Citizendia

For other uses, see Rhine (disambiguation).
River Rhine
The Rhine is one of the most important rivers in Europe
The Rhine is one of the most important rivers in Europe
OriginGrisons, Switzerland
Basin countriesSwitzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Netherlands
Length1,320 km (820 mi)
Source elevationVorderrhein: approx. Graubünden or Grisons ( German:, gʁaʊˈbyndən Italian: Grigioni; Romansh: Grischun) is the largest and easternmost Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation A drainage basin is an extent of Land where Water from Rain or Snow melt drains downhill into a body of water such as a River, Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest The Principality of Liechtenstein (Fürstentum Liechtenstein) is a tiny doubly landlocked Alpine country in Western Europe, bordered by Switzerland Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Luxembourg (Groussherzogtum Lëtzebuerg Grand-Duché de Luxembourg Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small Landlocked country in Western Europe, bordered by The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands 2,600 m (8,500 ft)
Hinterrhein: approx. 2,500 m (8,200 ft)
Avg. dischargeBasel: 1,060 m³/s (37,440 ft³/s)
Strasbourg: 1,080 m³/s (38,150 ft³/s)
Cologne: 2,090 m³/s (73,820 ft³/s)
Dutch border: 2,260 m³/s (79,823 ft³/s)
Basin area185,000 km² (71,430 mi²)

The Rhine (German: Rhein; Dutch: Rijn; French: Rhin; Italian: Reno; Romansh: Rain; Latin: Rhenus) is one of the longest and most important rivers in Europe at 1,320 kilometres (820 mi), with an average discharge of more than 2,000 cubic meters per second. In Hydrology, the discharge or outflow of a River is the volume of Water transported by it in a certain amount of time "Basilia" redirects here For the Fly Genus, see Basilia (fly. Strasbourg (Strasbourg stʁazbuʁ Alsatian: Strossburi,; Straßburg) is the capital and principal City of the Alsace région The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. Dutch ( is a West Germanic language spoken by around 24 million people 22 million of which are from the Netherlands, Belgium and Suriname French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. Romansh (also spelled Romansch, Rumants(ch or Romanche) is one of the four official languages of Switzerland, along with German, Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. "Riverine" redirects here For the use of that term in Maritime geography, see there The name of the Rhine comes from the archaic German Rhine, which in turn comes from Middle High German: Rin, from the Proto-Indo-European root *reie- ("to flow, run"). The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. Middle High German (MHG German Mittelhochdeutsch) is the term used for the period in the history of the German language between 1050 and 1350 [1] The Reno River in Italy shares the same etymology. The Reno is a river of Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy. It is the tenth longest river in Italy (the sixth longest of those which flow directly into the sea and the

The Rhine and the Danube formed most of the northern inland frontier of the Roman Empire, and since those days the Rhine has been a vital navigable waterway, carrying trade and goods deep inland. The Danube (In Donau from earlier Danuvius, Celtic *dānu, meaning "to flow run" Slovak and Polish Dunaj The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial It has also served as a defensive feature, and been the basis for regional and international borders. The many castles and prehistoric fortifications along the Rhine testify to its importance as a waterway. River traffic could be stopped at these locations, usually for the purpose of collecting tolls, by the state controlling that portion of the river.

Contents

Geography

The Rhine canyon (Ruinaulta) in Graubünden in Switzerland.
The Rhine canyon (Ruinaulta) in Graubünden in Switzerland. Graubünden or Grisons ( German:, gʁaʊˈbyndən Italian: Grigioni; Romansh: Grischun) is the largest and easternmost Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation
The Rhine between the upper (Obersee) and lower part (Untersee) of Lake Constance.
The Rhine between the upper (Obersee) and lower part (Untersee) of Lake Constance. Under the designation Lake Constance or Lake of Constance ( German Bodensee) one summarizes the three independent bodies of water Obersee
The Marksburg near Koblenz was built in 1231.
The Marksburg near Koblenz was built in 1231. The Marksburg is a Castle above the town of Braubach in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Koblenz (also Coblenz in pre-1926 German Spellings French Coblence) is a city situated on both banks of the Rhine
Rhine with chemical industry at Wesseling near Cologne.
Rhine with chemical industry at Wesseling near Cologne. Wesseling is a city in Germany, located 20 km south of Cologne, in the Rhein-Erft-Kreis.
Rhine flowing through Düsseldorf, Germany.
Rhine flowing through Düsseldorf, Germany. Düsseldorf (ˈdʏsəldɔɐf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Switzerland

The Rhine's origins are in the Swiss Alps in the canton of Graubünden, where its two main initial tributaries are called Vorderrhein and Hinterrhein. Graubünden or Grisons ( German:, gʁaʊˈbyndən Italian: Grigioni; Romansh: Grischun) is the largest and easternmost A tributary is a Stream or River which flows into a mainstem (or parent river The Vorderrhein (anterior Rhine) springs from Lake Tuma near the Oberalp Pass and passes the impressive Ruinaulta (the Swiss Grand Canyon). Tomasee (Romansh Lai da Tuma or Lag da Toma) is a Lake at Piz Badus, above the village of Disentis in Grisons, Switzerland Oberalp Pass (Romansh Alpsu or Cuolm d'Ursera, German Oberalppass) (el Ruinaulta is a canyon on the Vorderrhein just upstream of its confluence with the Hinter Rhine at Reichenau, Eastern Switzerland. The Hinterrhein (posterior Rhine) starts from the Paradies glacier near the Rheinquellhorn at the southern border of Switzerland. One of the latter tributaries originates in Val di Lei in Italy. Both tributaries meet near Reichenau, still in Graubünden. Reichenau may refer to Reichenau Island, a German island in Lake Constance site of a Benedictine abbey Reichenau Baden-Württemberg, From Reichenau, the Rhine flows north as the Alpenrhein passing Chur and forming the border between Liechtenstein and then Austria on the east side, and canton St. Gallen of Switzerland on the west side, then emptying into Lake Constance. CHUR may refer to CHUR-FM, a radio station in North Bay Ontario Canada Chur, is a city in Switzerland The Principality of Liechtenstein (Fürstentum Liechtenstein) is a tiny doubly landlocked Alpine country in Western Europe, bordered by Switzerland Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich The Canton of St Gallen (German Kanton) is a canton of Switzerland. Under the designation Lake Constance or Lake of Constance ( German Bodensee) one summarizes the three independent bodies of water Obersee Emerging from Lake Constance, flowing generally westward as the Hochrhein it passes the Rhine Falls and is joined by the Aare river which more than doubles its water discharge to an average of nearly 1,000 cubic meters per second. The Rhine Falls ( Rheinfall in Switzerland) are the widest plain Waterfalls of Europe, just ahead of the Dettifoss The Aar ( German Aare) a tributary of the Rhine, is the longest River that both rises and ends entirely within Switzerland. It forms the boundary with Germany until it turns north at the so-called Rhine knee at Basel. The Rhine knee (or Rhine's knee, in German Rheinknie) is the name of a few geographical Curves in the Rhine river. "Basilia" redirects here For the Fly Genus, see Basilia (fly.

