Lorelei Rock, Unesco Site, Sankt Goarshausen, Germany
The Middle Rhine Valley between the cities of Bingen and Koblenz draws hundreds of thousands of tourists annually. Since the early 19th century, travelers have come here for the famous romantic ambience of the Rhine. The rise of river cruises made the Rhine River one of the most popular travel destinations in Europe. The waterside landscape with its steep slopes and medieval castles and ruins inspired painters, musicians, and poets of the Romantic era, who made the Rhine an object of yearnin
The Rhine Gorge is a popular name for the Upper Middle Rhine Valley, a 65 km section of the River Rhine between Koblenz and Bingen in Germany. It was added to the UNESCO 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 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.
Visit Germany. Epic German Adventure route © Monika Newbound
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