Seamus Hammond
The Rhine is one of the most important and heavily used rivers in Europe. It is an essential transport route, particularly for the shipment of goods and raw materials, and is also a major source of drinking water for large parts of southern Germany. The river is also famous for the breathtaking vistas it offers, particularly in the middle Rhine section between Bingen and Bonn, where the river has cut a deep and winding gorge between steep, slate-covered slopes.
The Kölner Pegel water level meter was installed in Cologne in 1951 to measure the water level of the Rhine at the river's 688-kilometre mark.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Length | 766 miles (1,232 km) |
| Origin | Swiss Alps |
| Countries it flows through | Switzerland, Principality of Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, France, and the Netherlands |
| Cities it flows through | Basel, Strasbourg, Worms, Mainz, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Duisburg, Rotterdam |
| Tributaries | Thur, Töss, Glatt, Aare, Wutach, Ill, Dreisam, Kinzig, Neckar, Main, Moselle, Lahn |
| Average discharge | 2,900 m3/s (100,000 cu ft/s) |
| Average number of vessels using the Rhine each day | 6,900 |
| Volume of goods transported on the Rhine | 310 million tonnes |
| Transport capacity | 10 million tonnes |
| Number of pushed barges | 1,200 |
| Number of motor cargo vessels | 4,400 |
| Number of tankers | 1,300 |
| Water level between Bonn and Duisburg | 2.14 metres |
What You'll Learn
The Rhine's water level
The Rhine is one of the major European rivers, running for over 1,230km (766 miles) and draining an area of 9,973km squared. It is an important transport route, particularly for the shipment of goods and raw materials, and is one of the world's most frequented inland waterways.
The "Kölner Pegel" water level meter in Cologne was installed in 1951 and mechanically measures the water level of the Rhine at the river's 688-kilometre mark.
The Rhine's water regime is anticipated to change from 2050 onwards due to climate change. An increase in winter precipitation is forecast, and higher winter precipitation may give rise to a moderate increase in average and low water flows and, downstream from Kaub, in flood water flows.
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The Rhine's depth
The Rhine is one of the major European rivers, running for 1,232 kilometres (766 miles) from its source in the Swiss Alps. The river is an important transport route, particularly for the shipment of goods and raw materials. It is also one of the world's most frequented inland waterways.
At the 688-kilometre mark, the Rhine passes through Cologne, where the "Kölner Pegel" water level meter was installed in 1951. This meter mechanically measures the water level of the Rhine at this point.
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The Rhine's navigability
The Rhine is one of the world's most important shipping lanes and the most important in Europe. It is the second-longest river in Central and Western Europe, at about 1,230km (760mi), with an average discharge of about 2,900m3/s (100,000 cu ft/s).
The Central Commission for the Navigation of the Rhine (CCNR) is an international organisation with five member countries: Germany, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. Its function is to encourage European prosperity by guaranteeing a high level of security for navigation of the Rhine and its environs.
The Rhine has been a vital navigable waterway bringing trade and goods deep inland since the Roman Empire. It has been an international waterway since the Treaty of Vienna in 1815 and is navigable for some 540 miles (870km), as far as Rheinfelden on the Swiss-German border. The river is significantly shortened from its natural course due to a number of canal projects completed in the 19th and 20th centuries.
The Rhine is the cheapest and thus most popular transport route for mass goods and container ships. Annually, more than 300 million tons of goods are transported on the navigable Rhine between Rheinfelden/Switzerland and the North Sea. 200 million tons are transported on the section called the traditional Rhine between Rheinfelden and the German-Dutch border.
The Rhine has been a classic example of the alternating roles of great rivers as arteries of political and cultural unification and as political and cultural boundary lines. It has been enshrined in the literature of its lands, especially Germany, as in the famous epic Nibelungenlied.
The middle Rhine (the section between the German cities of Bingen and Bonn) is the most spectacular and romantic reach of the river. In this 90-mile (145km) stretch, the Rhine has cut a deep and winding gorge between the steep, slate-covered slopes of the Hunsrück mountains to the west and the Taunus Mountains to the east. The middle Rhine, with its steep rock precipices and numerous castles, still presents breathtaking vistas and attracts tourists.
The Rhine is subject to the Treaty of Versailles, which decreed that it would be occupied by the allies until 1935 and, after that, it would be a demilitarised zone, with the German army forbidden to enter.
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The Rhine's pollution
The Rhine is one of the world's most frequented inland waterways, with an average of 6,900 vessels using the river each day. It is also one of the major European rivers, and the second-longest in Central and Western Europe. The Rhine's industrial importance has, however, led to significant pollution, with 6,000 toxic substances identified in its waters.
The Central Commission for the Navigation of the Rhine (CCNR) has also been working to reduce emissions from inland waterway transport. The CCNR has developed a roadmap to achieve a zero-emission target for vessels, and is monitoring and coordinating measures to improve the Rhine's infrastructure.
Despite these efforts, the Rhine remains vulnerable to the effects of climate change, such as flooding and low water. According to the International Commission for the Hydrology of the Rhine Basin, climate change will affect the Rhine's water regime from 2050 onwards.
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The Rhine's history
The Rhine is one of the major European rivers, rising in the Swiss Alps and flowing through Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, France and the Netherlands, before emptying into the North Sea. It is the second-longest river in Central and Western Europe, at about 1,230km (760 miles).
The Rhine has been an important waterway since Roman times, when it was considered the border of the known world. It was a major shipping route and a central axis of the Holy Roman Empire, with many castles and fortifications built along it. The Romans' first urban settlement on the Rhine was in Cologne, Germany, in around 50AD.
The Rhine has long served as a natural political border, particularly between France and Germany, and has been the site of several wars and disputes. In World War II, it was a formidable German defensive barrier to the Allied troops.
The Rhine is also an important cultural and literary site. It is the setting for the famous epic poem, the Nibelungenlied, and Richard Wagner's Ring Cycle is loosely based on the same story. The Rhine is also associated with the legend of the Lorelei, a maiden who, in one version of the story, lures young men to their deaths by crashing their boats.
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Frequently asked questions
The Rhine's water level at Cologne was measured at 2.14 metres in 2016, which is less than half of its normal depth of 4.33 metres.
The Rhine is one of the longest and most important rivers in Europe.
The Rhine flows through Switzerland, the Principality of Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, France and the Netherlands.
The Rhine is used as a major transport route through Europe, transporting goods and raw materials by ship.
