Maurus Servius Honoratus, Commentary on the Aeneid of Vergil (8.727) (Rhenus) fluvius Galliae, qui Germanos a Gallia dividit "(The Rhine is a) river of Gaul, which divides the Germanic people from Gaul.". The Romans kept eight legions in five bases along the Rhine. Although the allies could probably have prevented the re-occupation, Britain and France were not inclined to do so, a feature of their policy of appeasement to Hitler. the geography and geology of its present-day watershed has been developing since the Alpine orogeny began. Most of the water flows via the Constance hopper into the Rheinrinne ("Rhine Gutter") and Seerhein. In the geologically recent past the main process distributing sediment across the delta has been the shifting of river channels to new locations on the floodplain (termed avulsion). The Alpine Rhine begins in the westernmost part of the Swiss canton of Graubünden, and later forms the border between Switzerland to the west and Liechtenstein and later Austria to the east. One of the most important cities in this region is Duisburg with the largest river port in Europe (Duisport). The rate of flow was increased and the ground water level fell significantly. The Upper Rhine region was changed significantly by a Rhine straightening program in the 19th Century. Here, too, the river water is hardly mixed with the lake water. For the German state, to make the river more predictable was to ensure development projects could easily commence.[23]. About 9000 years ago, that last divide was overtopped / dissected. The river IJssel branch flows to the north and enters the IJsselmeer (formerly the Zuider Zee), initially a brackish lagoon but a freshwater lake since 1932. Its course is conventionally divided as follows: The Rhine carries its name without distinctive accessories only from the confluence of the Rein Anteriur/Vorderrhein and Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein next to Reichenau in Tamins. In the 9th, it formed part of the border between Middle and Western Francia, The northern section of this frontier, where the Rhine is deep and broad, remained the Roman boundary until the empire fell. The Rhine-Meuse Delta, the most important natural region of the Netherlands begins near Millingen aan de Rijn, close to the Dutch-German border with the division of the Rhine into Waal and Nederrijn. The river traverses the southern, which, in isolation, is sometimes called Rhinesee ("Lake Rhine"). It flows farther west, to rejoin the Noord into the Nieuwe Maas and to the North Sea. The natural Rhine originally branched into at least two arms and formed small islands by precipitating sediments. Discover 6 destinations in 4 countries on the Adventures by Disney Rhine River Cruise! In the route the Rhine River makes from the Lake to the sea, its waters flow through the countries of Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, France and the Netherlands. The shape of the Rhine delta is determined by two bifurcations: first, at Millingen aan de Rijn, the Rhine splits into Waal and Pannerdens Kanaal, which changes its name to Nederrijn at Angeren, and second near Arnhem, the IJssel branches off from the Nederrijn. On the few remaining natural sections, there are still several rapids. The error was discovered in 2010, and the Dutch Rijkswaterstaat confirms the length at 1,232 kilometres (766 miles). And the best place to start is the Moselle and Rhine River … The Ruhr currently provides the region with drinking water. [note 3], The spelling with Rh- in English Rhine as well as in German Rhein and French Rhin is due to the influence of Greek orthography, while the vocalisation -i- is due to the Proto-Germanic adoption of the Gaulish name as *Rīnaz, via Old Frankish giving Old English Rín,[3] It is considered by many to be the most important waterway in Germany, a country our Rhine river tours will give you the opportunity to explore in … The northern Alps were then drained by the Rhone. The northern Alps were then drained by the Danube. No other river has so many world-renowned cities situated on its banks. In addition, were a double legion, XIV and XVI, at Moguntiacum (Mainz). The two original military districts of Germania Inferior and Germania Superior, came to influence the surrounding tribes, who later respected the distinction in their alliances and confederations. The Posterior Rhine flows first east-northeast, then north. In the 17th century, France contended for control of the Rhine, and their struggle with Germany lasted until after World War II. Its water has a darker color than the Rhine; the latter's lighter suspended load comes from higher up the mountains. A MESSAGE FROM TAUCK ABOUT COVID-19 (UPDATED JANUARY 14, 2021) Click for details. The Rhine flows from the Alps to the North Sea Basin. This cannot be undone. The gorge is quite deep and is the stretch of the river which is known for its many castles and vineyards. Since ~3000 yr BP (= years Before Present), human impact is seen in the delta. Travel Destinations. Germany’s spectacular backdrops and breathtaking natural wonders will reveal themselves as you cruise along the alluring Moselle and Rhine rivers. Get a Quote Learn more. [25] In the Miocene period, the watershed of the Rhine reached south, only to the Eifel and Westerwald hills, about 450 km (280 mi) north of the Alps. The Alsace on