- Rhine Gorge
Infobox World Heritage Site
WHS = Upper Middle Rhine Valley
State Party = GER
Type = Cultural
Criteria = ii, iv, v
ID = 1066
Region = Europe
Year = 2002
Session = 26th
Link = http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1066The Rhine Gorge is a popular name for the Upper
Middle Rhine Valley, a 65 km section of the RiverRhine betweenKoblenz and Bingen inGermany . It was added to theUNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in June 2002 for a unique combination of geological, historical, cultural and industrial reasons.The region's rocks were laid down in the
Devonian period and are known as RhenishFacies . This is a fossil-bearingsedimentary rock type consisting mainly ofslate . The rocks underwent considerable folding during theCarboniferous period. The gorge was carved out during a much more recent uplifting to leave the river contained within steep walls 200 m high, the most famous feature being theLoreley .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 particularviticulture 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. Constrained in size, many of these old towns retain a historic feel today. With increasing wealth, many
castle s appeared and the valley became a core region of theHoly Roman Empire where the famous Counts ofKatzenelnbogen collected their silver treasure. It was at the centre of theThirty Years' War , which left many of the castles inruin s, a particular attraction for today's cruise ships which follow the river. At one time forming a border ofFrance , in the 19th Century the valley became part ofPrussia and its landscape became the quintessential image ofGermany .This part of the Rhine features strongly in
folklore , such as a legendary castle on the Rhine being the setting for the operaGötterdämmerung . The annual Rhine in Flames festivals include spectacular firework displays atSankt Goar in September andKoblenz in August, the best view being from one of a convoy of boats.Towns Along the Gorge
*
Koblenz (west)
*Lahnstein (east)
*Rhens (west)
*Braubach (east)
*Boppard (west)
*St. Goarshausen (east) and almost directly opposite
*Sankt Goar (west) by theLoreley rock (east)
*Oberwesel (west)
*Kaub (east)
*Bacharach (west)
*Lorch (east)
*Assmannshausen (east)
*Bingen (west)
*Rüdesheim (east)External links
* [http://www.world-heritage-middle-rhine-valley.de/intro.html Official Site]
* [http://www.graf-von-katzenelnbogen.de/ History of the Counts of Katzenelnbogen and the Riesling]
* [http://www.loreleyinfo.de Loreley Info] Information all around the Loreley in the Upper Middle Rhine Valley World Heritage
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