In addition to being one of Europe’s most important rivers, the Rhine is also one of its most beautiful. It originates in southeastern Switzerland and the Upper Rhine flows toward Basel, then into Germany where the Middle Rhine Valley is flanked by pastoral towns, vineyards and dozens of castles and fortresses. Below Bonn, the Lower Rhine flows through France and into the Netherlands, where it divides into delta arms and flows into the North Sea. The Rhine is 820 miles long and connects with important tributaries such as the Neckar, Main and Moselle.
The name of the Rhine comes from Middle High German Rin, which can be traced back to its Proto-Indo-European root reie- meaning “to flow” or “to run.”
At the end of World War I, the Rhineland was subject to the Treaty of Versailles, which stated that the Rhine Valley would be occupied by the allies until 1935 and then become a demilitarized zone. This treaty caused much resentment in Germany and was thought to be one of the factors leading to Hitler’s rise to power. During World War II the Rhine presented a formidable natural obstacle to the invasion of Germany by the western allies. The failed September 1944 battle known as “Operation Market Garden” had the capture of the Rhine bridge at Arnhem as a central focus, as well as the bridges at Nijmegen over the Waal tributary of the Rhine. The Rhine bridge at Remagen became famous when U.S. forces were able to capture it intact after the Germans failed to demolish it.
The Rhine has often been immortalized in story and song. The Nibelungenlied, an epic poem in Middle High German, tells the saga of Siegfried, who killed a dragon on the Drachenfels (“dragon’s rock”) near Bonn at the Rhine. The Nibelungenlied also talks of the Burgundians and their court at Wörms at the Rhine, and of Kriemhild’s golden treasure which is thrown into the Rhine by Hagen. The first opera of Wagner’s Ring cycle, Das Rheingold, was inspired by the Nibelungenlied; its action opens and ends underneath the Rhine, where three Rheinmaidens swim and protect a golden treasure. The Lorelei, a 400-foot rock on the Rhine’s eastern bank, marks a narrow spot on the river with treacherous currents and is associated with legends about sailors being lured to their doom.
A journey along the Rhine is highlighted by numerous castles and castle ruins; vineyards, wine villages and orchards; and picturesque islands in the river. The Rhine Gorge—the stretch between Bingen and Bonn also known as the “romantic Rhine”—is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.