Germany and France

The Rhine is the longest river in Germany. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. It is here that the Rhine encounters some of its main tributaries, such as the Neckar, the Main and later the Moselle, which contributes an average discharge of over 300 cubic meters per second. The Neckar is a 367-km long River, mainly flowing through the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg, but also a short section through Hesse The Main (maɪn is a River in Germany, 524 km (329 miles long (including White Main 574 km (357 mi and it is one of the more significant tributaries The Moselle (Moselle Mosel Musel is a River flowing through France, Luxembourg and Germany.

Between Bingen and Bonn, the Middle Rhine flows through the Rhine Gorge, a formation created by erosion, which happened at about the same rate as an uplift in the region, leaving the river at about its original level, and the surrounding lands raised. Bingen am Rhein (or Bingen or Bingen on the Rhine) is a city located at the junction of the rivers Rhine and Nahe in the district of Mainz-Bingen Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located about 20 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia Between Bingen and Bonn, Germany, the Rhine River flows as the Middle Rhine (Mittelrhein through the Rhine Gorge, a formation The Rhine Gorge is a popular name for the Upper Middle Rhine Valley, a 65 km section of the River Rhine between Koblenz and Bingen Tectonic uplift is a geological process most often caused by Plate tectonics which increases elevation This gorge is quite deep, and is the stretch of the river known for its many castles and vineyards. A castle is a defensive structure seen as one of the main symbols of the Middle Ages. A vineyard is a Plantation of Grape -bearing Vines grown mainly for Winemaking, but also Raisins Table grapes and non-alcoholic It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (2002) and known as "the romantic Rhine" with more than 40 castles and fortresses from the Middle Ages (see links) and many lovely little quaint wine villages. This is a list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Europe. Asia Minor, Cyprus, all of the Aegean Islands, the Canaries

Though many industries can be found along the Rhine up into Switzerland, it is along the Lower Rhine in the Ruhr area that the bulk of them are concentrated, as the river passes the major cities of Cologne, Düsseldorf, and Duisburg. Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation The Lower Rhine (Niederrhein kilometers 660 to 1033 of the Rhine River flows from Bonn, Germany, to the North Sea. The Ruhr Area, ( German Ruhrgebiet, colloquial Ruhrpott, Kohlenpott or Revier) is an Urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia Düsseldorf (ˈdʏsəldɔɐf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Duisburg (ˈdyːsbʊɐ̯k is a German city in the western part of the Ruhr Area ( Ruhrgebiet) in North Rhine-Westphalia. Duisburg is the home of Europe's largest inland port representing an inland hub to the sea ports of Rotterdam, Antwerp and Amsterdam. Rotterdam (pronounced) is the 2nd-largest City by population in the Netherlands, located in the province of ||-||-||-||} Antwerp ( Dutch:, French: Anvers) is a City and Municipality in Belgium and the capital of the Amsterdam (pronounced) is the capital and largest city of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland in the west The Ruhr, which joins the Rhine in Duisburg, is nowadays a clean river, given the fact that most of industry has disappeared over the last decades. The Ruhr is a medium-size River in western Germany ( North Rhine-Westphalia) a right tributary (east-side of the Rhine. The Ruhr currently provides the region with drinking water. It adds another 70 cubic meters per second to the Rhine. However, other rivers from the Ruhr area, above all the Emscher, still bring a considerable degree of pollution. The Ruhr Area, ( German Ruhrgebiet, colloquial Ruhrpott, Kohlenpott or Revier) is an Urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia The Emscher is a relatively small River and tributary of the Rhine, flowing through the Ruhr area in North Rhine-Westphalia in western Germany Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into an environment that causes instability disorder harm or discomfort to the physical systems or living organisms they are in Approaching the Dutch border, the Rhine has an average discharge of 2,290 cubic metres per second and an average width of 400 metres (1,300 ft).

Netherlands

The Rhine then turns west and enters the Netherlands, where together with the rivers Meuse and Scheldt it forms the extensive Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt delta, one of the larger river deltas in western Europe. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands The Meuse (in Dutch and in German: "Maas" in Latin: "Mosa" in Celtic:"Mus" (the rootword presumingly The Scheldt (Dutch Schelde, French Escaut, Latin Scaldis) is a 350 km[http //www A delta is a Landform where the mouth of a River flows into an Ocean, Sea, Estuary, Lake or another river Crossing the border into the Netherlands at Spijk, close to Nijmegen and Arnhem the Rhine is at its widest, but the river then splits into three main distributaries: the Waal, Nederrijn ("Lower Rhine") and IJssel. Spijk ( is a village in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is a part of the municipality of Lingewaal, and lies about 3 km northeast of Gorinchem Nijmegen (ˈnɛɪmeɣən) (obsolete spellings Nijmwegen Nymegen Nieumeghen &mdash Nimwegen in local dialect and in German, Nimègue in French Arnhem ( ( South Guelderish: Èrnem) is a city and Municipality, situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands. A distributary, or a distributary channel, is a Stream that branches off and flows away from a main stream channel River Waal is the main Distributary branch of River Rhine flowing to the central Netherlands for about 80 km (50 miles before joining the Nederrijn ("Lower Rhine" is the name of the Dutch part of River Rhine from the confluence at the town of Angeren of the cut-off Rhine bend of River IJssel (ˈɛi̯səl sometimes called Gelderse IJssel (" Gelderland IJssel" to avoid confusion with its Hollandse IJssel namesake

