Physically and culturally, the Rhine River has played a major role in shaping European history. It is also the busiest waterway in Europe. From its source high in the Swiss Alps, the Rhine flows 1,320 kilometres through widely varying terrain from east-central Switzerland northward and westward to its North Sea outlet in The Netherlands. The Rhine runs through the most populated part of Europe, and its steamers and barges carry a steady flow of cargoes.
The Rhine begins in east-central Switzerland at the juncture of two small mountain streams near Chur, the Vorderrhein and Hinterrhein. Their combined flow bends northward to form the western boundaries of Liechtenstein and part of Austria. The Rhine then turns westward through Lake Constance, northward to form part of the boundary between France and Germany, and westward through The Netherlands. There it branches into many arms that form a wide, flat delta on the coast of the North Sea.
The Rhine begins in Alpine headwaters, moves
through a narrow valley to Cologne and through a great plain to the North Sea. The German
part of this plain is laced with industrial cities. Some of the major cities are
Schaffhausen, Basel, Mannheim, Worms, Mainz, Wiesbaden, Koblenz, Bonn, Cologne,
Dusseldorf, and, in The Netherlands, Rotterdam. The largest tributaries include the
Neckar, Main, and Ruhr on the right bank, and the Aare, Moselle, and Erft on the left
bank.
Canals link the Rhine with the Rhone, the Marne, the
Danube, the Ems, and other navigable rivers. These canals provide transportation and an
extensive river trade to ports in Germany, France, Belgium, and The Netherlands. Many
barges sail from various North Sea ports to Basel, the head of navigation on the Rhine.
Barges carry raw materials that the Swiss use in manufacturing as well as coal, iron ore,
petroleum, and grain from the Ruhr valley. Some barges can sail up the Rhine as far as
Cologne.
Magnificent falls near Schaffhausen, Switzerland,
generate electricity that powers a large aluminum plant. The Rhine has carved a beautiful
145-kilometres gorge from Bingen to Bonn. Many legends, such as 'The Lorelei' and 'Song of
the Nibelungs', were inspired by the river's wooded banks. Splendid castles on the rocky
heights draw many visitors.
From earliest times the Rhine
has been a path of conquest and trade. Prehistoric peoples were thought to have followed
its course, and it later became the frontier of the Roman Empire and then the gateway for
the onrushing Germanic tribes. In the Middle Ages the Rhine was the route for the
profitable overland trade between Central Europe, Italy, and the Far East. The river
served as a major line of German defense during World War II.