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Loreley mit tal von linker rheinseite.jpg
Name origin: Celtic Rēnos
Countries Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, France, Netherlands
Rhine Basin Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Vorarlberg, South and Western Germany, North-Eastern France, Belgium, Netherlands, Val di Lei, Italy
Region Central and Western Europe
Primary source Rein Anteriur/Vorderrhein
 - elevation 2,345 m (7,694 ft)
Secondary source Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein
 - location Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland
Source confluence Reichenau
 - location Tamins, Graubünden, Switzerland
 - elevation 585 m (1,919 ft)
Mouth North Sea
 - location Netherlands, netherlands, netherlands
 - elevation 0 m (0 ft)
Length 1,230 km (764 mi), [note 1]
Basin 185,000 km2 (71,429 sq mi)
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Name Upper Middle Rhine Valley
Year 2002 (#26)
Number 1066
Region Europe and North America
Criteria (ii)(iv)(v)
Flusssystemkarte Rhein 04.jpg
Map of the Rhine basin
Wikimedia Commons: Rhine



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 and navigable waterway carrying trade and goods deep inland. Its importance as a waterway in the Holy Roman Empire is supported by the many castles and fortifications built along it. In the modern era, it has become a symbol of German nationalism.











Its course is conventionally divided as follows:

76 km[remark 1] The various sources and headwaters forming the Anterior and Posterior Rhine within Grisons, Switzerland 114 m3/s[6] 584 m Aua Russein, Schmuèr[7] Rein da Tuma, Rein da Curnera, Rein da Medel, Rein da Sumvitg (Rein da Vigliuts), Glogn (Valser Rhine), Rabiusa, Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein (right: Ragn da Ferrera, Albula/Alvra (left: Gelgia; right: Landwasser))[7]
c. 90 km The Alpine Rhine running through the Grisonian and St. Gall Rhine Valley (partly forming parts of the Liechtenstein-Swiss and Austrian-Swiss border 400 m Tamina[8] Plessur, Landquart,[8] Ill
c. 60 km Lake Constance, including the short channel called Seerhein at Constance, connecting Obersee and Untersee 395 m Alter Rhein (Rheintaler Binnenkanal), Goldach[9] Dornbirner Ach, Bregenzer Ach, Leiblach, Argen, Schussen, Rotach, Brunnisaach, Lipbach, Seefelder Aach, Radolfzeller Aach[9]
362 km[remark 4] The Upper Rhine from Basel to Bingen forming the Upper Rhine Plain and in its upper course the Franco-German border 79 m Ill, Moder, Lauter, Nahe Wiese, Elz, Kinzig, Rench, Acher, Murg, Alb, Pfinz, Neckar, Main
159 km[remark 5] The Middle Rhine between Bingen and either Bonn or Cologne is entirely within Germany, passing the Rhine Gorge; 45 m Moselle, Nette, Ahr Lahn, Wied, Sieg
177 km[remark 6] The Lower Rhine downstream of Bonn, passing the Lower Rhine region of Northrhine-Westphalia 11 m Erft Wupper, Düssel, Ruhr, Emscher, Lippe
c. 50 km The Nederrijn or "Nether Rhine" (shortened course of Oude Rijn within the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta in the Netherlands 2,900 m3/s[remark 7] 0 m Meuse Oude IJssel, Berkel
  1. ^ length of the Anterior Rhine (including Rein da Medel)
  2. ^ Constance to Basel: Rheinkilometer 0–167.
  4. ^ Basel to Bingen: Rheinkilometer 167–529.

Headwaters and sources[edit]


Lake Toma, seen from the upstream end

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. Above this point is the extensive catchment of the headwaters of the Rhine. 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.

Traditionally, Lake Toma near the Oberalp Pass in the Gotthard region is seen as the source of the Anterior Rhine and the Rhine as a whole. The Posterior Rhine rises in the Rheinwald below the Rheinwaldhorn.