From here the situation becomes more complicated, as the Dutch name "Rijn" no longer coincides with the main flow of water. Most of the Rhine water (two thirds) flows farther west through the Waal and then via the Merwede and Nieuwe Merwede (Biesbosch) and, merging with the Meuse, through the Hollands Diep and Haringvliet estuaries into the North Sea. The Merwede (etymology uncertain possibly derived from the ancient Dutch ( Merwe or Merowe) word meaning "wide water" is the name of several Nieuwe Merwede ("New Merwede" is a Canal that was constructed in 1870 to form a branch in the Rhine - Meuse delta. De Biesbosch ('forest of sedges or 'rushwoods' is one of the largest National parks of the Netherlands and one of the last freshwater Tide Hollands Diep is a wide river in the Netherlands and an estuary of the Rhine and Meuse river. The Haringvliet is a large Inlet of the North Sea, in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. An estuary is a semi-enclosed Coastal body of Water with one or more Rivers or Streams flowing into it and with a free connection to the open The North Sea is a marginal, Epeiric sea of the Atlantic Ocean on the European Continental shelf. The Beneden Merwede branches off near Hardinxveld-Giessendam and continues as the Noord, to join the Lek near the village of Kinderdijk to form the Nieuwe Maas, then flows past Rotterdam and continues via Het Scheur and the Nieuwe Waterweg to the North Sea. The Beneden Merwede is a stretch of river in the Netherlands, the continuation of the Boven Merwede after the branching-off of the Nieuwe Merwede Ship Hardinxveld-Giessendam (population 17828 in 2004 is a municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The Noord ("North" is a short tidal river in South Holland in the Netherlands. The Lek is a River in the western Netherlands of some 60 km in length Kinderdijk is a village in the Netherlands, partly in the municipality Nieuw-Lekkerland, partly in the municipality of Alblasserdam, in the province The Nieuwe Maas (English New Meuse) is a river branch of the Rhine-Meuse delta in the Netherlands. Rotterdam (pronounced) is the 2nd-largest City by population in the Netherlands, located in the province of Het Scheur (Dutch for "The Rip" is a branch of the Rhine - Meuse delta in South Holland the Netherlands that flows west from the confluence The Nieuwe Waterweg ("New Waterway" is a Ship canal in the Netherlands from het Scheur (a branch of the Rhine - Meuse The Oude Maas branches off near Dordrecht, farther down rejoining the Nieuwe Maas to form Het Scheur. River Oude Maas ("Old Meuse" is a branch in the Rhine - Meuse delta in the Dutch Province of South Holland Dordrecht (population 119649 in 2004 or in English (and locally colloquially Dordt, is a city and municipality in the Dutch province of South The Nieuwe Maas (English New Meuse) is a river branch of the Rhine-Meuse delta in the Netherlands. Het Scheur (Dutch for "The Rip" is a branch of the Rhine - Meuse delta in South Holland the Netherlands that flows west from the confluence

The other third portion of the water flows through the Pannerdens Kanaal and redistributes in the IJssel and Nederrijn. Pannerdens Kanaal (Pannerden Canal is a Canal in the Netherlands that was dug between 1701 and 1709 to cut off a large shallow bend of The IJssel branch carries one ninth of the water volume north into the IJsselmeer (a former bay), while the Nederrijn flows west parallel to the Waal and carries approximately two ninths of the flow. IJsselmeer (sometimes translated as Lake IJssel, alternative international spelling Lake Yssel) is a shallow lake of 1100 km² in the central Netherlands However, at Wijk bij Duurstede the Nederrijn changes its name and becomes the Lek. Wijk bij Duurstede is a Municipality and a City in the central Netherlands. The Lek is a River in the western Netherlands of some 60 km in length It flows farther west to rejoin the Noord into the Nieuwe Maas and to the North Sea. The Noord ("North" is a short tidal river in South Holland in the Netherlands. The Nieuwe Maas (English New Meuse) is a river branch of the Rhine-Meuse delta in the Netherlands.

The name "Rijn" from here on is used only for smaller streams farther to the north which together once formed the main river Rhine in Roman times. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial Though they retained the name, these streams do not carry water from the Rhine anymore, but are used for draining the surrounding land and polders. A polder is a low-lying tract of land enclosed by embankments known as dikes, that forms an artificial hydrological entity meaning it has no connection with From Wijk bij Duurstede, the old north branch of the Rhine is called Kromme Rijn ("Crooked Rhine") and past Utrecht, first Leidse Rijn ("Rhine of Leiden") and then Oude Rijn ("Old Rhine"). The Kromme Rijn ("Crooked Rhine" for its many bends) is a river in Utrecht (province, the Netherlands Utrecht ( city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. The Leidse Rijn (Dutch for "Leiden's Rhine" is a short river in Utrecht (province, the Netherlands "Leyden" redirects here For other uses see Leyden (disambiguation. For the Oude Rijn branch in Gelderland Province see Oude Rijn (Gelderland. The latter flows west into a sluice at Katwijk, where its waters can be discharged into the North Sea. A sluice is a water channel that is controlled at its head by a gate Katwijk (population 61292 is a coastal municipality and town in the province of South Holland in the western Netherlands. The North Sea is a marginal, Epeiric sea of the Atlantic Ocean on the European Continental shelf. This branch once formed the line along which the Upper Germanic limes were built. The Limes Germanicus ( Latin for Germanic frontier) was a remarkable line of frontier ( Limes) forts that bounded the ancient Roman During periods of lower sea levels within the various ice ages, the Rhine took a left turn, creating the Channel River, the course of which now lies below the English Channel. The Channel River was the extension of the River Rhine and other rivers into what is now the English Channel during periods of low sea level during the Ice ages

Large cities

Basel, Strasbourg, Karlsruhe, Mannheim, Ludwigshafen, Wiesbaden, Mainz, Koblenz, Bonn, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Krefeld, Duisburg, Nijmegen (Waal), Utrecht (Kromme Rijn), Rotterdam (Nieuwe Maas). "Basilia" redirects here For the Fly Genus, see Basilia (fly. Strasbourg (Strasbourg stʁazbuʁ Alsatian: Strossburi,; Straßburg) is the capital and principal City of the Alsace région Karlsruhe (ˈkaɐ̯lsʁuːə population 285812 in 2006 is a city in the south west of Germany, in the Bundesland Baden-Württemberg, located near Mannheim is a City in Germany. With 327318 inhabitants it is the second-largest city in the state of Baden-Württemberg after the capital Stuttgart Ludwigshafen am Rhein is a City in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Wiesbaden, a city in southwest Germany, is the capital of the state of Hesse. Mainz (ˈmaɪ̯nʦ (Mayence is a City in Germany and the capital of the German federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Koblenz (also Coblenz in pre-1926 German Spellings French Coblence) is a city situated on both banks of the Rhine Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located about 20 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia Düsseldorf (ˈdʏsəldɔɐf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. History The origins of the town were in Roman times when the legions founded the military camp of Gelduba (today the borough of Gellep Duisburg (ˈdyːsbʊɐ̯k is a German city in the western part of the Ruhr Area ( Ruhrgebiet) in North Rhine-Westphalia. Nijmegen (ˈnɛɪmeɣən) (obsolete spellings Nijmwegen Nymegen Nieumeghen &mdash Nimwegen in local dialect and in German, Nimègue in French Utrecht ( city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. Rotterdam (pronounced) is the 2nd-largest City by population in the Netherlands, located in the province of

