Rhine

• The River Rhine is the second longest river in Western Europe after the Danube and runs through Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands.
• It formed the Frontier of the Roman Empire with Germania and was defended by a series of fortifications known as the Limes Germanicus.

Description

• Name:
  • The Celtic name of the Rhine was ‘Renos’ meaning ‘to flow or run’
• Source:
  • Source of the Rhine: Lake Toma, near Andermatt, Switzerland, flows out into the River Vorderrhein. Near Chur the confluence of the Vorderrhein with the Hinterrhein is where the river Rhine starts.
• Length:
  • The length of the Rhine is approximately 766 miles (1,233km).
• Frontier:
  • The Rhine and the Danube formed the northern Frontiers of the Roman Empire and the Rivers continue to form the Boundaries of modern countries today.
  • Limes Germanicus
  • Danube Limes.
• The Rhine Gorge:
  • A UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its Medieval castles, villages and world famous vineyards.
• Freezing Over of the Rhine:
  • It froze over in 407 CE and in 419 CE, allowing the Germanic Tribes to invade Gaul.
• Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt Delta
  • The Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt Delta, also known as the Rhine Delta, is located in the Netherlands and is the largest river delta in Europe.

The Course of the Rhine:

• From its Source to the North Sea:

• Raetia
  1. The Source of the Rhine
     • This is considered to be Lake Toma near Andermatt in Switzerland, which becomes the river Vorderrhein.
  2. Chur
     • Confluence of the Voderrhein with the Hinterrhein to form the Rhine.
  3. Schaffhausen
     • The Rhine Falls, near Zurich.
• Germania Superior
  1. Windisch
  2. Basle
  3. Strasbourg
     • Confluence with the Ill (ill)
  4. Mannheim
  5. Mainz
     • Confluence with the River Main. Bridge over the Rhine.
  6. Bingen
  7. Boppard
  8. Koblenz
     • Confluence with the Moselle. Bridge over the Rhine.
• Germania Inferior
  1. Bonn
  2. Cologne
     • Bridge over the Rhine.
  3. Dusseldorf
  4. Duisburg
  5. Xanten
     • Bridge over the Rhine.
  6. Nijmegen
  7. Vechten
  8. Katwijk

Limes Germanicus

• The Limes Germanicus, also known as the Raetian Limes, was the fortified Roman Frontier with Germania. It had 60 Forts with 900 watchtowers and ran for 353 miles (568 km).
• Starting from the mouth of the Rhine, it ran up the Rhine towards Mainz, then overland to Regensburg on the Danube. Here it joined the Danube Limes.

The Four Roman Bridges across the Rhine

• Xanten
• Cologne
• Koblenz
• Mainz

Rhine