Kammel

The Kammel is a river in Bavaria, southern Germany. The Kammel originates west of Mindelheim, in the district Unterallgäu, and flows generally north. It flows into the Mindel (left tributary) south of Offingen at the Danube, east of Günzburg in the district Günzburg. So it is an indirect right tributary of the Danube. The difference in altitude between the origin and the mouth is 265 m.

Tributaries
Tributaries which flow into the Kammel are (from south to north):
 * the Krumbach (left tributary); confluence with the Kammel in Krumbach
 * the Haselbach (right tributary); confluence with the Kammel in Naichen, municipality: Neuburg an der Kammel
 * the Krähenbach (right tributary); confluence with the Kammel in Ettenbeuren, municipality: Kammeltal

Municipalities the Kammel flows through
Municipalities which are passed by the Kammel are (from south to north):

in the district Unterallgäu: Stetten, Kammlach, Oberrieden, Pfaffenhausen and Breitenbrunn;

in the district Günzburg: Aletshausen, the town Krumbach, Neuburg an der Kammel, Kammeltal, the town Burgau and Rettenbach;

Origin of the name
The name of the Kammel derives from the Celtic kamb or camb which means crooked. So the Kammel is the crooked water. Other authors are of the opinion that Kammel means bog. Both origins of the name can be possible because the meanders of the stream Kammel are clearly distinct.

Attractions in the valleys of the Kammel and its tributaries

 * Niederraunau: castle and church
 * Krumbach
 * Billenhausen: Dossenberger Pfarrhof (parsonage)
 * Neuburg an der Kammel: castle, church and the pilgrimage church Maria Feldblume between Neuburg and Wattenweiler
 * Edelstetten Abbey in Edelstetten in the valley of the Haselbach
 * Naichen: hammer mill museum
 * Wettenhausen Abbey in Wettenhausen (municipality of Kammeltal)
 * Burgau
 * the Silbersee near Burgau, a flooded gravel pit and popular greenbelt recreation area with campsite

Miscellaneous

 * Parallel to the Kammel there is the 71 km long cycle track Kammeltal-Radweg
 * From Breitenbrunn to Neuburg an der Kammel the Mittelschwaben Railway runs in the valley of the Kammel
 * Of no other river in the district Günzburg so many kilometres have been renaturalised in the last few years as the Kammel