Smaller cities

Konstanz, Schaffhausen, Breisach, Speyer, Worms, Bingen, Rüdesheim, Neuwied, Andernach, Bad Honnef, Königswinter, Niederkassel, Wesseling, Dormagen, Zons, Monheim, Wesel, Xanten, Emmerich, Zutphen (IJssel), Deventer (IJssel), Zwolle (IJssel), Kampen (IJssel). Konstanz (in English formerly known as Constance) is a university town of around 80000 inhabitants at the western end of Lake Constance Schaffhausen ( German:) is a city in northern Switzerland and the capital of the canton Breisach is a city with approximately 16500 people situated along the Rhine in the Rhine Valley, in the district Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald, Speyer (English formerly Spires) is a City in Germany ( Rhineland-Palatinate) with approx Worms (voɐms is a City in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on the Rhine River Bingen am Rhein (or Bingen or Bingen on the Rhine) is a city located at the junction of the rivers Rhine and Nahe in the district of Mainz-Bingen Rüdesheim is a town in the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis, in Hesse, Germany. Neuwied (nɔʏˈviːt is a town in the north of the German state Rhineland-Palatinate, capital of the District of Neuwied. Andernach (pronounced) is a town in the district of Mayen-Koblenz, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany of currently about 30000 inhabitants which are Bad Honnef is a Spa town in Germany near Bonn in the Rhein-Sieg district North Rhine-Westphalia. Königswinter is a town and summer resort in the Rhein-Sieg district in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Niederkassel is a town in the Rhein-Sieg district in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Wesseling is a city in Germany, located 20 km south of Cologne, in the Rhein-Erft-Kreis. Dormagen is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany in the Rhein-Kreis Neuss. Zons, or Feste Zons ( Fortress Zons) is an old city in the Rhein-Kreis Neuss, Germany. Monheim am Rhein is a North-Rhine-Westphalian ( Germany) medium-sized town in the district of Mettmann in the southern suburban area of Düsseldorf Wesel (ˈveːzəl is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Xanten ('ksantən is a historic Town in the North Rhine-Westphalia state of Germany, located in the district of Wesel. Emmerich am Rhein, meaning Emmerich on the Rhine; Dutch Emmerik) is a city on the lower part of the River Rhine in the northwest of Zutphen is a city in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands. Deventer is a Municipality and City in the Salland region of the Dutch Province of Overijssel. Zwolle is a Municipality and the capital city of the province of Overijssel, Netherlands, 120 kilometers northeast of Amsterdam. Kampen is a Municipality and a city in the eastern Netherlands.

Railway bridges

Existing and former railway bridges (with nearest train station on the left and right bank):

Vorderrhein

Hinterrhein

Alpenrhein

Hochrhein

Upper Rhine

Middle Rhine

Lower Rhine

Delta

The bridges at Huningue, Rastatt, Rüdesheim (Hindenburgbrücke) and Remagen (Ludendorffbrücke) were built for strategic military reasons only, in order to allow the Imperial German Army (and later the Wehrmacht) to quickly transport forces by rail to Germany's western border in the event of a war with France. Utrecht ( city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. Utrecht ( city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. Amsterdam (pronounced) is the capital and largest city of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland in the west Unlike other bridges built for the same purpose (like the ones at Koblenz or Cologne), these bridges were of almost no use in peacetime and thus were never rebuild after their destruction during the last months of World War 2 (except for the one at Rastatt, which was used to supply units of the French Army stationed in the area).

Tributaries

Tributaries from source to mouth:

Left

Vorderrhein.
Vorderrhein. A tributary is a Stream or River which flows into a mainstem (or parent river Thur is a 131 km long river in north-eastern Switzerland. Its source is near the mountain Säntis in the south-east of the Canton of St The Töss is a river of the Canton of Zürich. It rises in the Zürcher Oberland, flows along the Tösstal past Winterthur, and joins the The Aar ( German Aare) a tributary of the Rhine, is the longest River that both rises and ends entirely within Switzerland. Birs (French Birse) is a 73-km long river in Switzerland that flows through the Jura region and ends as a tributary to the Rhine between Basel The Birsig is a small River in eastern France and northern Switzerland. The Ill (all capitals ILL pronounced) is a River in Alsace, in north-eastern France. The Nahe is a river in Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland, Germany, a left tributary to the Rhine. The Moselle (Moselle Mosel Musel is a River flowing through France, Luxembourg and Germany. The Ahr is a River in Germany, a left tributary of the Rhine. The Erft is a river in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It flows through the foothills of the Eifel, and joins the Rhine river (left tributary The Meuse (in Dutch and in German: "Maas" in Latin: "Mosa" in Celtic:"Mus" (the rootword presumingly

Right

Distributaries

Former distributaries

order: panning North to South through Western Netherlands

Canals include

order: upstream to downstream

Geologic history

Alpine orogeny

The Rhine flows from the Alps to the North Sea Basin and the geography and geology of its present day watershed has developed since the Alpine Orogeny began. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands The Amsterdam-Rhine Canal or Amsterdam-Rijnkanaal is a Canal in the Netherlands that was built to connect the port city of Amsterdam to the The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Scheldt-Rhine Canal (Schelde-Rijn Kanaal in the Netherlands connects Antwerp with the Volkerak, and thereby the Scheldt with the Rhine The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands The North Sea is a marginal, Epeiric sea of the Atlantic Ocean on the European Continental shelf. The Alpine orogeny (sometimes also called Alpide orogeny) is an orogenic phase in the Tertiary that formed the mountain ranges of the Alpide belt

In southern Europe, the stage was set in the Triassic Period of the Mesozoic Era, with the opening of the Tethys Sea between the Eurasian and African plates, between about 240 MBP and 220 MBP. The Triassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about 251 to 199 Ma (million years ago The Mesozoic Era is one of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic eon. The Tethys Ocean was a Mesozoic era Ocean that existed between the continents of Gondwana and Laurasia before the opening of the Indian Plate tectonics (from Greek τέκτων tektōn "builder" or "mason" describes the large scale motions of Earth 's Lithosphere Before Present (BP years are a time scale used in Archaeology, Geology, and other scientific disciplines to specify when events in the past occurred The present Mediterranean descends from this somewhat larger Tethys sea. At about 180 MBP, in the Jurassic Period, the two plates reversed direction and began to compress the Tethys floor, causing it to be subducted under Eurasia and pushing up the edge of the latter plate in the Alpine Orogeny of the Oligocene and Miocene Periods. The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Ma (million years ago to  Ma that is from the end of the Triassic to the beginning The Oligocene is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene period and extends from about 33 The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene period and extends from about 23 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. The Pyrenees (Pirineos French: Pyrénées; Catalan: Pirineus; Occitan: Pirenèus; Aragonese: Perinés Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Anatolia (Anadolu Ανατολία Anatolía) or Asia minor, comprising most of modern Turkey, is the geographic region bounded by the Black Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία The compression and orogeny continue today, as shown by the ongoing raising of the mountains a small amount each year and the active volcanoes.

