Unstrut

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Unstrut
Bridge over the Unstrut near Weischütz
Location
Country	Germany
States	Thuringia Saxony-Anhalt
Physical characteristics
Source	west of Kefferhausen
• location	Thuringia
• coordinates	51°18′58″N 10°16′35″E / 51.31623°N 10.2763°E / 51.31623; 10.2763
• elevation	400 m (1,300 ft)
Mouth	Saale, near Naumburg
• location	Saxony-Anhalt
• coordinates	51°10′33″N 11°48′7″E / 51.17583°N 11.80194°E / 51.17583; 11.80194
• elevation	102 m (335 ft)
Length	192 km (119 mi)
Basin size	6,364.2 km2 (2,457.2 sq mi)
Basin features
Progression	Saale→ Elbe→ North Sea
Tributaries
• left	Notter Wipper Helme
• right	Salza Gera Lossa

The Unstrut (pronounced [ˈʊnʃtʁuːt]) is a river in Germany and a left tributary of the Saale.

The Unstrut originates in northern Thuringia near Dingelstädt (west of Kefferhausen in the Eichsfeld area) and its catchment area is the whole of the Thuringian Basin. It breaks out of the basin through the Thuringian Gate west of Heldrungen and, in its lower reaches, flows through Saxony-Anhalt before emptying into the Saale near Naumburg. The total length of the Unstrut is 192 kilometres (119 mi). Towns along the Unstrut include Mühlhausen, Sömmerda, Bad Frankenhausen, Artern, Roßleben, and Freyburg. The main tributaries of the Unstrut are the Gera, Wipper, Helme, and Lossa.

The countryside around the Saale and Unstrut rivers forms the wine-growing region of Saale-Unstrut. The well-known brand of sparkling wine, Rotkäppchen ("Little Red Riding Hood") is produced in the cellars of Freyburg.