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No river
in Western literature has through the ages captured the romantic more
than the River Rhine – commencing with the epic poem, the
Nibelungenlied, in High German from the Middle Ages, telling the
saga of Siegfried who killed the dragon on the Dragenfells near
today’s Bonn, and of the golden treasure which was thrown into the
river. This was also the setting of Richard Wagner’s first opera Der
Ring des Nibelungen, which opens and ends telling how three
Rhinemaidens, living in the Rhine, protect this treasure buried
underneath the waters.
Another legendary tale is that of how the beautiful maiden, Lorelei,
sitting on a rock, through her entrancing songs lured the sailors of
ships going by to a watery death on the treacherous rocks. Goethe’s
journey down the Rhine in 1774 further enhanced the romanticism that is
associated with the river.
With a length of 1320 km. the Rhine forms one of Europe’s most important
waterways. It has two sources, both in the Alps in Switzerland. The
primary stream, called the Vorderhein, flows from a lake called
Lai da Tuma, near the
Oberalp
Pass
not far from Andermatt. The secondary source flows from a glacier
at a peak called Rheinquellhorn, on the border with Italy. These
two streams join at Reichenau near Chur. From here it is called
the Alpenrhein, which flows into the
Bodensee
(Lake Constance) at Bregenz, on its way forming the border with
Liechtenstein and Austria.
About 20 km. after flowing westwards out of the Bodensee it plunges over
the Rhine Falls at Schaffhausen, before leaving Switzerland
through Basel. From here its course takes it through or bordering France
and Germany, and finally through the Netherlands to its mouth in the
North Sea at Rotterdam. On its way a number of streams and rivers such
as the Neckar, the Main and the Moselle join the main stream,
contributing to its final average discharge of 2 200 cubic metres per
second.
The route over the Oberalp Pass down to Bregenz gives one a glimpse of
the majestic, snowy mountain region from where the river originates. On
the shores of the Bodensee there are a number of memorable cities and
towns, like Rorschach, Romanshorn, and
Konstanz,
where I once visited their prestigious university. On another trip my
wife ans I stayed in Romanshorn, from where ferries regularly
travel to and from Frederickshaven on the opposite shore. The
photos of the three fountains and the statue were taken here.
At another village, Güttingen, we came upon a knitting competition in
which most of the inhabitants participated, breaking the world record
for the longest continuous knitted scarf, namely 3 500 m!
A year ago we visited friends in Schaffhausen, whose house looks out
over the river flowing quietly by. But just a few kilometers downstream
it thunders over the 30 m high Rhine Falls – a most spectacular sight.
My wife and I stood in awe, looking at a boat taking sight-seers to
within drowning distance of one of the swirling cascades!
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However, the most famous stretch of the Rhine is the romantic Rhine
Valley, especially the scenic section between Mainz and Koblenz,
where the meandering river has carved a deep gorge through the
forested hillsides. |
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This is
where travellers on scenic cruises gaze up in wonder at the many Middle
Age castles towering above, amongst terraced vineyards covering the
hills. And when you drive by car down from Mains to Koblenz on one side
of the river, and back along the other side, you can stop and visit some
of the castles or wander around in the quaint villages along the banks
of the river, like Rüdesheim, Geisenheim, Bingen, Boppard and
Goam.
We once
pitched a tent in Geisenheim, a stone’s throw away from the river.
Seeing the vessels continually cruising up- and downstream emphasizes
the importance of this waterway in European history. At night you hear
the duff-duff-duff of the barges going by; and sometimes you wish
you were on one of the cruise vessels from which the dance music and
laughter from the brightly lit decks, can be clearly heard.
After
leaving Germany, the Rhine enters the low-lying Netherlands, which over
the millennia were actually formed by the deposits of the delta of the
Rhine. In the Netherlands the river splits into a number of smaller
outlets, carrying different names, but the mouth of the Rhine is
regarded as to be at Rotterdam.
Experiencing the natural beauty of the Rhine and some of the stretches
through which it has carved its way, with the many historic castles
along its banks, one begins to understand why this river today still
draws a vast number of visitors looking for a romantic break-away.
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- Manie Wolvaardt |
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