Anterior Rhine and Posterior Rhine[edit]

The confluence of the Anterior Rhine to the lower left and the Posterior Rhine in the back, forming the Alpine Rhine to the left next to Reichenau

The source of the river is generally considered north of Lai da Tuma/Tomasee on Rein Anteriur/Vorderrhein,[12] although its southern tributary Rein da Medel is actually longer before its confluence with the Anterior Rhine near Disentis.

The Anterior Rhine (Romansh: Rein Anteriur, German: Vorderrhein) springs from Lai da Tuma/Tomasee, near the Oberalp Pass and passes the impressive Ruinaulta formed by the largest visible rock slide in the alps, the Flims Rockslide.
The Posterior Rhine (Romansh: Rein Posteriur, German: Hinterrhein) starts from the Paradies Glacier, near the Rheinwaldhorn. One of its tributaries, the Reno di Lei, drains the Valle di Lei on politically Italian territory. After three main valleys separated by the two gorges, Roflaschlucht and Viamala, it reaches Reichenau in Tamins.
Map of the Alpine Rhine

The Anterior Rhine arises from numerous source streams in the upper Surselva and flows in an easterly direction. One source is Lai da Tuma (2,345 m (7,694 ft))[13] with the Rein da Tuma, which is usually indicated as source of the Rhine, flowing through it.

Into it flow tributaries from the south, some longer, some equal in length, such as the Rein da Medel, the Rein da Maighels, and the Rein da Curnera. The Cadlimo Valley in the canton of Ticino is drained by the Reno di Medel, which crosses the geomorphologic Alpine main ridge from the south.[note 8] All streams in the source area are partially, sometimes completely, captured and sent to storage reservoirs for the local hydro-electric power plants.

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. It starts with the creek Aua da Russein (lit.: "Water of the Russein").[14]

In its lower course the Anterior Rhine flows through a gorge named Ruinaulta (Flims Rockslide). The whole stretch of the Anterior Rhine to the Alpine Rhine confluence next to Reichenau in Tamins is accompanied by a long-distance hiking trail called Senda Sursilvana.[15]


The Avers Rhine joins from the south. One of its headwaters, the Reno di Lei (stowed in the Lago di Lei), is partially located in Italy.

Near Sils the Posterior Rhine is joined by the Albula, from the east, from the Albula Pass region. 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.


  • Anterior Rhine area: Rein Anteriur/Vorderrhein, Rein da Medel, Rein da Tuma, Rein da Curnera, Rein da Maighels, Rein da Cristallina, Rein da Nalps, Rein da Plattas, Rein da Sumvitg, Rein da Vigliuts, Valser Rhine
  • Posterior Rhine basin: Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein, Reno di Lei, Madrischer Rhein, Avers Rhine, Jufer Rhein

Alpine Rhine[edit]

The Rhine between Sargans (CH, left) and Balzers (Liechtenstein, right) with the Gonzen (1,829 m (6,001 ft), left), the Girrenspitz (2,099 m (6,886 ft)) in the back, and the Maziferchopf (855 m (2,805 ft)) to the right

Next to Reichenau in Tamins the Anterior Rhine and the Posterior Rhine join and form the Alpine Rhine. The river makes a distinctive turn to the north near Chur. This section is nearly 86 km long, and descends from a height of 599 m to 396 m. It flows through a wide glacial Alpine valley known as the Rhine Valley (German: Rheintal). Near Sargans a natural dam, only a few metres high, prevents it from flowing into the open Seeztal valley and then through Lake Walen and Lake Zurich into the Aare. 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.

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 mouth of the Rhine into Lake Constance forms an inland delta. The delta is delimited in the west by the Alter Rhein ("Old Rhine") and in the east by a modern canalized section. Most of the delta is a nature reserve and bird sanctuary. It includes the Austrian towns of Gaißau, Höchst and Fußach. The natural Rhine originally branched into at least two arms and formed small islands by precipitating sediments. In the local Alemannic dialect, the singular is pronounced "Isel" and this is also the local pronunciation of Esel ("Donkey"). Many local fields have an official name containing this element.

