The Rhine, the story of the river
The Rhine, between Romanticism and Realism
The Rhine and its legendary Romanticism? The Rhine, a historic river, the first witness to the construction of the current European Union? The Rhine, our company's first destination, is still today one of the key itineraries in our catalogue. But what do we know of this "old patriarch" which has finally appeased and modernised its long troubled course?
An international river
The Rhine is an international river par excellence. It rises in the Alps, in the Grisons in Switzerland, and, 1,350 km further, meets the North Sea in Holland (the Netherlands), where it welcomes the waters of the Meuse before fragmenting into several branches. The river which forms the border between Switzerland and Austria, between Switzerland and Germany, between France and Germany where, for 180 km of its length, it is Alsatian. It divides the Vosges and the Black Forest between Basel and Mainz. Its course then turns towards Luxembourg and the Netherlands where it becomes broad and powerful.
The Rhine is the 29th longest river in the world, after the Danube (2,892 km) and before the Loire (1,010 km). Although it belongs to those who live alongside it, it does not flow through any towns. It flows alongside them. This is the case in Karlsruhe, Mannheim, Mainz, Koblenz, Cologne, Düsseldorf and Strasbourg, all great ports on the Rhine, some of which are our remarkable ports of call.
Caution on the Romantic section
The Rhine is the busiest river in Europe and doubtless the most modern these days. It is navigable over 883 km from its embouchure in Basel. It is controlled by the Mannheim Convention signed in 1863 by France, the Grand Duchy of Baden, the Grand Duchy of Hesse, the Netherlands and Prussia. A central commission for the Rhine, based in Strasbourg, monitors free circulation on this "international navigable water course" capable of taking boats of up to 300 tonnes. There are no major difficulties sailing on this important economic corridor through western Europe, assures Admiral Franck Fiorillo. Except that you have to keep a careful watch on the traffic, which is very dense, and on the navigable channel.
And doubtless beware of the famous Lorelei, the legendary siren perched on her rock, who greatly inspired Guillaume Apollinaire: "In Bacharach was a flaxen-haired witch / Who slew with love all men around...". Caution therefore on the Romantic section of the Rhine where fog banks can still lead to accidents.
But the sorceress alone does not bring light to the Rhine. There are also the vines, which intoxicate the Rhine, reflected in its waters, still in the words of Apollinaire, and its castles! No less than thirty "burgs" over a distance of 60 km between Koblenz and Mainz. Amongst others, the fortified castle of Ehrenfels, the Mouse Tower, Stahleck Castle and the impressive fortified castle of Pfalzgrafenstein, just after the Lorelei, which rises like a ship of stone from the waves.
Between war and peace
The Rhine is a delight to boatmen and the passengers on our cruises alike, ever under the charms of this river which has seen so much over the centuries. It has preserved the traces of the valiant soldiers of the Revolution. The little cemetery in Petersberg, just before Koblenz, pays homage to them. Whilst Kellermann was victorious at Valmy, the revolutionary armies were advancing up the Rhine valley. And so, in Strasbourg, one evening in April 1792, Rouget de l'Isle, a garrison lieutenant, composed the War Cry of the Rhine army which was to become the Marseillaise. After numerous bloody confrontations, the Rhine bore witness to the first act of Franco-German reconciliation which was to lead to the construction of today's unified Europe. Charles de Gaulle and Konrad Adenauer made it the symbol of a future marked by peace.
Sailing in limpid waters
Its waters are so clear that the salmon, which had disappeared for a time, has returned to the river. This is a sign of good health. For, in the 1970s, the Rhine was one of the most repugnant open sewers in Europe. A dumping ground for rubbish and waste water from the towns, overloaded with heavy metals and noxious substances, the water became unsuitable for consumption and lethal to water life. In 1986, the river suffered the consequences of the fire at the Sandoz chemical plant near Basel: insecticides and pesticides were released into the river with the water that was used to bring the blaze under control. This ecological disaster finally spurred the states along the river to action. Thanks to their joint efforts, the Rhine gradually became a clean river once more.
CroisiEurope has opened the way to fluvial tourism on this mythical river. It all began in Alsace. The first boat was acquired to sail as far as Lauterbourg for lunch and a day's dancing. Then as far as Rüdesheim, where we would spend the night. Then came the first boats with cabins in the 1980s: the Petite France, the Hansi, the Kléber... the Kellermann and all the other increasingly comfortable vessels, to celebrate the beauty of this river as poets from both banks have done, despite all the fratricidal conflicts.
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