For the Rhine gorge in Switzerland, see Ruinaulta.
The Rhine Gorge is a popular name for the Upper Middle Rhine Valley, a 65 km section of the Rhine between Koblenz and Rüdesheim in the states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse in Germany. It was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in June 2002 because of its beauty as a cultural landscape, its importance as a route of transport across Europe, and the unique adaptations of the buildings and terraces to the steep slopes of the gorge.[1]
The region's rocks were laid down in the Devonian period and are known as Rhenish Facies. This is a fossil-bearing sedimentary rock type consisting mainly of slate. The rocks underwent considerable folding during the Carboniferous period. The gorge was carved out during a much more recent uplift to leave the river contained within steep walls 200 m high, the most famous feature being the Loreley.
The gorge produces its own microclimate and has acted as a corridor for species not otherwise found in the region. Its slopes have long been terraced for agriculture, in particular viticulture which has good conditions on south-facing slopes. Most of the vineyards belong to the wine region Mittelrhein, but the southernmost parts of the Rhine Gorge fall in Rheingau and Nahe.
The river has been an important trade route into central Europe since prehistoric times and a string of small settlements has grown up along the banks.[1] Constrained in size, many of these old towns retain a historic feel today. With increasing wealth, roughly 40 hilltop castles were built and the valley became a core region of the Holy Roman Empire. It was at the centre of the Thirty Years' War, which left many of the castles in ruins, a particular attraction for today's cruise ships which follow the river. At one time forming a border of France, in the 19th century the valley became part of Prussia and its landscape became the quintessential image of Germany.
This part of the Rhine features strongly in folklore, such as a legendary castle on the Rhine being the setting for the opera Götterdämmerung. The annual Rhine in Flames festivals include spectacular firework displays at Sankt Goar in September and Koblenz in August, the best view being from one of a convoy of boats.
^ ab"Upper Middle Rhine Valley". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
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Upper Middle Rhine Valley – UNESCO World Heritage Centre
April 16, 2024
rhine, gorge, rhine, gorge, switzerland, ruinaulta, popular, name, upper, middle, rhine, valley, section, rhine, between, koblenz, rüdesheim, states, rhineland, palatinate, hesse, germany, added, unesco, list, world, heritage, sites, june, 2002, because, beaut. For the Rhine gorge in Switzerland see Ruinaulta The Rhine Gorge is a popular name for the Upper Middle Rhine Valley a 65 km section of the Rhine between Koblenz and Rudesheim in the states of Rhineland Palatinate and Hesse in Germany It was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in June 2002 because of its beauty as a cultural landscape its importance as a route of transport across Europe and the unique adaptations of the buildings and terraces to the steep slopes of the gorge 1 Upper Middle Rhine ValleyUNESCO World Heritage SiteSt Goarshausen castle Katz with Loreley rock in the Rhineland PalatinateLocationRheinland Pfalz and Hessen in GermanyCriteriaCultural ii iv v Reference1066Inscription2002 26th Session Area27 250 ha 67 300 acres Buffer zone34 680 ha 85 700 acres Coordinates50 10 25 N 7 41 39 E 50 1736 N 7 69417 E 50 1736 7 69417Location of Rhine Gorge in GermanyMap of the Middle Rhine ValleyThe region s rocks were laid down in the Devonian period and are known as Rhenish Facies This is a fossil bearing sedimentary rock type consisting mainly of slate The rocks underwent considerable folding during the Carboniferous period The gorge was carved out during a much more recent uplift to leave the river contained within steep walls 200 m high the most famous feature being the Loreley The gorge produces its own microclimate and has acted as a corridor for species not otherwise found in the region Its slopes have long been terraced for agriculture in particular viticulture which has good conditions on south facing slopes Most of the vineyards belong to the wine region Mittelrhein but the southernmost parts of the Rhine Gorge fall in Rheingau and Nahe The river has been an important trade route into central Europe since prehistoric times and a string of small settlements has grown up along the banks 1 Constrained in size many of these old towns retain a historic feel today With increasing wealth roughly 40 hilltop castles were built and the valley became a core region of the Holy Roman Empire It was at the centre of the Thirty Years War which left many of the castles in ruins a particular attraction for today s cruise ships which follow the river At one time forming a border of France in the 19th century the valley became part of Prussia and its landscape became the quintessential image of Germany This part of the Rhine features strongly in folklore such as a legendary castle on the Rhine being the setting for the opera Gotterdammerung The annual Rhine in Flames festivals include spectacular firework displays at Sankt Goar in September and Koblenz in August the best view being from one of a convoy of boats Contents 1 Towns and cities along the gorge 2 Gallery 3 See also 4 References 5 External linksTowns and cities along the gorge editKoblenz west east Lahnstein east Rhens west Braubach east Boppard west St Goarshausen east and almost directly opposite Sankt Goar west by the Loreley rock east Oberwesel west Kaub east Bacharach west Lorch east Assmannshausen east Bingen west Rudesheim east Gallery edit nbsp View of Burg Katz with the Lorelei in the background nbsp Aerial image of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley in the area of Sankt Goarshausen with the Lorelei at the bottom of the image nbsp Koblenz the northern gateway to the World Heritage Site with the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress nbsp Deutsches Eck at the confluence of Rhine and Moselle nbsp Stolzenfels Castle near Koblenz the epitome of the Rhine romanticism nbsp Marksburg Castle the only hilltop castle in the Middle Rhine Valley that was never destroyed nbsp View from the left bank of the Rhine near St Goar on the Lorelei nbsp Stamp from 2006 showing the World Heritage Site nbsp Burg Pfalzgrafenstein in the middle of the river at Kaub in the background Burg Gutenfels nbsp Werner Chapel at Bacharach nbsp Burg Rheinstein the first castle to be rebuilt in the 19th century nbsp Binger Loch the southern gateway to the gorge on the left the Mouse Tower on the right Burg Ehrenfels Castle nbsp The Niederwalddenkmal monument with Germania personification at Rudesheim nbsp One of the oldest surviving church building in the World Heritage area the Basilica of St Castor in Koblenz nbsp Rhein in Flammen in 2011 before the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress at Koblenz nbsp Burg Stahleck Castle nbsp Middle Rhine Valley at Kaub nbsp Rhine Cable Railway at Koblenz nbsp Rhine Gorge between Trechtingshausen and BacharachSee also editKoln DusseldorferReferences edit a b Upper Middle Rhine Valley UNESCO World Heritage Centre United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization Retrieved 2 September 2022 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Upper Middle Rhine Valley Upper Middle Rhine Valley UNESCO World Heritage Centre Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Rhine Gorge amp oldid 1161147727, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