Alpine Rhine delta at Lake Constance



Lake Constance[edit]

Satellite image. In the center and on the right (i.e. to the east) the larger part of Lake Constance, called the Obersee, is visible, and it includes, in the lower right, the Delta of the Alpine Rhine. The northwesterly "finger" (on the top left) is Lake Überlingen, containing the island of Mainau. Below Lake Überlingen (also in the west) is the smaller Untersee, containing Reichenau Island. The Obersee and Untersee are connected by the four kilometers long Seerhein. On the left the High Rhine can be seen.







Distance markers along the Rhine indicate distances from this bridge in Constance
The 555km marker, downstream from the Lorelei








Lake Untersee is part of the border between Switzerland and Germany, with Germany on the north bank and Switzerland on the south, except both sides are Swiss in Stein am Rhein, where the High Rhine flows out of the lake.

High Rhine[edit]

The High Rhine
The Rhine Falls at Schaffhausen (Switzerland)


The High Rhine begins in Stein am Rhein at the western end of the Untersee. Unlike the Alpine Rhine and Upper Rhine, it flows to the west. It falls from 395 m to 252 m. Some stretches of the High Rhine between Stein am Rhein and Eglisau form the border between Switzerland on the south bank and Germany in the north. On other stretches, both sides are Swiss; in fact most of the Canton of Schaffhausen is on the north bank. Between Eglisau and Basel, the High Rhine consistently forms the border.



Upper Rhine[edit]

Rhein (front) and Rhine canal (back) near Breisach

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. Here the High Rhine ends. Legally, the Central Bridge is the boundary between High and Upper Rhine. The river now flows north as Upper Rhine through the Upper Rhine Plain, which is about 300 km long and up to 40 km wide. The most important tributaries in this area are the Ill below of Strasbourg, the Neckar in Mannheim and the Main across from Mainz. In Mainz, the Rhine leaves the Upper Rhine Valley and flows through the Mainz Basin.




The Upper Rhine region was changed significantly by a Rhine straightening program in the 19th Century. The rate of flow was increased and the ground water level fell significantly. Dead branches were removed by construction workers and the area around the river was made more habitable for humansflood plains as flooding decreased sharply. On the French side, the Grand Canal d'Alsace was dug, which carries a significant part of the river water, and all of the traffic. In some places, there are large compensation pools, for example, the huge Bassin de compensation de Plobsheim in Alsace.

The Upper Rhine has undergone significant human change since the 19th century. While it was slightly modified during the Roman occupation, it was not until the emergence of engineers such as Johann Gottfried Tulla that significant modernization efforts changed the shape of the river. Earlier work under Frederick the Great surrounded efforts to ease shipping and construct dams to serve coal transportation.[16] 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. Not long before Tulla went to work on widening and straightening the river heavy floods had brought significant loss of life.[17] Four diplomatic treaties were signed among German state governments and French regions dealing with the changes proposed along the Rhine, one was "the Treaty for the Rectification of the Rhine flow from Neuberg to Dettenheim"(1817), which surrounded states such as Bourbon France and the Bavarian Palatinate. Loops, oxbows, branches and islands were removed along the Upper Rhine so that there would be a present uniformity to the river.[18] The engineering of the Rhine was not without protest, farmers and fishermen had grave concerns about valuable fishing areas and farmland being lost. While some areas lost ground, other areas saw swamps and bogs be drained and turned into arable land.[19] Johann Tulla had the goal of shortening and straightening the Upper Rhine. Early engineering projects the Upper Rhine also had issues, with Tulla's project at one part of the river creating rapids, after the Rhine cut down from erosion to sheer rock.[20] Engineering along the Rhine eased flooding and made transportation along the river less cumbersome. These state projects were part of the advanced and technical progress efforts going on in the country alongside the industrial revolution. For the German state, to make the river more predictable was to ensure development projects could easily commence.[21]


Middle Rhine[edit]


Rhine by ship from Assmannshausen to Rüdesheim (Video 2008)






Lower Rhine[edit]

Low water in Düsseldorf
The Lower Rhine at Emmerich





The central and northern parts of the Rhine-Meuse delta

The Dutch name for Rhine is "Rijn". The Rhine turns west and enters the Netherlands, where, together with the rivers Meuse and Scheldt, it forms the extensive Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt delta, with 25,347 km2 (9,787 sq mi) the largest river delta in Europe.[22] 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.










