The Odenbach is a 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 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 and consist of 50% arable land, 25.6% pasture, 20.2% woodland and 4.2% settlements.Gewässerzustandsbericht 2010 , Struktur- und Genehmigungsdirektion Nord (SGD Nord)

Tributaries The most important tributary of the Odenbach is the , which alone drains 21% of the catchment of the Odenbach. The other streams have a catchment of less than .

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[km2] Distance from mouth[km] Height at confluence [m above sea level] GKZ Steidelbach left 0.7 0.415 West of Schneckenhausen 326 25468-1112 Horterbach right 2.2 2.205 On the western edge of Schneckenhausen 319 25468-112 (stream from) Gorrhof left 0.5 0.222 Between Schneckenhausen and Schallodenbach 314 25468-1192 KirschgrabenTaken from the flur name KirschgrabenAt GeoExplorer is the name Wickelhöfer Tal. right 0.8 0.535 Between Schneckenhausen and Schallodenbach 313 25468-1194 Sellbach right 1.0 0.781 East of Schallodenbach 308 25468-12 (stream from the) source left 0.4 0.198 East of Schallodenbach 304 25468-132 Baierbach right 0.9 0.825 West of Schallodenbach 301 25468-134 Faulborn left 1.0 0.618 Northwest of Schallodenbach 292 25468-136 Neuhöfer Bach left 0.9 0.742 Between Schallodenbach and Niederkirchen-Wörsbach 290 25468-14 Wörsbach left 1,4 1,584 südlich von Wörsbach-Rauschermühle 281 25468-16 LenzelbachName taken from the Karte zur Anordnung nach § 36 FlurbG Maßstab 1: 5000 der FlurbereinigungsbehördeLandschaftsplanung der Verbandsgemeinde Otterberg , April 1997 left 0.5 Near Wörsbach-Rauschermühle 281 25468-1912 Finstergraben right 1.7 0,349 NNE of Wörsbach-Rauschermühle 265 25468-1914 (stream from the) Flachsgarten left 0.1 0.410 S of Niederkirchen 261 25468-1916 KäsbachAt GeoExplorer is the name Amoshof. right 0.3 0.687 S of Niederkirchen 260 25468-1918 Weilerbach (Bellenmühlbach)LANIS Maßstab 1:8000 left 2.4 2.984 In Niederkirchen 259 25468-192 Steinbach right 4.2 9.879 In Niederkirchen 259 25468-2 FarsbachName taken from the flur name In der Farsbach.At GeoExplorer is the name Ingelwege.At GeoExplorer, the length of the whole section is not given, so this has been measured from LANIS.The length on GeoExplorer is 0.456 km left 1.2 0.777 NW of Niederkirchen 241 25468-31129 Kohlengraben right 0.6 0.431 NE of Niederkirchen-Bügenmühlerhof 240 25468-312 Morgraben left 0.3 0.232 NW of Niederkirchen-Bügenmühlerhof 240 25468-3192 Moorbach left 3.1 3.385 in Niederkirchen-Morbach 236 25468-32 KallbachName taken from the Flurnamen im Quellbereich.Missing at GeoExplorer, so the length and catchment have been measured on LANIS. right 1.8 1.42 SSW of Seelen 233 25468-3?? Mühlgraben left 0.5 0.214 S of Hefersweiler 225 25468-392 Wambach left 1.9 1.973 In Hefersweiler 224 25468-4 Borngraben right 1.1 0.690 W of Hefersweiler-Berzweiler 221 25468-512 Zangengraben left 1.7 1.127 NE of Hefersweiler-Ahlbornerhof 216 25468-52 Emmersbach right 1.0 0.665 SSE of Reipoltskirchen-Ingweilerhof 211 25468-592 Hirzbach left 0.4 0.106 Opposite Ingweilerhof 210 25468-594 Nußbach right 7.4 18.468 SE of Reipoltskirchen 199 25468-6 Ausbach left 3.0 2.636 In Reipoltskirchen 199 25468-72 HahnenbachMissing at GeoExplorer, so the length has been measured on LANIS. left 1.3 NW of Reipoltskirchen 187 Schlappenrecher Graben right NW of Reipoltskirchen Becherbach right 2.5 4.305 W of Ginsweiler 177 25468-8 Olkengraben left 0.6 0.96 E of Adenbach-Brucherhof 17025468-91? Adenbach right 2.6 2.451 W edge of Adenbach 166 25468-92 Igelsgraben right 0.3 0.425 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 . It runs from Otterberg via Niederkirchen to OdenbachOdenbachtal Radweg.Tourenplaner Rheinland-Pfalz, Die Pfalz

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.

See also List of rivers of Rhineland-Palatinate

References

External links Verlauf des Odenbachs at Der Odenbach mit Teileinzugsgebieten auf dem