Schematic cross section of the Rhine Graben.
Schematic cross section of the Rhine Graben. Upper Rhine Graben is a major extensional Rift system in Central Europe, straddling the border between France and Germany.

In northern Europe, the North Sea Basin had formed during the Triassic and Jurassic period, and continued to be a sediment receiving basin since. The North Sea is a marginal, Epeiric sea of the Atlantic Ocean on the European Continental shelf. The Triassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about 251 to 199 Ma (million years ago The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Ma (million years ago to  Ma that is from the end of the Triassic to the beginning In between the zone of Alpine Orogeny and North Sea Basin subsidence, remained highlands resulting from an earlier orogeny (Variscan), such as the Ardennes, Eifel, and Vosges. The Variscan (or Hercynian) orogeny is a geologic mountain-building event caused by Late Paleozoic Continental collision between Laurasia For the political subdivision of France see Ardennes (department. The Eifel is a low mountain range in western Germany. It occupies parts of southwestern North Rhine-Westphalia and northwestern Rhineland-Palatinate Vosges (voːʒ is a French department, named after the Vosges mountain range.

From the Eocene onwards, the ongoing Alpine Orogeny caused a N-S rift system to develop in this zone. The Eocene epoch (558 ± 02 - 339 ± 01 Ma) is a major division of the Geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Palaeogene period in The Alpine orogeny (sometimes also called Alpide orogeny) is an orogenic phase in the Tertiary that formed the mountain ranges of the Alpide belt The main elements of this rift are the Upper Rhine Graben in southeast Germany/eastern France and the Lower Rhine Embayment in northwest Germany/southeast Netherlands. Upper Rhine Graben is a major extensional Rift system in Central Europe, straddling the border between France and Germany. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands 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 Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene period and extends from about 23 Upper Rhine Graben is a major extensional Rift system in Central Europe, straddling the border between France and Germany. At that time it did not yet carry discharge from the Alps: instead the watersheds of Rhone and Danube drained the northern flanks of the Alps. The Rhone, or the Rhône is one of the major Rivers of Europe, running through Switzerland and France. The Danube (In Donau from earlier Danuvius, Celtic *dānu, meaning "to flow run" Slovak and Polish Dunaj

Stream capture

The watershed of the Rhine reaches into the Alps today, but it did not start out that way (Berendsen & Stouthamer, 2001; Fig. 2. 2 [1]). In the Miocene period, the watershed of the Rhine reached south only to the Eifel and Westerwald hills, about 450 km north of the Alps. The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene period and extends from about 23 The Eifel is a low mountain range in western Germany. It occupies parts of southwestern North Rhine-Westphalia and northwestern Rhineland-Palatinate The Westerwald (ˈvɛstɐvalt is a low Mountain range on the right bank of the river Rhine in the German federal states of Rhineland-Palatinate The Rhine then had the Sieg as a tributary, but not yet the Mosel. Shanghai Industrial Company, also known as SIEG, is a Chinese manufacturer of metalworking and woodworking Machine tools. The Moselle (Moselle Mosel Musel is a River flowing through France, Luxembourg and Germany. The northern Alps were drained by the Danube then. The Danube (In Donau from earlier Danuvius, Celtic *dānu, meaning "to flow run" Slovak and Polish Dunaj

Through stream capture, the Rhine extended its watershed southward. Stream capture, river capture, or stream piracy is a geomorphological phenomenon occurring when a stream or river Drainage system or By the Pliocene period, the Rhine had captured streams down to the Vosges mountains, including the Mosel, the Main, and the Neckar. The Pliocene epoch (spelled Pleiocene in some older texts is the period in the Geologic timescale that extends The Vosges (voːʒ or Vosges Mountains are a Mountain range in eastern France, stretching along the west side of the Rhine valley The Main (maɪn is a River in Germany, 524 km (329 miles long (including White Main 574 km (357 mi and it is one of the more significant tributaries The Neckar is a 367-km long River, mainly flowing through the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg, but also a short section through Hesse The northern Alps were drained by the Rhône then. The Rhone, or the Rhône is one of the major Rivers of Europe, running through Switzerland and France. By the early Pleistocene period, the Rhine had captured most of its current Alpine watershed from the Rhône, including the Aare. The Pleistocene ('plaɪstəsin is the epoch from 18 million to 10000 years BP covering the world's recent period The Aar ( German Aare) a tributary of the Rhine, is the longest River that both rises and ends entirely within Switzerland. Since that time, the Rhine has added the watershed above Lake Constance (Vorderrhein, Hinterrhein, Alpenrhein; captured from the Rhône), the upper reaches of the Main (beyond Schweinfurt), and the Vosges mountains (captured from the Meuse) to its watershed. Under the designation Lake Constance or Lake of Constance ( German Bodensee) one summarizes the three independent bodies of water Obersee The Rhine (Rhein Rijn Rhin Reno Rain Rhenus is one of the longest and most important Rivers in Europe at 1320 kilometres (820 mi with an average discharge The Posterior Rhine ( Hinterrhein) is one of the contributory rivers of Rhine, flowing from Hinterrhein to Nufenen, Sufers, Andeer The Rhine (Rhein Rijn Rhin Reno Rain Rhenus is one of the longest and most important Rivers in Europe at 1320 kilometres (820 mi with an average discharge Schweinfurt ( German for Swine ford) is a city in the Lower Franconia region of Bavaria in Germany on the right The Meuse (in Dutch and in German: "Maas" in Latin: "Mosa" in Celtic:"Mus" (the rootword presumingly

Ice Ages

The Pleistocene (~2. The Pleistocene ('plaɪstəsin is the epoch from 18 million to 10000 years BP covering the world's recent period 5 million years ago - 11,600 years ago) was the geological period of the Ice Ages. Since approximately 600,000 years ago six major Ice Ages have occurred, in which sea level dropped 120 m, and much of the continental margins became exposed. In the Early Pleistocene, the Rhine followed a course to the northwest, through the present North Sea. During the so-called Anglian glaciation (~450,000 yr BP, marine oxygen isotope stage 12) the northern part of the present North Sea was blocked by the ice, and a large lake developed that overflowed through the English Channel. This caused the Rhine's course to be diverted through the English Channel. Since then, during glacial times, the river mouth was located offshore Brest (France), and rivers like the Thames and the Seine became tributaries to the Rhine. The Thames ( is a major River flowing through southern England. The Seine (sɛn in French) is a slow flowing major River and commercial waterway within the regions of Île-de-France and Haute-Normandie During interglacials, when sea level rose to approximately the present level, the Rhine built deltas in what is now the Netherlands.