Geologic history[edit]

Alpine orogeny[edit]

Schematic cross section of the Upper Rhine Graben.





Stream capture[edit]


Through stream capture, the Rhine extended its watershed southward. By the Pliocene period, the Rhine had captured streams down to the Vosges Mountains, including the Main and the Neckar. The northern Alps were then drained by the Rhone. By the early Pleistocene period, the Rhine had captured most of its current Alpine watershed from the Rhône, including the Aare. 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 Moselle in the Vosges Mountains, captured during the Saale Ice-age from the Meuse, to its watershed.



Most of the Rhine's current course was not under the ice during the last Ice Age; although, its source must still have been a glacier. A tundra, with Ice Age flora and fauna, stretched across middle Europe, from Asia to the Atlantic Ocean. Such was the case during the Last Glacial Maximum, ca. 22,000–14,000 yr BP, when ice-sheets covered Scandinavia, the Baltics, Scotland and the Alps, but left the space between as open tundra. Loess (wind-blown topsoil dust) arose from the south and North Sea plain settling on the slopes of the Alps, Urals and the Rhine Valley, rendering the valleys facing the prevailing winds especially fertile.

End of the last ice age[edit]


About 11000 years ago, the Rhine estuary was in the Strait of Dover. There remained some dry land in the southern North Sea, known as Doggerland, connecting mainland Europe to Britain. About 9000 years ago, that last divide was overtopped / dissected. Man was already resident in the area when these events happened.

Since 7500 years ago the situation of tides, currents and land-forms has resembled the present. Rates of sea-level rise dropped such that natural sedimentation by the Rhine and coastal processes widely compensate for transgression by the sea. 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).

About 7000–5000 BP, a general warming encouraged migration of all former ice-locked areas, including up the Danube and down the Rhine by peoples to the east. A sudden massive expansion of the Black Sea as the Mediterranean Sea burst into it through the Bosporus may have occurred about 7500 BP.

Holocene delta[edit]



At present, the branches Waal and Nederrijn-Lek discharge to the North Sea through the former Meuse estuary, near Rotterdam. 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. 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). This discharge distribution has been maintained since 1709 by river engineering works including the digging of the Pannerdens canal and the installation, in the 20th century, of a series of weirs on the Nederrijn.

Cultural history[edit]












Medieval and modern history[edit]




Allied soldiers of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment crossing the Rhine into Germany after the end of WWI, December 1918







Lists of features[edit]

Cities on the Rhine[edit]

Countries and borders[edit]


  • the Anterior Rhine lies entirely within Switzerland, while at least one tributary to Posterior Rhine, Reno di Lei originates in Italy, but is not considered a part of the Rhine proper.
  • the Alpine Rhine flows within Switzerland till Sargans, from which it becomes the border between Switzerland (to the west) and Liechtenstein (to the east) until Oberriet, and the river never flows within Liechtenstein. It then becomes the border between Switzerland (to the west) and Austria (to the east) until Diepoldsau where the modern and straight course enters Switzerland, while the original course Alter Rhein makes a bend to the east and continues as the Swiss-Austrian border until the confluence at Widnau. From here the river continues as the border until Lustenau, where the modern and straight course enters Austria (the only part of the river that flows within Austria), while the original course makes a bend to the west and continues as the border, until both courses enters Lake Constance.
  • the first half of Seerhein, between the upper and lower body of Lake Constance, flows within Germany (and the city of Konstanz), while the second is the German (to the north) – Swiss (to the south) frontier.
  • the first parts of the High Rhine, from Lake Constance to Altholz, the river alternates flowing within Switzerland and being the German-Swiss frontier (three times each). From Altholz the river is the German – Swiss border until Basel, where it enters Switzerland for the last time.
  • the Upper Rhine is the border between France (to the west) and Switzerland (to the east) for a short distance, from Basel to Hunningue. Here it becomes the Franco (to the west) – German (to the east) frontier until Au am Rhein. Hence, the main course of the Rhine never flows within France, although some river canals do. From Au am Rhein the river flows within Germany.
  • the Middle Rhine flows entirely within Germany.
  • the Lower Rhine flows within Germany until Emmerich am Rhein, where it becomes the border between The Netherlands (to the north) and Germany (to the south). At Millingen aan de Rijn the river enters the Netherlands.
  • all parts of the Delta Rhein flows within the Netherlands until they enters the North Sea, IJsselmeer (IJssel) or Haringvliet (Waal) at the Dutch coast.


