The Rhine

The Rhine provided a physical boundary for the Roman Empire and has been a vital European trade and transport route since that time. It still forms part of the border between Switzerland and Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein and Germany and France.

The area around the Rhine has been squabbled over for hundreds of years, especially by France and Germany, and the public attitude to Germany’s loss of the Rhineland in the WW1 Treaty of Versailles was one of Hitler’s major political platforms in the lead up to WW2.

There are many historic sites along the Rhine’s route, including some well preserved castles, military fortresses (dating from both Roman and more recent campaigns.) and the Mainz Cathedral, which is more than a thousand years old. The region is typified by scenic valleys dotted with traditional villages.

The Rhine’s popularity as a cruising or barging route has added to shipping traffic to make it the world’s busiest waterway.

The Rhine’s water comes originally from the Rheinwaldhorn Glacier in the Swiss Alps and empties through the Netherlands into the North Sea.