The last Ice Age ran from (~74,000 BP = Before Present) until the end of the Pleistocene (~11,600 BP). An ice age is a period of long-term reduction in the Temperature of the Earth 's surface and atmosphere resulting in an expansion of continental Ice sheets The Pleistocene ('plaɪstəsin is the epoch from 18 million to 10000 years BP covering the world's recent period In northwest Europe, it saw two very cold phases, peaking around 70,000 BP and around 29,000-24,000 BP. The last phase slightly predates the global last ice age maximum (Last Glacial Maximum). The Last Glacial Maximum (LGM refers to the time of maximum extent of the Ice sheets during the last Glaciation (the Würm or Wisconsin glaciation) approximately During this time the lower Rhine flowed roughly west through the Netherlands and extended to the southwest, through the English Channel, and finally to the Atlantic Ocean. The English and Irish Channels, and most of the North Sea were dry land, mainly because sea level was approximately 120 m lower than today. The North Sea is a marginal, Epeiric sea of the Atlantic Ocean on the European Continental shelf.

Most of the Rhine's current course was not under the ice during the last Ice Age, although its source must then have been a glacier. A tundra with Ice Age flora and fauna stretched across middle Europe from Asia to the Atlantic Ocean. In physical Geography, tundra is an area where the Tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons Such was the case during the Last Glacial Maximum, ca. The Last Glacial Maximum (LGM refers to the time of maximum extent of the Ice sheets during the last Glaciation (the Würm or Wisconsin glaciation) approximately 22,000-14,000 yr BP, when ice-sheets covered Scandinavia and the Baltic, Scotland and the Alps, but left the space between as open tundra. The loess, or wind-blown dust over that tundra settled in and around the Rhine Valley, contributing to its current agricultural usefulness. Loess is a homogeneous typically non stratified porous Friable,slightly coherent often calcareous fine-grained Silty pale yellow or buff windblown ( aeolian

End of the Last Ice Age

As northwest Europe slowly began to warm up from 22,000 years ago onward, frozen subsoil began to thaw, expanded alpine glaciers began to thaw, and fall-winter snow covers melted in spring. Much of the discharge was routed to the Rhine and its downstream extension (e. g. Menot et al. 2006, Science). Rapid warming and change of vegetation to open forest began about 13,000 BP. By 9000 BP, Europe was fully forested.

With globally shrinking ice-cover, ocean water levels rose and the English Channel and North Sea re-inundated. Meltwater adding to the ocean and land subsidence drowned the former coasts of Europe (transgression). In Geology, Engineering, and Surveying, subsidence is the motion of a surface (usually the Earth's surface as it shifts downward relative to A transgression is a geologic event during which Sea level rises relative to the land and the shoreline moves toward higher ground resulting in flooding About 11000 yr ago, the Rhine estuary was in the Dover Strait. There remained some dry land in the southern North Sea, connecting mainland Europe to Britain. The North Sea is a marginal, Epeiric sea of the Atlantic Ocean on the European Continental shelf. About 9000 yr ago, that last divide was overtopped / dissected. These events were well within the residence of man.

Since 7500 yr ago, a situation with tides and currents very similar to present has existed. Rates of sea-level rise had dropped so far that natural sedimentation by the Rhine and coastal processes together could compensate the transgression by the sea: in the last 7000 year the coast line was roughly at the same location. In the southern North Sea, due to ongoing tectonic subsidence, the sea-level is still rising, at the rate of about 1-3 cm per century (1 meter in last 3000 years). The North Sea is a marginal, Epeiric sea of the Atlantic Ocean on the European Continental shelf.

About 7000-5000 BP a general warming encouraged migration up the Danube and down the Rhine by peoples to the east, perhaps encouraged by the sudden massive expansion of the Black Sea as the Mediterranean burst into it through the Bosphorus about 7500 BP. The Danube (In Donau from earlier Danuvius, Celtic *dānu, meaning "to flow run" Slovak and Polish Dunaj The Black Sea is an inland Sea bounded by southeastern Europe, the Caucasus and the Anatolian peninsula ( Turkey The Bosporus or Bosphorus, also known as the Istanbul Strait, (İstanbul Boğazı (Βόσπορος is a Strait that forms the boundary between the

Holocene delta

At the begin of the Holocene (~11,700 years ago) the Rhine occupied its Late-Glacial valley. As a meandering river, it reworked its ice-age braidplain. A meander in general is a bend in a sinuous watercourse also known as an oxbow loop or simply an Oxbow. As sea-level continued to rise, in the Netherlands the formation of the Holocene Rhine-Meuse delta began (~8,000 years ago). Coeval absolute sea-level rise and tectonic subsidence have strongly influenced delta evolution. Other factors of importance to the shape of the delta are local tectonic activity of Peel Boundary Fault, the substrate and geomorphology as inherited from the Last Glacial, and coastal-marine dynamics such as barrier and tidal inlet formation (Cohen et al. , 2002).

Since ~3000 yr BP (= years Before Present) human impact is seen in the delta. As a result of increasing land clearance (Bronze Age agriculture) in the upland areas (central Germany), the sediment load of the Rhine River has strongly increased (Hoffmann et al. The term Bronze Age refers to a period in human cultural development when the most advanced Metalworking (at least in systematic and widespread use included techniques for Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. 2007) and delta growth has sped up (Gouw & Erkens, 2007). This caused increased flooding and sedimentation, and ended peat formation in the delta. The shifting of river channels to new locations on the floodplain (termed avulsion) was the main process distributing sediment across the subrecent delta. Over the past 6000 years, approximately 80 avulsions occurred (documented by Berendsen & Stouthamer, 2001). Direct human impacts in the delta started with peat mining for salt and fuel from Roman times onward. Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC It was followed embankment of the major distributaries and damming of minor distributaries took place in the 11-13th century AD. Thereafter, canals were dug, bends were short cut and groynes were build to prevent the rivers channels to migrate or silt up.