the left banks of the Upper Rhine was sold to Burgundy by Archduke Sigismund of Austria in 1469 and eventually fell to France in the Thirty Years' War. In northern Europe, the North Sea Basin had formed during the Triassic and Jurassic periods and continued to be a sediment receiving basin since. With globally shrinking ice-cover, ocean water levels rose and the English Channel and North Sea re-inundated. Are you sure you want to delete your score and checked items on this list? Here a number of river islands occur, locally known as "Rheinauen". The Albula draws its water mainly from the Landwasser with the Dischmabach as the largest source stream, but almost as much from the Gelgia, which comes down from the Julier Pass. For the army of Germania Superior: one legion, II Augusta, at Argentoratum (Strasbourg); and one, XIII Gemina, at Vindonissa (Windisch). It is over 700 miles long, begins in the Swiss Alps and empties into the North Sea after flowing through the Netherlands. The Rhine flows into it from the south following the Swiss-Austrian border. Seattle: University of Washington Press. Lake Constance consists of three bodies of water: the Obersee ("upper lake"), the Untersee ("lower lake"), and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, called the Seerhein ("Lake Rhine"). In the centre of Basel, the first major city in the course of the stream, is located the "Rhine knee"; this is a major bend, where the overall direction of the Rhine changes from west to north. Old High German Rīn, early Middle Dutch (c. 1200) Rijn (then also spelled Ryn or Rin).[4]. At that time, it formed the boundary between Gaul and Germania. In the southern North Sea, due to ongoing tectonic subsidence, the coastline and sea bed are sinking at the rate of about 1–3 cm (0.39–1.18 in) per century (1 metre or 39 inches in last 3000 years). After this number was placed into the authoritative Brockhaus Enzyklopädie, it became generally accepted and found its way into numerous textbooks and official publications. The Rhine: an eco-biography, 1815–2000. Distance markers along the Rhine measure the distance from the bridge in the old city centre of Constance. Coeval absolute sea-level rise and tectonic subsidence have strongly influenced delta evolution. The Rhine roughly forms the German-Swiss border from Lake Constance with the exceptions of the canton of Schaffhausen and parts of the cantons of Zürich and Basel-Stadt, until it turns north at the so-called Rhine knee at Basel, leaving Switzerland. The bridges at Nijmegen, over the Waal distributary of the Rhine, were also an objective of Operation Market Garden. [18] Tulla is considered to have domesticated the Upper Rhine, domestication that served goals such as reducing stagnant bogs that fostered waterborne diseases, making regions more habitable for human settlement, and reduce high frequency of flooded water. The Upper Rhine had been part of the areal of the late Hallstatt culture since the 6th century BC, and by the 1st century BC, the areal of the La Tène culture covered almost its entire length, forming a contact zone with the Jastorf culture, i.e. As it approaches the Dutch border, the Rhine has an annual mean discharge of 2,290 m3/s (81,000 cu ft/s) and an average width of 400 m (1,300 ft). It belongs almost exclusively to the Swiss canton of Graubünden, ranging from Saint-Gotthard Massif in the west via one valley lying in Ticino and Italy in the south to the Flüela Pass in the east. but in the 10th century, it was fully within the Holy Roman Empire, flowing through Swabia, Franconia and Lower Lorraine. The dominant economic sectors in the Middle Rhine area are viniculture and tourism. The watershed of the Rhine reaches into the Alps today, but it did not start out that way. The other third of the water flows through the Pannerdens Kanaal and redistributes in the IJssel and Nederrijn. The northwestern part of the estuary (around Hook of Holland), is still called Maasmond ("Meuse Mouth"), ignoring the fact that it now carries only water from the Rhine. In particular, pollution problems in the Rhine Rive… In the Early Pleistocene, the Rhine followed a course to the northwest, through the present North Sea. The present Mediterranean Sea descends from this somewhat larger Tethys sea. There are more than 20,000 castles all over the country. Loops, oxbows, branches and islands were removed along the Upper Rhine so that there would be a present uniformity to the river. The river begins in Grisons, Switzerland, and its headwaters emerge from Lake Tomasee, which is considered the primary source of the Rhine. In Roman geography, the Rhine and Hercynia Silva were considered the boundary of the civilized world; as it was a wilderness, the Romans were eager to explore it. the Middle Rhine flows entirely within Germany. Seattle: University of Washington Press. Three of our colleagues cycled along EuroVelo 15 - Rhine Cycle Route this summer, offering us the opportunity to continue our … [24] Crossing the border into the Netherlands at Spijk, close to Nijmegen and Arnhem, the Rhine is at its widest, although the river then splits into three main distributaries: the Waal, Nederrijn ("Nether Rhine") and IJssel. The most important tributaries in this area are the Ill below of Strasbourg, the Neckar in Mannheim and the Main across from Mainz. Near Koblenz in the canton