In Wallenfels in Upper Franconia, the rafting season is starting again on the Wilden Rodach – but according to the rafters, a lack of water is threatening this old tradition. Six out of twelve planned trips had to be canceled last year, said Andreas Buckreus, chairman of the Wallenfels rafting community in the Kronach district: “In the summer there was simply not enough water in the Wilden Rodach.” In 2020 and 2021, rafting was completely canceled due to the corona pandemic. Now the financial reserves are quite upset, Buckreus said.
The low rainfall and the extreme heat have reduced the water levels in the river in recent summers. Thanks to the high rainfall in March and April, there is currently enough water in the Wilden Rodach – but with another dry summer it could become scarce. And it is precisely during the summer holidays that most visitors come to go rafting. If the river has too little water, you have to disappoint them and cancel the tour at short notice.
Rafting season begins in Wallenfells: lack of water threatens tradition
The town of Wallenfels is nationally known for raft trips. From the entry point at the Schnappenhammer weir, it goes downriver for a length of almost five kilometers through the romantic landscape of the Franconian Forest – scheduled on twelve Saturdays a year, between May and September. A ride takes 30 to 35 minutes, said Buckreus. According to the rafters’ community, several thousand Franconian Forest visitors climb onto the wooden rafts every year and also bring important income to the regional hospitality industry. The rafting in Wallenfels looks back on more than 700 years of history. In the past, it was mainly used to transport construction timber and firewood over long distances. To do this, tree trunks were tied together and floated from Wallenfels to the Netherlands.
In order to save rafting in times of climate change, a reservoir must be built, said Buckreus. Rainwater can be collected there, which is then fed into the river in the dry season: “That could compensate for two to three raft trips that would otherwise have to be canceled due to low water.”
However, a retention basin would first have to be approved by the water management office in Kronach. Since 2018, the authority has been examining whether and how such a project would be compatible with flood protection. “Unfortunately, the mills of bureaucracy grind slowly,” said Buckreus, referring to the lengthy approval process. Wallenfels mayor Jens Korn (CSU) even sent a petition to the Bavarian state parliament asking for support in preserving rafting.