At present, the branches Waal and Nederrijn-Lek discharge to the North Sea through the former Meuse estuary near Rotterdam. An estuary is a semi-enclosed Coastal body of Water with one or more Rivers or Streams flowing into it and with a free connection to the open The river IJssel branch flows to the north and enters the IJssel Lake (formerly the Zuiderzee brackish lagoon, since 1932 a freshwater lake). IJsselmeer (sometimes translated as Lake IJssel, alternative international spelling Lake Yssel) is a shallow lake of 1100 km² in the central Netherlands The Zuiderzee (ˌzaɪdɚ ˈzeɪ] Dutch: Zuiderzee, ˈzœydərzeː was a shallow Inlet of the North Sea in the northwest of the Netherlands The discharge of the Rhine is divided among three branches: the River Waal (6/9 of total discharge), the River Nederrijn - Lek (2/9 of total discharge) and the River IJssel (1/9 of total discharge). This discharge distribution is maintained by river engineering works since 1709 AD (digging of Pannerdens canal), with the help of weirs in the Nederrijn river since the 20th century.

Prehistory

Palaeolithic

During the Middle Palaeolithic, ca 100,000-30,000 BP (the dates vary a great deal) western Europe, including the Rhine and Danube Valleys, was occupied by Neanderthal Man, to which belonged the Mousterian culture of stone tools. The Middle Paleolithic (or Middle Palaeolithic) is the second subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe, The Neanderthal (neɪˈændərtɑːl also with /niː-/ and /-θɔːl/ or Neandertal, is an extinct member of the Homo genus that is known from Mousterian is a name given by archaeologists to a style of predominantly Flint tools (or industry) associated primarily with Homo neanderthalensis Mousterian sites are not considered intrusive. It is believed that the Neanderthals may have evolved from the preceding Homo erectus in the vicinity of the glaciers, but the question has by no means been settled definitively. Homo erectus ( Latin: "upright man" is an extinct species of the genus Homo, believed to have been the first hominin

Neanderthal sites are denser to the south, where open forest prevailed and the limestone terrain offered more caves as dwelling. The Rhine ran through an open tundra, where Neanderthals hunted big game, such as the rhinoceros and the woolly mammoth. Rhinoceros (raɪˈnɒsərəs often colloquially abbreviated rhino, is a name used to group five extant species of Odd-toed ungulates in the family The woolly mammoth ( Mammuthus primigenius) also called the tundra mammoth, is an extinct species of Mammoth. Accordingly, open air Mousterian sites have been discovered in and around the Rhine valley.

Mesolithic

Before about 5600 BC, the Rhine Valley, along with most of Europe, was occupied by Cro-magnon man in the Mesolithic stage of cultural development; that is, they hunted and gathered, but owned a larger and more specialized tool kit than the Palaeolithic people, knew more about the plants and animals, and even may have kept a few animals. Cro-Magnon ( French) is one of the main types of Homo sapiens of the European Upper Paleolithic, living approximately 40000 to 10000 years The Mesolithic or Middle Stone Age was a period in the development of human technology in between the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age and the Neolithic or New Stone Age The term Paleolithic (or Palaeolithic) (from Greek παλαιός palaios, " Old " and λίθος Lithos, "stone"

Iron Age

During the early Iron Age, both banks of the Rhine were inhabited by Celtic tribes. This article is about the archaeological period known as the Iron Age for the mythological Iron Age see Ages of Man. This is a list of Celtic tribes and associated Celtic peoples with their geographical localization However, in the beginning of the Pre-Roman Iron Age, ca 600 BC, the Proto-Germanic tribes crossed the Weser River and the Aller River, and expanded the whole distance to the banks of the Rhine. The Pre-Roman Iron Age of Northern Europe ( 5th / 4th century BC - 1st century BC) designates the earliest part of the Iron Age in Scandinavia Proto-Germanic, or Common Germanic, is the hypothetical common ancestor ( Proto-language) of all the Germanic languages such as modern English The Weser (ˈveːzɐ is a River in north-western Germany. Formed at Hann For the English village see Aller Somerset. For the Spanish municipality see Aller Spain. This expansion is shown archaeologically in the form of the Jastorf culture. The Jastorf culture is an Iron Age Material culture in what is now north Germany, spanning the 6th to 1st centuries BC forming the southern part of the From ca 500 BC and onwards, the lower Rhine and not the Weser and the Aller would increasingly mark the border between the Celtic tribes and the Germanic tribes. This is a list of Celtic tribes and associated Celtic peoples with their geographical localization The Germanic peoples are a historical group of Indo-European -speaking peoples originating in Northern Europe and identified by their use of the Germanic

Historic and military relevance

Loreley
Loreley

The human history of the Rhine begins with the writers of the late Roman Republic and early Roman Empire. The Loreley (also written as Lorelei) is a rock on the eastern bank of the Rhine near St The Roman Republic was the phase of the ancient Roman civilization characterized by a Republican form of government a period which began with the overthrow of the The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial Nearly all the classical sources mention the Rhine, and the name is always the same: Rhenus in Latin, Greek Rhenos. The Romans viewed the Rhine as the outermost border of civilization and reason, beyond which were mythical creatures and the wild Germanic tribesmen, not far themselves from being beasts of the wilderness they inhabited. As it was a wilderness, the Romans were eager to explore it. This view is typified by Res Gestae Divi Augusti, a long public inscription of Augustus in which he (or his ghost writer) boasts of his exploits, including sending an expeditionary fleet north of the Rheinmouth to Old Saxony and Jutland, which he claims no Roman had ever done. Res Gestae Divi Augusti, ( Latin: "The Deeds of the Divine Augustus" is the funerary inscription of the first Roman emperor, Augustus Augustus ( Latin: IMPERATOR·CAESAR·DIVI·FILIVS·AVGVSTVS September 23 63 BC – August 19 AD 14) born Gaius Octavius Thurinus, was Old Saxony is the original homeland of the Saxons and the place from which their raids and later colonisations of Britannia were mounted This article is about the region of Denmark. For the World War I naval battle see Battle of Jutland.

Throughout the long history of Rome, the Rhine was considered the border between Gaul or the Celts and the Germanic peoples, although it should be noted that the historical ethnonyms do not carry their modern ethno-linguistic definitions. Gaul (Gallia was the Roman name for the region of Western Europe comprising present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Celts (ˈkɛlts or /ˈsɛlts/, see Names of the Celts Typical of this point of view is a quote from Maurus Servius Honoratus, Commentary on the Aeneid of Vergil (On Book 8 Line 727):

"(Rhenus) fluvius Galliae, qui Germanos a Gallia dividit"
"(The Rhein is a) river of Gaul, which divides the Germanic people from Gaul. "Servius" redirects here For the Roman king see Servius Tullius. "

The Rhine in the earlier sources was always a Gallic river.