of Aargau, the Aare joins the Rhine. The flow of cold, grey mountain water continues for some distance into the lake. The Posterior Rhine rises in the Rheinwald below the Rheinwaldhorn. [20] The engineering of the Rhine was not without protest, farmers and fishermen had grave concerns about valuable fishing areas and farmland being lost. The upper Rhine and upper Danube are easily crossed. Contoured by vineyard-clad hills and castles from yesteryear, the legendary Rhine captivates. With its outstanding architectural monuments, the slopes full of vines, settlements crowded on the narrow river banks and scores of castles lined up along the top of the steep slopes, the Middle Rhine Valley can be considered the epitome of the Rhine romanticism. Although many plants and factories can be found along the Rhine up into Switzerland, it is along the Lower Rhine that the bulk of them are concentrated, as the river passes the major cities of Cologne, Düsseldorf and Duisburg. 53, Cioc, Mark. The source of the river is generally considered north of Lai da Tuma/Tomasee on Rein Anteriur/Vorderrhein,[13] although its southern tributary Rein da Medel is actually longer before its confluence with the Anterior Rhine near Disentis. The discharge of the Rhine is divided into three branches: the Waal (6/9 of total discharge), the Nederrijn – Lek (2/9 of total discharge) and the IJssel (1/9 of total discharge). [note 1]. It is the second-longest river in Central and Western Europe (after the Danube), at about 1,230 km (760 mi),[note 1][note 2] with an average discharge of about 2,900 m3/s (100,000 cu ft/s). Its importance as a waterway in the Holy Roman Empire is supported by the many castles and fortifications built along it. The Oude Maas branches off, near Dordrecht, farther down rejoining the Nieuwe Maas to form Het Scheur. Examples: Next to Reichenau in Tamins the Anterior Rhine and the Posterior Rhine join and form the Alpine Rhine. the Lower Rhine flows within Germany until, all parts of the Delta Rhein flows within the Netherlands until they enter the, This page was last edited on 4 January 2021, at 14:05. Nevertheless, the Alpine Rhine is considered the main branch, because it is longer. the total discharge of the Rhine is subject to significant fluctuations, and average values cited vary between sources; the total discharge taken into account here consists of: The Rhine only has an official length scale (, The Rhine is cited as the "twelfth-longest river of Europe", The Rhine was not known in the Hellenistic period. Learn how to create your own. Here the High Rhine ends. The Rhine River is the second longest river in Western Europe and a stunning waterway to cruise down to witness some of Europe’s most historic sites and landmarks. For most of its length, the Seerhein forms the border between Germany and Switzerland. The Rhine flows through Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, the Netherlands and Liechtenstein. As northwest Europe slowly began to warm up from 22,000 years ago onward, frozen subsoil and expanded alpine glaciers began to thaw and fall-winter snow covers melted in spring. From 1421 to 1904, the Meuse and Waal merged further upstream at Gorinchem to form Merwede. Spanish is with French in adopting the Germanic vocalism Rin-, while Italian, Occitan and Portuguese retain the Latin Ren-. The Rhine-Meuse Delta is a tidal delta, shaped not only by the sedimentation of the rivers, but also by tidal currents. The largest and southern main branch begins as Waal and continues as Boven Merwede ("Upper Merwede"), Beneden Merwede ("Lower Merwede"), Noord ("the North"), Nieuwe Maas ("New Meuse"), Het Scheur ("the Rip") and Nieuwe Waterweg ("New Waterway"). It includes the Austrian towns of Gaißau, Höchst and Fußach. Much of the discharge was routed to the Rhine and its downstream extension. In a separate operation, the Ludendorff Bridge, crossing the Rhine at Remagen, became famous, when U.S. forces were able to capture it intact – much to their own surprise – after the Germans failed to demolish it. Like the Upper Rhine, the Lower Rhine used to meander until engineering created a solid river bed. The culminating point of the Anterior Rhine's drainage basin is the Piz Russein of the Tödi massif of the Glarus Alps at 3,613 metres (11,854 ft) above sea level. The Lorelei supposedly sits on a rock in the gorge of the Rhenish Slate Mountains and lures sailors to their deaths. Beyond these rivers she held only the fertile plain of Frankfurt, opposite the Roman border fortress of Moguntiacum (Mainz), the southernmost slopes of the Black Forest and a few scattered bridge-heads. By the time of the Miocene, a river system had developed in the Upper Rhine Graben, that continued northward and is considered the first Rhine river. the locus of early Celtic-Germanic cultural contact. The Rhine: an eco-biography, 1815–2000. This has already happened to the former Lake Tuggenersee. The allies left the Rhineland, in 1930 and the German army re-occupied it in 1936, which was enormously popular in Germany. It connects the Obersee with the 30 cm lower Untersee. [note 6], The grammatical gender of the Celtic name (as well as of its Greek and Latin adaptation) is masculine, and the name remains masculine in German, Dutch and French. The mouths of the Rhine, in the county of Holland, fell to the Burgundian