Göttlesbrunn stream

The 8.3-km-long Göttlesbrunn stream, known as the “Göttlesbrunnerbachl”, originates where the Arbesthal Ortsgraben canal meets the Teichgraben and flows south from Arbesthal through Göttlesbrunn to Bruck an der Leitha, where it joins the old branch of the River Leitha.

The quality of the water in the Göttlesbrunn stream has improved immensely. In earlier times waste water from farms and communities was emptied into the stream without adequate filtration. Today the water is clean, thanks to modern sewage treatment plants. This is essential for the many organisms that have adapted to life in and around the stream. Now you can see magnificent dragonflies and mayfly and caddisfly larva. There is enough food for water snails, leeches survive as larva-thieving parasites and pretty mallards feed on its plants and animals. The local water board is responsible for the stream’s maintenance and care.

For generations the stream has been a children’s outdoor paradise and the setting for unforgettable adventures in the style of Huckleberry Finn. Bits of wood have drifted downstream as ‘ships’, homemade rafts have sunk on a regular basis and the fearless have balanced on a plank above the deep gorges of the ‘tearing’ river.

Admittedly this takes a little imagination, but as we know a child’s fantasy knows no bounds. And happiness belongs to those who retain it.