Lech (river)

The Lech is a river in Austria and Germany. It is a right tributary of the Danube 264km in length with a drainage basin of 2550sqmi. Its source is located in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg, where the river rises from lake Formarinsee in the Alps at an altitude of 6120ft. It flows in a north-north-easterly direction and crosses the German border, forming the Lechfall, a 12m waterfall; afterwards the river enters a narrow gorge (the Lechschlucht). Leaving the Alps, it enters the plains of the Allgäu at Füssen at an elevation of 2580ft in the German state of Bavaria, where it used to be the location of the boundary with Swabia. The river runs through the city of Füssen and through the Forggensee, a man-made lake which is drained in winter. Here, it forms rapids and a waterfall.The river flows further northwards through a region called the Lechrain, and passes the cities of Schongau, Landsberg, Augsburg (where it receives the Wertach) and Rain before entering the Danube just below Donauwörth at an elevation of 1330ft. It is not navigable, owing to its torrential character and the gravel beds which choke its channel. There is a particularly magnificent view of the Lech valley from Neuschwanstein Castle, near Füssen.