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| Image from Roll International |
According to Roll International, from its origin, the Rheinwaldhorn Glacier, to the North Sea the Rhine runs approximately 820 miles. It travels North and East through many different countries. About 80% of the travelable river is in Germany. Ocean worthy vessels travel the river all the way to Cologne until there the river becomes too narrow and shallow to manage; there the load must be transported by smaller ships.
The Rhine River is a popular destination for vacations. Over thirty majestic castles are located on the river. In the 17th Century it was tradition for new lords and noblemen to preserve ruins of their ancestors becoming a tourist destination during the 19th century. It is also very popular for its vineyards. The most common grape that is grown in this area is the (white) Riesling. This grape is used primarily for wines including pinot blanc and Chardonnay
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| Image of Bacharach from Virtual Tourist.com |
Because the river travels through many different countries there are several names for this river:
Rhein in German
Rhine in French
Rijn in Dutch (Netherlands)
Rhenus in many ancient dialects
In 2003, the Rhine Valley was added by the UNESCO to the list of World Cultural Heritage Landmarks.
One of the most famous Germany folklore is of the Rhine siren named Lorelei who would sing in order to entice men and eventually send them to their death by shipwreck. There is even a rock named after her which is located in St. Goarshausen (image below).The rock is over 145 yards above the waterline.
There are many famous art works, songs, and poems that are attributed to this infamous rock. This includes Heinrich Heine's The Lorelei. The following is a single stanza from the poem borrowed from ArtMagick.com:
The boatman listens, and o'er him
Wild-aching passions roll;
He sees but the maiden before him,
He sees not reef or shoal.
Wild-aching passions roll;
He sees but the maiden before him,
He sees not reef or shoal.
Sylvia Plath also wrote a poem Lorelei. The following is two stanzas borrowed from PoemHunter.com:
It is no night to drown in:
A full moon, river lapsing
Black beneath bland mirror-sheen,
The blue water-mists dropping
Scrim after scrim like fishnets
Though fishermen are sleeping
A full moon, river lapsing
Black beneath bland mirror-sheen,
The blue water-mists dropping
Scrim after scrim like fishnets
Though fishermen are sleeping
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| Image from Wikipedia.org |
About-Germany.org
Virtual Tourist.com
Roll International.com
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