Wilder Graben (Nesse)

Wilder Graben
Location
Country	Germany
State	Thuringia
Physical characteristics
Source
• elevation	324 m
Mouth
• location	Nesse
• coordinates	51°00′36″N 10°37′32″E / 51.0099°N 10.6256°E / 51.0099; 10.6256
• elevation	258.7 m
Length	17.1 km (10.6 mi) [1]
Basin size	104.6 km2 [2]
Basin features
Progression	Nesse→ Hörsel→ Werra→ Weser→ North Sea

The Wilde Graben, also called Flutgraben or Wilde Leina, is a left tributary of the Nesse in district of Gotha in Thuringia, the upper reaches of which runs through the town of Gotha. It is fed to no small extent by the Leina channel, which was already built in the Middle Ages and supplies it with water from the Thuringian Forest, which is branched off by bifurcation from the Hörsel upper reaches Leina as well as from the upper reaches of the Apfelstädt from the system Gera/Unstrut/Saale/Elbe. Its natural upper course is called Ratsrinne.

At 104.6 km², the catchment area of the Wilden Graben is hardly smaller than that of the Nesse above its mouth (131.4 km²),^[2] to which must be added the proportionate catchment area of Leina (estimated by TLUG Jena at 20.8 km²^[3]) and Apfelstädt. The length of the Nesse River over the upper Leina, Leinakanal and Wilden Graben is 63.5 km compared to 54.5 km and that of the Hörsel even 73.3 km compared to 55.2 km.^[1]