Former distributaries[edit]

Order: panning north to south through the Western Netherlands:


Order: upstream to downstream:

See also[edit]

Notes and references[edit]


  1. ^ a b c d The Rhine only has an official length scale (Rheinkilometer) downstream of Constance. Its full length is subject to the definition of the Alpine Rhine. In 2010, there were media reports to the effect that the length of the Rhine had long been underreported in 20th-century encyclopedias, and upon request by journalists, Dutch Rijkswaterstaat cited a length of 1,232 km."Der Rhein ist kürzer als gedacht – Jahrhundert-Irrtum". sueddeutsche.de. Retrieved 27 March 2010. ."Rhine River 90km shorter than everyone thinks". The Local – Germany's news in English. 27 March 2010. Retrieved 9 April 2010.  "'We checked it out and came to 1,232 kilometres,' said Ankie Pannekoek, spokeswoman for the Dutch government hydrology office."


  1. ^ a b "Le Rhin" (official site) (in French). Paris, France: L'Institut National de l'Information Geographique et Forestrière IGN. Retrieved 2016-03-06. 
  2. ^ Frijters and Leentvaar (2003)
  4. ^ Rijn, Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek
  6. ^ sum of Vorderrhein and Hinterrhein discharges according to Hydrologischer Atlas der Schweiz, 2002, Tab. 5.4 "Natürliche Abflüsse 1961–1980".
  7. ^ a b "Maps of Switzerland – Swiss Confederation – GEWISS" (online map). Vorderrhein. Gewässernetz 1:2 Mio. National Map 1:200 000 (in German). Cartography by Swiss Federal Office of Topography swisstopo. Berne, Switzerland: Federal Office for the Environment FOEN. 2014. Retrieved 2016-01-04 – via http://map.geo.admin.ch. 
  12. ^ Atlas der Schweiz Switzerland maps by Swiss Federal Office of Topography Archived 9 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine.
  13. ^ "1232 - Oberalppass" (Map). Lai da Tuma (2015 ed.). 1:25 000. National Map 1:25'000. Wabern, Switzerland: Federal Office of Topography – swisstopo. 2013. ISBN 978-3-302-01232-2. Retrieved 2018-03-01 – via map.geo.admin.ch. 
  14. ^ "1193 - Tödi" (Map). Piz Russein (2016 ed.). 1:25 000. National Map 1:25'000. Wabern, Switzerland: Federal Office of Topography – swisstopo. 2013. ISBN 978-3-302-01193-6. Retrieved 2018-02-28 – via map.geo.admin.ch. 
  16. ^ Cioc, Mark. The Rhine: an eco-biography, 1815–2000. Seattle: University of Washington Press.48–49
  17. ^ Cioc, Mark. The Rhine: an eco-biography, 1815–2000. Seattle: University of Washington Press. 2002. 52
  22. ^ Tockner, K; Uehlinger, U; Robinson, C T; Siber, R; Tonolla, D; Peter, F D (2009). "European Rivers". In Lekens, Gene E. Encyclopedia of Inland Waters. 3. Elsevier. pp. 366–377. ISBN 978-0-12-370626-3. 
  23. ^ a b Berendsen and Stouthamer (2001)
  24. ^ Ménot et al. (2006)
  25. ^ Cohen et al. (2002)
  26. ^ Hoffmann et al. (2007)
  27. ^ Gouw and Erkens (2007)


External links[edit]