As the Roman Empire grew, the Romans found it necessary to station troops along the Rhine. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial They kept two army groups there (exercitus), the inferior, or "lower", and the superior, or "upper", which is the first distinction between upper Germania and lower Germania. It originally probably only meant upstream and downstream, the Niederrhein and Oberrhein regions of the map included with this article.

The Romans kept eight legions in five bases along the Rhine. The actual number of legions present at any base or in all depended on whether a state or threat of war existed. Between about 14 AD and 180 AD the assignment of legions was as follows. For the army of Germania Inferior, two legions at Vetera (Xanten): I Germanica and XX Valeria (Pannonian troops); two legions at oppidum Ubiorum ("town of the Ubii"), which was renamed to Colonia Agrippina, descending to Cologne. Germania Inferior was a Roman province located on the left bank of the Rhine, in today's southern and western Netherlands, parts of Xanten ('ksantən is a historic Town in the North Rhine-Westphalia state of Germany, located in the district of Wesel. Legio I Germanica, (Latin pronunciation prima germánica) the Germanic first legion, was a Roman legion, possibly levied in 48 BC Legio XX Valeria Victrix was a Roman legion, probably raised by Augustus some time after 31 BC. Pannonia is an ancient province of the Roman Empire bounded north and east by the Danube, coterminous westward with Noricum and upper Italy, The Ubii were a Germanic tribe first encountered dwelling on the right bank of the Rhine in the time of Julius Caesar, who formed an alliance with them The legions were V Alaudae, a Celtic legion recruited from Gallia Transalpina, and XXI, possibly a Galatian legion from the other side of the empire. Legio V Alaudae, the Larks ' sometimes known as Gallica, was levied by Julius Caesar in 52 BC from native Gauls Gallia Narbonensis ( Narbonese Gaul) was a Roman province located in what is now Languedoc and Provence, in southern France. Legio XXI Rapax, the predator, was a Roman legion levied in 31 BC by Augustus, probably from men previously enlisted in other legions Ancient Galatia was an area in the highlands of central Anatolia in modern Turkey.

For the army of Germania superior, one legion, II Augusta, at Argentoratum (Strasbourg), and one, XIII Gemina, at Vindonissa (Windisch). Germania Superior ("Upper Germania " so called for the reason that it lay upstream of Germania Inferior, was a province of the Legio II Augusta, or Second Augustan Legion, was a Roman legion, levied by Gaius Vibius Pansa Caetronianus in 43 BC, and still operative Strasbourg (Strasbourg stʁazbuʁ Alsatian: Strossburi,; Straßburg) is the capital and principal City of the Alsace région Legio XIII, known after 31 BC as Gemina (the "twin legion" is one of the more historically remarkable Roman legions. Windisch is a municipality in the district of Brugg in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland. Vespasian had commanded II Augusta before his promotion to imperator. In addition were a double legion, XIV and XVI, at Moguntiacum (Mainz). Mainz (ˈmaɪ̯nʦ (Mayence is a City in Germany and the capital of the German federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate.

The two originally military districts of Germania Inferior and Germania Superior came to influence the surrounding tribes, who later respected the distinction in their alliances and confederations. Germania Inferior was a Roman province located on the left bank of the Rhine, in today's southern and western Netherlands, parts of Germania Superior ("Upper Germania " so called for the reason that it lay upstream of Germania Inferior, was a province of the For example, the upper Germanic peoples combined into the Alemanni. The Alamanni, Allemanni, or Alemanni were originally an alliance of Germanic tribes located around the upper Main river ( Germany For a time the Rhine ceased to be a border when the Franks crossed the river and occupied Roman-dominated Celtic Gaul as far as Paris. The Franks or Frankish people (Franci or gens Francorum) were West Germanic tribes first identified in the 3rd century as an Ethnic group Gaul (Gallia was the Roman name for the region of Western Europe comprising present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city

The first urban settlement on the grounds of what today is the centre of Cologne along the Rhine was Oppidum Ubiorum, which was founded in 38 BC by the Ubii, a Germanic tribe. The Ubii were a Germanic tribe first encountered dwelling on the right bank of the Rhine in the time of Julius Caesar, who formed an alliance with them The Germanic peoples are a historical group of Indo-European -speaking peoples originating in Northern Europe and identified by their use of the Germanic Cologne became acknowledged as a city by the Romans in 50 AD by the name of Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium. Considerable Roman remains can be found in contemporary Cologne, especially near the wharf area along the Rhine, where a notable discovery of a 1900 year old Roman boat was made on the Rhine banks in late 2007. [2]

Subsequently language changes began to play a major political role. West Germanic dissimilated into Low Saxon, Low Franconian languages and High German languages roughly along the old lines. The West Germanic languages constitute the largest of the three traditional branches of the Germanic family of Languages and include languages such as English Low Franconian, or Low Frankish, is a group of several West Germanic Languages spoken in the Netherlands, northern Belgium ( The High German languages (in German, Hochdeutsch) are any of the varieties of standard German, Luxembourgish and Perhaps it had been doing so all along. Charlemagne united all the Franks in the Holy Roman Empire, but he did not rule over a people of uniform language. Charlemagne (ˈʃɑrlɨmeɪn Carolus Magnus or Karolus Magnus meaning Charles the Great) (747 – 28 January 814 was King of the Franks from 768 to his The Holy Roman Empire ( HRE; German Heiliges Römisches Reich (HRR, Latin Sacrum Romanum Imperium (SRI was a union of territories in After his death the empire split more or less along language lines, with the Low Franconian being spoken in the Netherlands and the Low Saxon and High German in what became Germany. The Romanized Franks became the French. The Rhine once again became a political border.

The Rhine as border has been and is a mystical and political symbol. German authors and composers have written reams about it. During World War II, it was still considered the sacred border of Germany, and was still a defensive barrier. The Germans fought especially hard to defend it.

The Rhine is closely linked to many important historical events — particularly military ones — as well as myths. For example:

References

Footnotes

  1. ^ Online Etymology Dictionary
  2. ^ C. Michael Hogan, Cologne Wharf, the Megalithic Portal, ed. Andy Burnham, 2007

Further reading

External links

Etymology

Geology

History

Navigation

Castles

Travel guide

A mebibyte (a contraction of me ga bi nary byte) is a unit of Information or Computer storage, abbreviated MiB. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language ( AHD) is an American Dictionary of the English language published by

Dictionary

Rhine

-proper noun

  1. A river that flows through Switzerland, Germany, west Bavaria, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
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