rauschermühle | 265 | 25468-1914 |
| (stream from the) Flachsgarten | left | 0.1 | 00.410 | S of Niederkirchen | 261 | 25468-1916 |
| Käsbach | right | 0.3 | 00.687 | S of Niederkirchen | 260 | 25468-1918 |
| Weilerbach (Bellenmühlbach) | left | 2.4 | 02.984 | In Niederkirchen | 259 | 25468-192 |
| Steinbach | right | 4.2 | 09.879 | In Niederkirchen | 259 | 25468-2 |
| Farsbach | left | 1.2 | 00.777 | NW of Niederkirchen | 241 | 25468-31129 |
| Kohlengraben | right | 0.6 | 00.431 | NE of Niederkirchen-Bügenmühlerhof | 240 | 25468-312 |
| Morgraben | left | 0.3 | 00.232 | NW of Niederkirchen-Bügenmühlerhof | 240 | 25468-3192 |
| Moorbach | left | 3.1 | 03.385 | in Niederkirchen-Morbach | 236 | 25468-32 |
| Kallbach | right | 1.8 | 01.420 | SSW of Seelen | 233 | 25468-3?? |
| Mühlgraben | left | 0.5 | 00.214 | S of Hefersweiler | 225 | 25468-392 |
| Wambach | left | 1.9 | 01.973 | In Hefersweiler | 224 | 25468-4 |
| Borngraben | right | 1.1 | 00.690 | W of Hefersweiler-Berzweiler | 221 | 25468-512 |
| Zangengraben | left | 1.7 | 01.127 | NE of Hefersweiler-Ahlbornerhof | 216 | 25468-52 |
| Emmersbach | right | 1.0 | 00.665 | SSE of Reipoltskirchen-Ingweilerhof | 211 | 25468-592 |
| Hirzbach | left | 0.4 | 00.106 | Opposite Ingweilerhof | 210 | 25468-594 |
| Nußbach | right | 7.4 | 018.468 | SE of Reipoltskirchen | 199 | 25468-6 |
| Ausbach | left | 3.0 | 02.636 | In Reipoltskirchen | 199 | 25468-72 |
| Hahnenbach | left | 1.3 | | NW of Reipoltskirchen | 187 | |
| Schlappenrecher Graben | right | | | NW of Reipoltskirchen | | |
| Becherbach | right | 2.5 | 04.305 | W of Ginsweiler | 177 | 25468-8 |
| Olkengraben | left | 0.6 | 00.960 | E of Adenbach-Brucherhof | 170 | 25468-91? |
| Adenbach | right | 2.6 | 02.451 | W edge of Adenbach | 166 | 25468-92 |
| Igelsgraben | right | 0.3 | 00.425 | In Odenbach | 155 | 25468-9992 |

## Transport routes

The L 201 runs through the Odenbach valley.

## Leisure pursuits

The Odenbach Valley Cycleway runs through the Odenbach valley for 31.5 kilometres (19.6 mi). It runs from Otterberg via Niederkirchen to Odenbach

## Sights

The best known sights in the valley are the two water castles:

* Reipoltskirchen Castle, built in the 12th century, lies on a rocky hill spur above the Odenbach. It was the seat of the lords of Hohenfels-Reipoltskirchen and is first recorded in 1276. The site has largely survived and been restored. It is used by the municipality of Reipoltskirchen inter alia as the Standesamt. Its bergfried is used by tourists as an observation tower.
* Odenbach Castle, at the confluence of the river with the Glan, was built in the 2nd half of the 12th century by the counts of Veldenz and blown up in 1683 by troops of the French king, Louis XIV. The ruins include the renovated remains of the bergfried, which is built of impressive rusticated ashlar blocks and, as the Weiherturm, has become the symbol of the village of Odenbach.