Netherlands in the 15th century; Holland remained contentious territory throughout the European wars of religion and the eventual collapse of the Holy Roman Empire, when the length of the Rhine fell to the First French Empire and its client states. In 1840, the Rhine crisis, prompted by French prime minister Adolphe Thiers's desire to reinstate the Rhine as a natural border, led to a diplomatic crisis and a wave of nationalism in Germany. In between the zone of Alpine orogeny and North Sea Basin subsidence, highlands resulting from an earlier orogeny (Variscan) remained, such as the Ardennes, Eifel and Vosges. What Does George Soros' Open Society Foundations Network Fund? the Anterior Rhine lies entirely within Switzerland, while at least one tributary to Posterior Rhine, the Alpine Rhine flows within Switzerland till, the first parts of the High Rhine, from Lake Constance to, the Upper Rhine is the border between France (to the west) and Switzerland (to the east) for a short distance, from Basel to. The middle flow begins as Nederrijn, then changes into Lek, then joins the Noord, thereby forming Nieuwe Maas. The Mainz Basin ends in Bingen am Rhein; the Rhine continues as "Middle Rhine" into the Rhine Gorge in the Rhenish Slate Mountains. However, this name is also used for the river delta where the Rhine flows into Lake Constance, so it is clearer to call the larger one Rhine-Meuse delta, or even Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, as the Scheldt ends in the same delta. Until 1932 the generally accepted length of the Rhine was 1,230 kilometres (764 miles). On the various parts: Order: panning north to south through the Western Netherlands: This article is about the river. In the Netherlands it continues northwards through Venlo closely along the border to Germany, then turns towards the west, where it runs parallel to the Waal and forms part of the extensive Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta , together with the Scheldt in its south and the Rhine … Since approximately 600,000 years ago, six major Ice Ages have occurred, in which sea level dropped 120 m (390 ft) and much of the continental margins became exposed. From Wijk bij Duurstede, the old north branch of the Rhine is called Kromme Rijn ("Bent Rhine") past Utrecht, first Leidse Rijn ("Rhine of Leiden") and then, Oude Rijn ("Old Rhine"). The water then follows the northern shore until Hagnau am Bodensee. Here’s How Online Games Like Prodigy Are Revolutionizing Education. Several microplates were caught in the squeeze and rotated or were pushed laterally, generating the individual features of Mediterranean geography: Iberia pushed up the Pyrenees; Italy, the Alps, and Anatolia, moving west, the mountains of Greece and the islands. Good to know that the Douro River is the third river in the Iberian Peninsula and has many interesting facts you should know. The river makes a distinctive turn to the north near Chur. As an effect of human work, it empties into Lake Constance on Austrian territory and not on the border that follows its old natural river bed. The flow reappears on the surface at the northern (German) shore of the lake, off the island of Lindau. Starting from the Swiss town of Basel, the river flows for 435 miles through Germany, past France and eventually to the Netherlands, where it spills out into the North Sea. Germany . The variants of the name of the Rhine in modern languages are all derived from the Gaulish name Rēnos, which was adapted in Roman-era geography (1st century BC) as Greek Ῥῆνος (Rhēnos), Latin Rhenus. At the end of World War I, the Rhineland was subject to the Treaty of Versailles. Some of the castles are restored to their former glory, others – partly destroyed, closed or transformed into hotels. In 1932 the German encyclopedia Knaurs Lexikon stated the length as 1,320 kilometres (820 miles), presumably a typographical error. In Wesel, 30 km downstream of Duisburg, is located the western end of the second east–west shipping route, the Wesel-Datteln Canal, which runs parallel to the Lippe. Before the St. Elizabeth's flood (1421), the Meuse flowed just south of today's line Merwede-Oude Maas to the North Sea and formed an archipelago-like estuary with Waal and Lek. Through stream capture, the Rhine extended its watershed southward. For centuries they decorate the German mountains, turning them into a fairytale setting. River: Rhine. In this sections the river falls from 77.4 m above sea level to 50.4 m. On the left, is located the mountain ranges of Hunsrück and Eifel, on the right Taunus and Westerwald. [25] Direct human impact in the delta began with the mining of peat for salt and fuel from Roman times onward. Enjoy this melding of cultures as you dine alfresco at a café along the banks of the Rhine. As a meandering river, it reworked its ice-age floodplain. It rises in the Black Forest mountains of western Germany and flows for some 1,770 miles (2,850 km) to its mouth on the Black Sea. The last phase slightly predates the global last ice age maximum (Last Glacial Maximum). Northeastern France drains to the Rhine via the Moselle; smaller rivers drain the Vosges and Jura Mountains uplands. 2002: 54, Cioc, Mark. The Rhine flows through Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, the Netherlands and Liechtenstein. 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