Special Sub-Topic: The Rhine Click Here To Play: The Rhine

In what general direction does the Rhine flow from its source(s) to the sea?

South-east to north-west. Many other major rivers in North-West and Northern Central continental Europe flow in much the same direction, for example, the Oder, the Elbe, the Weser, the Meuse (Maas), the Seine and the Loire.

The Rhine rises in Switzerland. It has two souces (each fed by other, minor sources). The more important of the two main sources is the Vorderrhein. It rises near which of these places or mountains?

St. Gotthard. The other main source is the Hinterrhein (or in Romansch, Rein Anterier). Both are in Canton Graubünden (sometimes called Les Grisons). The source of the Vorderrhein is Lake Toma, that of the Hinterrhein is the Rheinwaldhorn Glacier at a height of just over 11,000 feet.

Into which body of water does the Rhine flow?

The North Sea. To most intents and purposes the Rhine and the Maas (Meuse) have what might best be described as a joint estuary. (Most good maps and atlases indicate clearly that it is a 'joint' estuary).

What is the approximate length of the Rhine? (Hint: it's not, on the whole, a meandering river).

820 miles. By comparison with some of the major rivers in the Americas, Asia and Africa, it's not very long, but this doesn't detract from its signficance.

The Falls of the Rhine (German 'der Rheinfall') is closest to which of these towns or cities?

Schaffhausen. Here the Rhine plunges over 20 metres (70 feet) in series of spectacular cataracts.

Which of these is NOT a port on the Rhine?

Hameln. Hamlen is on the Weser. Small sea-going vessels can travel upstream as far as Mannheim; Duisburg, at the confluence of the Rhine and the Ruhr has for a long time been one of the busiest inland ports in the world, despite the decline in the German coal mining and steel making industries, and Rotterdam is Europe's busiest port.

Which of these rivers is NOT a tributary of the Rhine?

The Inn. The Inn flows into the Danube. The Neckar flows into the Rhine at Mannheim, the Main joins it near Wiesbaden and the Ruhr at Duisburg.

At Bingen, just north of Mainz, the Rhine enters an eighty-mile gorge, the 'Romantic Rhine'. There are also two famous rocks overlooking the Rhine. At the northern end, near Königswinter, is the Drachenfels, and further south, just below St. Goarshausen, is another famous rock, which has been much celebrated in legends, poems and songs. What is it called?

Lorelei&die Lorelei&Loreley&die loreley&lore ley. In medieval German legend this rock hid the treasure of the Nibelungs. In the 19th century it was popularized in particular in a poem by Heinrich Heine, 'Die Loreley', written in 1823 and set to music by Friedrich Silcher. (There are also poems on the Lorelei by Bretano and Eichendorff. In the modern legend the Lorelei is a siren-like woman whose seductive singing lures boatmen to shipwreck and death).

On flowing entering the Netherlands the Rhine seems to disappear on most maps, unless very large scale. In fact it 'splits' into three rivers. On which 'arm' is Rotterdam?

The Lek, which becomes the New Maas. The Lek/New Maas enters the sea at Hook of Holland (Hoek van Holland). The Waal/Maas merges with another arm of the Maas to form the Merwede and flows into Hollands Diep, which is an inlet of the North Sea. The Crooked (or Old) Rhine flows northwards from the Lek, runs through Utrecht and flows into the sea at Katwijk, north of Scheveningen. The Scheldt flows to the west of the Rhine and for most of its course flows through Belgium. The chief port on the Scheldt is Antwerp.

A well known series of guide-books began in 1828 with a single volume on the Rhine from Mainz to Cologne. Which series?

Baedeker's. At the time Karl Baedeker's publishing house was in Koblenz. In 1828 he bought the copyright of a book entitled "Rheinreisen von Mainz bis Köln: Handbuch für Schnellreisende" (best translated simply as "The Rhine from Mainz to Cologne. A Handbook for Tourists [literally 'quick travellers']" written a few years before by Johann Adam Klein. There was nothing new about describing the course of the Rhine, and a number of earlier descriptions, often with charming plates, are available. What was new about Klein's book, and even more so when Baedeker revised it, was the inclusion of detailed practical advice for travellers. Baedeker's next venture was a book on the Mosel from Trier to Koblenz.